September 21, 2022

By Reanna Julien

Carleton University

OTTAWA – The Canadian Futures Showcase is in full swing.

Solid pitching and strong offence led Team Navy to a 7-3 win over Team Red in the event’s opener on Wednesday morning.

Team Red opened the scoring in the second inning when first baseman Ty Doucette (Dartmouth, N.S.) drove an RBI double deep into the left centre field to put his team up 1-0.

Team Navy answered in the bottom of the fourth inning when first baseman Brayden Ricketts (Brampton, Ont.) hit a two-run single, putting his team up 2-1.

Centre fielder Deiten LaChance (Sherbrooke, Que.) scored for Team Red in the fifth inning to tie the game 2-2.

But Team Navy didn’t back down. Right fielder Eric Hartman (St. Albert, Alta.) would double against pitcher Seth Ainsworth (Sarnia, Ont.) to score centre fielder Simon Baker (Cochrane, Alta.) and shortstop Jamie Mercer (Toronto, Ont.) to give Team Navy a 4-2 lead.

Doucette brought Team Red back within a run in the bottom of the sixth when he doubled and scored on a single by Eric Machej (Okotoks, Alta.) before Team Navy pulled away in the seventh.

Team Navy’s finally rally included Hartman scoring on a single by designated hitter Ryan Stalony (Mississauga, Ont.). Third baseman Noah Cantwell (Cambridge, Ont.) would then follow with an RBI double. Team Navy then added another run to make the score 7-3.

In the end, it was Doucette’s efforts on offence that earned him Player of the Game. Doucette went 2-for-2, with two doubles, a walk and two RBIs.

The 2023 Ohio State University commit said he was happy with his performance.

“I was a little bit nervous at the start, but it felt really good to get that first hit of the game in,” Doucette said. “Once you get that first hit in, the nerves kind of slow down, and at that point it’s just baseball.”

Despite his team’s opening loss, Doucette felt grateful to be participating in this event.

“It’s obviously a great opportunity,” he explained. “When you’re out there with a bunch of guys who not only have the same dreams and goals as you, but want to compete against you, it pushes you to get a little better each and every day.

“It’s awesome, it really is a lot of fun,” he added.

With Team Red set to play another game against Team Black later in the day, Doucette said the priority is to rest, recover, and begin regaining focus.

“I’m probably going to go back [to the hotel], get something to eat, probably take a nap, and get ready for the next one,” he said with a laugh.