(Richmond Hill, ON) — The Soo Black Sox 15U team opened play in the first bracket of the August Madness tournament in Richmond Hill, Ontario on Friday, July 30th.
Friday July 30
Soo Black Sox (13) vs (14) Richmond Hill
Game 1 saw the Sox face a very tough hitting lineup in Richmond Hill. Both teams displayed their offensive capabilities in this very exciting game to open the weekend. The back-and-forth affair saw the lead change four times. Down 8-4 going into the 3rd, the Sox put up 6 runs, led by a double by Lucas Carriere and hits from Nick Dearing, Jace-Hill Pine, Steven Day-Nolan and Keyton Mousseau. Going into the final inning, the Sox were down 12-10. Wes White started the rally, with an infield single followed by a double by Kolton Tremblay and a single by Mousseau, to tie the game at 12. Lucas Carriere was able to drive in the go ahead run with 2 outs to take the lead. Unfortunately, the Sox succumbed to a rally by Richmond Hill in the bottom half. Resulting in a walk-off bases loaded double.
Saturday, July 31
Soo Black Sox (5) vs (5) Richmond Hill
A quick turn-around for both teams saw the bats cool off a bit, leading to a tightly played defensive game. The highlight of the game came in the bottom of the 3rd. On the first pitch, Kolton Tremblay sent a ball high and deep to left field, eventually clearing the 295 feet fence for a solo home run. “I saw the ball go up and it just kept going” said 3rd base coach Jordan Trudeau. “Well deserved recognition. I am very impressed with our group so far”. Later, in the bottom of the 4th and the time limit of 2 hours becoming a factor, the Sox continued to pester the Richmond Hill pitchers. Down 5-3 in the bottom of the 4th, Wes White began the rally once more. After a Steven Day-Nolan RBI triple, Michael Biocchi executed an effective safety squeeze bunt to tie the game at 5. “A well-executed safety squeeze, that was really fun to watch.” Trudeau further quipped. The Sox pitchers also came through with a good strike-throwing performance, with Nick Dearing, Carter Young, Caleb Walker and Steven Day-Nolan combining on the mound in the tie.
Saturday, July 31
Soo Black Sox (1) vs (11) Newmarket
In the second game of a double header and their third game in less than 24 hours, the Sox faced a tough Newmarket opponent in Game 3. Lucas Carriere scored the only run of the game off a Lucas DiBerardino double. DiBerardino caught the full 5 innings, going 2 for 2. Logan Dearing, Nick Dearing and Carter Young all singled in the loss.
“We will look to regroup tomorrow. Tough loss in our second game today.” said head coach Shaun Mousseau. “All in all the coaching staff is very happy with the way the team has played so far this weekend. For the first time playing rep baseball in over a year, we could not be prouder of our group.”
The Sox will continue the weekend with two games on Sunday and one on Monday to finish up the bracket. At this point, the Soo Black Sox 15U baseball team would also like to thank their sponsors: Agawa Fishery, Steel Speed and Roadhouse Bar & Grill.
Source: Jordan Trudeau
