From June 20–22, the Soo 13U Black Sox traveled to Windsor, Ontario to compete in the 2025 Morneau Tournament, finishing the weekend with a strong silver medal performance.
Game one on Friday afternoon saw the Black Sox open the tournament in dominant fashion, defeating the LaSalle Titans 12–1. Mitch McLeod threw a complete seven-inning gem, allowing only four hits and one unearned run. At the plate, Devon Grbich led the way with four hits to pace the offense.
On Saturday afternoon, the Soo faced the London West Tin Caps in game two of the round robin. Despite a strong showing at the plate, the Sox fell 14–10. London scored in every inning, while the Soo’s offense was limited to two big frames. A pair of errors in the fifth and sixth innings proved costly. Brayden Boulrice was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 in the loss.
With their playoff hopes on the line, the Black Sox faced the Lakeshore Whitecaps in game three. Needing a win to force a three-way tie in the pool, the Soo delivered with a 5–4 victory. Grbich starred again, tossing a gritty complete game three-hitter, striking out nine. All four Whitecap runs came in the fourth inning. Oliver Tibbles reached base in all three of his plate appearances to help spark the offense.
Sunday morning’s semi-final pitted the Soo against the undefeated St. Thomas Cardinals. Fueled by another stellar pitching performance, this time from Brayden Boulrice, the Sox advanced to the final with a 7–2 win. Boulrice allowed just three hits and two runs, while Grbich continued his hot streak with another four-hit game.
The final, a rematch with the Lakeshore Whitecaps, didn’t go the Soo’s way. After defeating Lakeshore the day before, the Black Sox fell 14–4 to finish second overall in the tournament.
“The team had another good tournament and played hard all weekend battling through the extreme heat,” said head coach Steve McLeod. “We’ll regroup and continue to work on consistency and staying positive for seven innings.”
The 13U Black Sox will next compete at the Mackinaw Madness Tournament on July 5–6. They’ll open play Saturday evening with back-to-back games, first against the West Michigan Tide at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Gaylord Elite at 7:40 p.m.
