Shaw, Valdes propel Team Royal past Team Light Blue

Team Royal beat Team Light Blue 10-7 in the second game of Day 3 at the Canadian Futures Showcase at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park in Ottawa on Thursday. Photo: Ella Milloy

September 22, 2022

By Ella Milloy

Carleton University

OTTAWA – Shortstop Sam Shaw (Victoria, B.C.) played a strong offensive and defensive game to help Team Royal win 10-7 over Team Light Blue on Day 3 of the Canadian Futures Showcase at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park in Ottawa on Thursday.

Team Royal’s win ended Team Light Blue’s two-game winning streak.

Shaw went 2-for-4 with two runs, scoring in the first and fifth innings. The 5-foot-10 Shaw’s quick reaction times and strong arm also made him a defensive standout for Team Royal.

To prepare for the second match-up against Team Light Blue, Shaw stuck to a consistent routine.

“It was a good game,” Shaw said. “The boys played really well. We got the win. All in all, it was a fun day. I had a good breakfast and warmed up well. We played some catch and got ready to play. I did everything that I usually do.”

Acknowledging the challenges of the pandemic, Shaw is grateful for the chance to play at this year’s showcase.

“It’s a really cool experience,” Shaw said. “It means a lot. We didn’t have this for two years so being able to have it now is really cool and playing with everyone is such a great opportunity.”

Team Light Blue was the first to score in the first inning after Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) stole two bases. Left fielder Elijah Olaybal (Langley, B.C.) quickly followed with another run, giving Team Light Blue a 2-0 lead.

Jorge Valdes (Milton, Ont.) was the first to bat for Team Royal in the first and singled on a ground ball to third baseman Myles Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.). Right fielder Dioscoro Gama (Maple Ridge, B.C.) walked and Shaw followed up with a single. With the bases loaded, Abraham Contreras (Blainville, Que.) singled to score Shaw to give Team Royal a 3-2 lead over Team Light Blue.

Jacob Wallace (Pincourt, Que.) pitched for Team Royal in the second inning. Despite Matt Evans (Tillsonburg, Ont.) getting hit by a pitch to start the inning, Wallace managed to strike out William Moore (Paris, Ont.) and Jimmy Dionne (St-Augustin-De-Desmaures, Que.) to end the top of the second inning.

Throughout the second inning, shortstop Tyrus Hall (Victoria, B.C.) helped keep Team Light Blue in the game, preventing Tristan DesRochers (Barrie, Ont.) and Gama from reaching first base with strong throws to first baseman Henrik Vandermeer (Simcoe, Ont.).

Hall, though disappointed with his offensive output during the game, was encouraged by the dynamic he created with Vandermeer.

“He’s a pretty good guy,” Hall said. “He’s a good target man, which is perfect for me. It feels like I was playing with my normal team.”

It took Team Light Blue until the third inning to gain offensive momentum again. Wallace returned to strike out first batter Olaybal. In a flurry of walks, stolen bases and a hit by the pitch, Team Light Blue scored three runs to take a 5-3 lead.

A brief rainstorm rolled through in the fourth inning, slowing down Team Light Blue’s offence. Team Royal substituted starting pitcher Wallace with Landon Kauffman (Calgary, Alta.). Despite a few wild pitches from Kauffman, Team Light Blue could not find a way to score.

Kauffman finished the game with a pitching line of 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

Team Royal did most of its offensive damage from the fifth inning on, scoring a combined six runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

After Team Light Blue tied the game 7-7 in the top of the sixth, Vassart’s RBI double in the bottom of the frame put Team Royal in the lead for good.

Neither team scored in the seventh inning, allowing Team Royal to secure a 10-7 win.

Top performers included Valdes who went 2-for-4, with three runs and a stolen base, Andrew Johnston (Toronto, Ont.) with an RBI and a stolen base, Gama with two runs, two walks and an RBI and Evans with a walk, a hit by pitch, a run and two stolen bases.

Team Light Blue will play against Team Black on Friday.

Inspired by his team’s earlier winning streak, Hall is looking forward to their next game.

“We were on a win streak,” Hall said. “I thought the boys were hot. I thought we were going to win it. We had a bit of a lead for a bit but we lost it. We’re going to win the next game, that’s the goal. Hopefully going to drive the ball more and get the guys all hyped up and win the next one.”

Team Royal plays for a second time at 7 p.m. Thursday against Team Grey.