June 14, 2022

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

The Terriers 17U team went 5-0 to capture the Niagara University Showcase Tournament championship over the weekend.

After a convincing 9-0 win in Game 1 over NET, it was Nathan Currah who stole the show in Game 2. In a 10-0 win against PAC, Currah threw a six-inning no-hitter to move the Terriers to 2-0. The southpaw issued three walks and struck out six.

Game 3 ended in a 7-6 walk-off win over the Niagara Thunder. Chris Dawidow, Lucas Bridger and Alex Papadopoulos all pitched well.

Right-hander Ryan Arora got the ball in the semifinals against Etobicoke and delivered seven innings of work. Arora allowed one run, walked two and struck out three in a 10-1 victory that sent the Terriers to the championship game.

In the final, Luca Alegheband and Jackson Torrance combined for eight innings on the mound. They held the opposition to three runs on seven hits and punched out six.

Trent Black swung the bat well all game and stole third base in the bottom of the seventh inning to set up the tying run. Then, in the bottom of the eighth with the game tied 3-3 and one out, Lucas Alberti was hit by a pitch. After stealing second, Noah Konings stroked a ball into the gap to score Alberti and secure the championship victory in walk-off fashion.

Terriers 17U head coach Ryan Pollard was impressed with the way his team played throughout the tournament.

"I was really proud of the way the team fought back on Saturday morning and in the finals," Pollard said. "Their compete level was impressive and they had a never give up attitude. They made it about winning every inning."

With one tournament now in the books, Pollard is looking forward to what the upcoming summer with his team will bring.

"This is going to be a fun ride," he said. "Everyone is very excited to play south of the border again. They believe in each other and they always push and believe that they will be playing on championship Sunday."

The 17U Terriers are in Rochester this weekend, before heading to Ohio, Cape Cod and St. Louis to round out their tournament schedule.