Vauxhall Academy Jets catcher Kyle Yip had two hits and two RBIs to lead Team Red to an 8-4 win over Team Black at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Wednesday.

September 21, 2022

By Mason Bugaresti

Carleton Unversity

Team Red took down Team Black on Sept. 21 by a score of 8-4 in the third game of the opening day of the Canadian Futures Showcase.

Calgary, Alta. native Kyle Yip was named player of the game with two RBIs on two hits.

Right-handed pitcher Evan Schweizer (Oakville, Ont.) also impressed with three strikeouts and no earned runs through two innings of work.

Team Black got off to a hot start in the first inning, taking advantage of a pair of wild pitches by Team Red starter Makaio Cisneros (Whitby, Ont.). The righty allowed two earned runs on three hits through three innings of work.

In the first inning, Cardel Dick (Abbotsford, B.C.) drove in a run on an RBI triple to bring home Ashton Graff-Rowe (Waterloo, Ont.). Dick would later score on a wild pitch to put Team Black up 2-0.

“It was nice to get that one out of the way early. You don’t want to be waiting around all tournament for a hit so it’s nice to get that triple to settle any nerves,” Dick said post-game.

The first baseman commented on how he navigates the pressure of scouting events like the Canadian Futures Showcase.

“I think the main thing is just going out and leaving it all on the field. If I do that, I have nothing to worry about,” said the Abbotsford B.C. native.

In the bottom of the first, shortstop Eric Machej (Edmonton, Alta.) hit a single to riight field to score Lucas Alberti (Toronto, Ont.), getting Team Red on the board. Later on, a Kyle Yip base-hit scored Noah Konings (Brampton, Ont.) who reached on a fielder’s choice.

In the second, a nice double play was turned by third basemen Robert Orr (Vancouver, B.C.) as he snagged a line drive off the bat of Nolan McCrossin (London, Ont.) before flipping it to second basemen Brodie Peart (Markham, Ont.).

Team Black right-handed pitcher Aidan Taggart (Grimsby, Ont.) got himself into some trouble in the third inning. The 17-year-old gave up three earned runs off three hits and one walk. Taggart found his composure later in the inning, striking out two before being pulled for reaching his 33-pitch inning limit.

Taggart settled down in the fourth, retiring the side in order with a hit-batter on first as a carryover from the bottom of the third.

Team Red pitcher Evan Schweizer (Oakville, Ont.) had a strong outing on the rubber. Entering the game in the fourth inning, his fastball-changeup pitching arsenal was tough on Team Black hitters as the right-hander allowed just one hit with no walks and no earned runs over two innings. He struck out three in his appearance.

Right-hander Benito Bonilla (Halifax, N.S.) came into pitch in the bottom half of the fifth inning for Team Black. Team Red scored two runs in the inning, though both were unearned, extending the Team Red lead to 7-2. Bonilla struck out two in the fifth.

Ryan James (Toronto, Ont.) came into pitch in the sixth inning. James was dialed in right from the get-go, showing impressive command of the strike zone and velocity. The Toronto, Ont. native struck out two in the inning where he retired the side in order.

Konings drove in a run with a single up the middle to score shortstop Carter Shin, extending Team Red’s lead to 8-2.

Peart and Orr, of Team Red, collided with one another fielding a groundball in the top of the seventh but neither one was injured.

Team Black got to Ryan James as they pushed for a late comeback in the seventh and final inning. McCrossin hit a line-drive base hit that brought home two, but the comeback effort came up short.

The showcase continues Thursday with four games on the schedule. The Canadian Futures Showcase runs from Sept.20 through Sept. 24 at RCGT Park in Ottawa, Ont.