OTTAWA – At three of the four Baseball Canada National Championships ongoing this weekend, there were some one-sided victories, while the fourth championship saw some intense battles go to the bitter end.
At the Bantam Girls Championship in Toronto, Ontario, Team Ontario already had the mercy win in its grasp entering the top of the fifth inning with an 11-0 lead over Nova Scotia, but to make sure of the shortened victory, Ontario added 10 runs in the fifth on route to a 21-0 win.
Breanne Wilson-Bennett (Markham, ON) went 4-for-5 in the victory for Ontario with a double and six RBI to lead the offensive onslaught.
In another high scoring affair, Alberta needed a six spot in the fifth and a four spot in the seventh to comeback for the win over Saskatchewan by a score of 13-11.
Five different Alberta hitters stroked doubles in this matchup including Sarah Starr (Claresholm, AB), who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Karli Reeve (Yorkton, SK) went 3-for-5 with a double and five RBI to lead the Saskatchewan offence.
Also, Émilie Laliberté (Granby, QC) went 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead Québec to a 10-2 victory over Alberta, and Ontario took care of British Columbia by a score of 9-4.
At the Senior Men’s Championship in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick (Fredericton) broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the eighth inning by scoring three runs in the frame, by had to hold on for dear life as Alberta would retaliate with two runs in the bottom half of the inning before falling to Fredericton by a score of 7-6.
Jody Peterson (Fredericton, NB) hit his second home run of the tournament, going 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win. Shawn O’Toole (Saint John, NB) threw the complete game for Fredericton, allowing six runs, four earned, on 12 hits and three walks with seven strikeouts to earn the win.
In other action, Nova Scotia claimed their second victory of the tournament with a 4-2 win over British Columbia.
At the Bantam Boys Championship in Vaughan, Ontario, MacKenzie Kada-Wong (Vancouver, BC) and Joshua Wray (Burnaby, BC) both drove in three runs on route to a 17-0 mercy rule win over Alberta. Wray was a single short of hitting for the cycle in this game.
Chris Shaw (Winnipeg, MB) hit a two-run double in a four run second inning and Travis Friesen (Winkler, MB) hit a two-run triple in a six run fourth inning as Manitoba would go on to beat Prince Edward Island by a score of 12-3.
And at the Peewee Western Championship in Red Deer, Alberta, North Winnipeg crushed Regina by a score of 17-4 and Cloverdale defeated Brandon 7-3.
To follow the 2009 Baseball Canada National Championships live, click on the following link: http://www.baseball.ca/eng_doc.cfm?DocID=145
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