Opening night in the minors: Diaz, Julien, Lopez, Robson, Trogrlic-Iverson shine

RHP Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Oakville, Ont.) was the first Canuck to pitch as minor ball resumed Tuesday night.

May 5, 2021

By George Farelli

Canadian Baseball Network

Which Canadian had the first hit of the 2021 minor league season?

And what Canuck threw the first pitch?

Well, some of our cameras and links to all the minor league parks were broken Tuesday night, but we think we have a winner in each category:

Playing second base and hitting second for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Otto Lopez reached on an infield single in the top of third. Lopez (Montreal, Que.) scored on a Gabriel Moreno double to put the Fisher Cats ahead 2-0.

The Fisher Cats had four hits and two RBIs from Canadians in an 11-2 romp over the Portland Sea Dogs in the double-A Northeast league opener before 1,835 fans at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine.

2B Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) had a pair of his for New Hampshire on opening night.

Four batters after Lopez’s third inning single LF Demi Orimoloye (Orleans, Ont.) singled to left bringing home Gabriel Moreno for a 4-0 lead.

Orimoloye had his second hit -- a singled to left in the fifth -- and Lopez singled to left to knock in a run in the eighth to make it 10-0. Each had two hits and knocked in a run.

And ... the first to throw a pitch was RHP Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Oakville, Ont.) pitching for the Palm Beach Cardinals the Low A-East League opener.

Trogrlic-Iverson, who pitched for the Langley Blaze and the FieldHouse Pirates, was dominant as he pitched five scoreless innings allowing two hits and two walks, while striking out five. He left with a 2-0 lead and received a no decision as Palm Beach scored two in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win.

And how some other Canucks fared on opening night ...

_ Former Kentucky Wildcat LHP Andrew Albers started and worked four innings for the Saint Paul Saints in an 8-2 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers before 3,261 Werner Park in Triple-A East action. Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) allowed. seven hits -- including three homers.

_ Kingston Ponies and Niagara Purple Eagles grad RHP Matt Brash took the loss as the Everett Aqua Sox fell to the Hillsboro Hops 4-1 before 825 at Ben Tonkin Field. Brash (Kingston, Ont.) allowed five hits and three runs in High-A West.

_ Okanagan College alum RHP Trevor Brigden worked one inning for the Charleston RiverDogs in a 6-3 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans before 3,066 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in a Low A-East opener for both teams. Brigden (North York, Ont.) allowed three runs on four hits.

_ Former Langley Blaze RHP Indigo Diaz pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings as his Rome Braves beat the Winston-Salem Dash 11-5 in High-A East play before 2,811 fans at Truist Stadium. Diaz (North Vancouver, BC) allowed one hit and walked one while recording strikeouts on five of the seven outs he recorded.

_ Great Lake Canadians and London Badgers grad Adam Hall drove in a pair of runs as his Aberdeen Ironbirds beat the Wilmington Blue Rock 10-1 in front of 1,381 at Frawley Stadium in a High-A East opener. Hall (London, Ont.) hit a ground ball in the fifth to plate in a run and singled in the three-run seventh.

DH Edouard Julien (Ancienne-Lorette, Que.) had a pair of hits for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

_ Former Auburn Tiger DH Edouard Julien had a pair of hits in a 6-3 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels win over the Bradenton Marauders before 625 fans at LECOM Park in Low A-East play. Julien (Ancienne-Lorette, Que.) doubled to left in the sixth inning and singled to right in the ninth to made the score 6-3.

_ Former Ontario Blue Jay Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Akron Rubber Ducks had a run-scoring single as Akron rolled to a 5-4 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in front of 2,805 in Double-A Northeast action. Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) singled home the tying run in the eighth evening the score at 2-2.

_ Ben Pelletier knocked in a pair of runs as the Clearwater Threshers beat the Lakeland Flying Tigers 13-11 in 11 innings before 1,115 fans at BayCare Park in another Low A-East opener. Pelletier (Varennes, Que.) singled to centre in the second as Clearwater knotted the score 2-2 and reached on a infield single in the five-run fourth.

_ Former Ontario Blue Jays OF Jacob Robson helped the Erie Seawolves to a 12-4 win against the Reading Fightin’ Phils knocking in two runs in front of 2,620 FirstEnergy Stadium. Robson (Windsor, Ont.) hit a two-run, line-drive homer to left getting Erie on the board and hit a ground ball in the sixth for a 5-3 lead.

_ Western Kentucky Hilltopper Jacob Sanford had a pair of hits as the Tampa Tarpons thumped the Dunedin Blue Jays 19-9 with 390 witnesses at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Low A-East action. Sanford (Cole Harbour, NS) also drove in a pair of runs.

The Canadian Baseball Network will honor the top hitter in affiliated ball with the Randall Echlin award, while the top arm will be presented with the Wayne Norton award.