September 23, 2022

By Nick St-Denis

Carleton University

OTTAWA – Team Grey used a three-run seventh inning to defeat Team Navy 7-4 in the first game of Friday’s action at the Canadian Baseball Futures Showcase at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park in Ottawa.

The scoring began in the top of the first for Navy, with an RBI triple by Austin Boylan (Barrie, Ont.) which scored Brayden Ricketts (Brampton, Ont.).

But Grey would respond in the bottom of the second, when a Calvin Warrilow (Toronto, Ont.) sacrifice fly plated Jackson Boomer (Vancouver, BC). Cameron Chee-Aloy (Toronto, Ont.) later scored on a throwing error to give Grey a 2-1 lead.

Boylan added another RBI in the top of the third when he grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Eric Hartman (St.Albert, Alta.) from third.

An Angelo Franco (Burnaby, BC) double in the bottom of the inning scored two more runs for Grey to make the score 4-2.

After the third inning, both starting pitchers' outings were done.

Navy’s starter Jack Baxter (Saint John, N.B.) ended with a pitching line that read: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 K.

Meanwhile, Grey starter Jack Pineau (Thunder Bay, Ont.) finished with a line that read: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K.

Neither were credited with a win or loss.

The next run came in the top of the fifth, when Ricketts scored on a throwing error by Angelo Franco (Burnaby, BC) on a ground ball hit by Noah Cantwell (Cambridge, Ont.), cutting Grey’s lead to 4-3.

Two scoreless innings from Joseph Baka (Niagara Falls, Ont.), including 4 strikeouts, kept Navy in the game through the fourth and fifth.

In the top of the seventh, an Austin Boylan RBI triple tied the game at 4, setting up a dramatic bottom of the seventh.

After Brodey Bitove (Toronto, Ont.) and Veer Wadhwani (Toronto, Ont.) reached base, Remi Lemay (Ste-Martine, Que.) doubled to deep centre field to give Grey a 6-4 lead. Anthony Deblois (Saint-Isidore, Que.) followed with a single to score Lemay to make it a 7-4 final.

After the game, Lemay (Ste-Martine, Que.), who hit the game-winning seventh inning double for Grey, explained how he remained composed in that big at-bat.

“My approach was simple. I mean the first strike was there, I just went for it and got a good barrel on it,” he said.

Lemay watches a lot of Ronald Acuna Jr., and other talented young players around the majors. Players like Acuna are the ones he studies and tries to imitate in the batter's box.

Speaking on his experience at the Showcase this week, he said: “It’s awesome playing against the best. The best of the best in Canada at my age, it’s great.”

He smiled and mentioned that he loves to be challenged as an athlete and that this week has been exactly that.

These teams will meet each again tonight in the 7 p.m. game.