Team Francis’ late offensive explosion caps thrilling comeback win in Prospects Game

All of the players chosen to participate in the Prospects Game on the final day of Canadian Futures Showcase line up for a post-game photo. Photo: Adamo Marinelli

September 24, 2022

By Adamo Marinelli

Carleton University

Ottawa – Team Francis scored nine runs in the last three innings to rally back to defeat Team Stairs 11-9 at the Canadian Futures Showcase Prospects Game at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park in Ottawa on Saturday.

Team Stairs starter Tate Carey (Windsor, Ont.), who had an excellent week on the mound, was effective again on Saturday, striking out one batter and forcing two ground outs in his inning of work.

Meanwhile, Matt Sargeant (Ancaster, Ont.) also started well on the mound for Team Francis. After walking Jorge Valdes (Milton, Ont.), he got a double play ball and another ground out to keep Team Stairs off the scoreboard.

In the top of the second inning, an error by Team Stairs shortstop BJ Peart (Markham, Ont.) allowed Angelo Franco (Burnaby, BC) to reach first. After he advanced to second base on a wild pitch, Matt Evans (Tillsonburg, Ont.) singled to left to bring Franco home to give Team Francis a 1-0 lead.

But Team Stairs would respond in the bottom of the frame.

Cameron Chee-Aloy (Toronto, Ont.) singled on a ground ball to left field to load the bases. A few plays later, Tristan Desroches (Barrie, Ont.) grounded out, but he brought home Alex Kean (Woodstock, Ont.) to tie the game 1-1. Chee-Aloy advanced to second and Evan Gunn (Oshawa, Ont.) moved to third. Team Stairs took a 2-1 lead when Gunn scored on an RBI single from Peart.

Team Francis tied the game 2-2 in top of the third thanks to an RBI single from Brayden Ricketts (Brampton, Ont.) to right-centre field which brought home Cam Gravelle (Smithville, Ont.) from second after he had walked and stole second base.

The score would remain tied after Reece Usselman (Langley, BC) tossed a three up, three down inning for Team Francis, getting two strikeouts and a ground out.

In the top of the fourth, Team Stairs right-hander Michael Yusypchuk (Edmonton, Alta.) responded with his own three up, three down inning, recording a fly out, a ground out and a strikeout.

Over the next two innings, Team Stairs regained their lead, scoring three runs while holding Team Francis scoreless.

In the bottom of the fourth, Gunn tripled to score Kean. Gunn then scored when shortstop Tyrus Hall (Victoria, BC) fielded Chee Aloy’s grounder, but his throw sailed over the first baseman’s head, giving Team Stairs a 4-2 lead.

Team Francis pitcher Matthew Donnison (Niagara Falls, Ont.) ended the inning by striking out Kenny Scott (Ladner, BC). He finished the frame with two strikeouts but allowed three hits and two runs.

In the top of the fifth, Team Stairs pitcher Nick Frers (North Vancouver, BC) retired all three batters he faced and recorded two strikeouts to keep the score 4-2.

But Team Stairs would expand their lead in the bottom of the fifth. After hitting a double, Valdes stole third and scored on a ground out by Noah Konings (Brampton, Ont.) to make the score 5-2. After walking two consecutive batters and hitting one with a pitch, which loaded the bases, Parker Burgess (Douro-Dummer, Ont.) got a huge strikeout against Chee-Aloy to end the inning.

Team Stairs’ strong pitching continued with Benjamin Soke (New Maryland, N.B.), who had two strikeouts in a scoreless sixth inning to maintain his team’s 5-2 lead.

That would change, however, in the next three innings when Team Francis’ offence exploded for nine runs.

In the seventh, Griffin Howell (Tecumseh, Ont.) struggled on the mound for Team Stairs, walking four batters and allowing two hits and five runs.

During that inning, Chazz Grossington (Etobicoke, Ont.) hit an RBI single to score Brodey Bitove (Toronto, Ont.) for Team Francis before scoring himself after pinch hitter Ayad Ansari (Stoney Creek, Ont.) singled to right. Now down 5-4, Howell walked a batter with the bases loaded which tied the game 5-5 before another wild pitch and a throwing error resulted in two more runs crossing the plate, giving Team Francis a 7-5 lead.

Owen Slater (Whitby, Ont.) then pitched a strong bottom of the seventh for Team Francis, only allowing one hit, to sustain Team Francis’ two-run lead.

Toronto native Zev Salsberg’s two consecutive strikeouts for Team Stairs in the top of the eighth kept the score 7-5.

Ontario Royals right-hander Zev Salsberg (Toronto, Ont.) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Team Stairs. Photo: Adamo Marinelli

Team Stairs then retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth after a bases loaded walk brought home Austin Boylan (Barrie, Ont.) and a single by Ty Doucette (Dartmouth, N.S.) scored two runs.

After his team gave up five runs in the seventh, Les McTavish, a coach on Team Stairs, thought his squad showed a lot of resilience to come back to retake the lead in the eighth.

“They gelled as a group, each guy passed the baton to the next guy coming up and we just continued to have good at bats,” McTavish said.

After scoring five runs in the seventh, Team Francis retook their lead for good with four runs in the top of the ninth, including a two-run home run to right-centre field by Esteban Dessureault (Trois Rivieres, Que.) which gave his squad an 11-8 lead.

Ontario Blue Jays outfielder Ryan Stalony (Mississauga, Ont.) went 0-for-3 for Team Francis in the Prospects Game at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Saturday. Photo: Adamo Marinelli

Team Stairs would get a run back in the bottom of the ninth when Boylan was hit by a pitch and he eventually scored on a throwing error by third baseman Noah Cantwell (Cambridge, Ont.), but Jacob Wallace (Pincourt, Que.) closed out the game for Team Francis with two strikeouts to seal an 11-9 win.

“The early part of the game was a great on both sides,” said McTavish. “We [Team Stairs] came out ready to swing the bats and our pitching was great. But as the game wore on … we made some mistakes and just didn't throw as many strikes as we would’ve liked to.”

Gunn thought Team Stairs played well, but their defence hurt them.

“We could have done better defensively. I think we had five or six errors, but we hit very well, and scored lots of runs, it just didn't fall our way,” Gunn said.

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Valdes satisfied with tournament performance

Jorge Valdes (Milton, Ont.) was happy with his overall play in the tournament.

“For the entire tournament, I was trying to play my best baseball and show everybody what I could do,” Valdes said. “I wanted to be selected to the showcase and Prospects Game very bad, so it feels great to accomplish that.”

One of Valdes’ biggest assets is his speed, which he uses to track down balls in the outfield and on the basepaths. He led the tournament in stolen bases.

“That's a big part of my game and my skillset, it’s what I do,” said Valdes of his speed. “So doing that as much as I can is how I’m most effective and what I’ve got to show off.”

Gunn reaches tournament goals

One of Oshawa, Ont., native Evan Gunn’s goals for the showcase was to get two extra base hits this week and he accomplished that with two triples.

His other goal was to perform well each day and to make the Prospects Game and participate in the Home Run Derby, which he also did.

When asked about his experience in the Home Run derby, Gunn said: “It was the first time I've ever done anything like it, I had so much fun doing it.”

Gunn hit a ball to the warning track in the bottom of the fourth inning in the Prospects Game that ended up being a triple.

“If that left [the park] it would’ve felt really good,” said Gunn. “But I still feel like I played well all week and that I showed everyone what I’m capable of.”

Gunn aspires to play college baseball and eventually get drafted by a major league club.