OTTAWA – Ontario wrapped up the Bantam Boys Championship with the decisive victory over BC. They finished the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record and received contributions from everybody in the lineup. It was a true team effort.
Meanwhile on the female side, Québec took home the Gold by defeating their provincial neighbors from Ontario by five runs. They cruised through the tournament with a 5-0 record and won each game by no less than four runs.
Bantam Boys National Championship
Gold Medal
Ontario 11 BC 3
Heading into the final, it was clearly the two best teams facing off against each other. Ontario and BC were the only remaining undefeated teams, but they both knew that wouldn’t be the case after their game. In the end, Ontario got the better of BC and went on to capture the Gold medal.
After the huge come-from-behind win in the semi-final, Ontario had all the confidence in the world and it showed. They would score two quick runs in the first inning and then add another nine by the end of the third inning to go up 11-0. Centre fielder Austin Ferguson (Brampton, ON) stepped up in a big way by smacking three triples that scored four runs, and also scored three runs of his own while finishing the tournament with 15 RBI. Jordan Dray (Surrey, BC) had two hits for BC and finished the tournament with seven hits in nine at-bats.
Ontario clearly showed that winning comes from an entire group effort and not as the result of one individual. The pitching staff and defense, combined with seven players who hit over .300 offensively, proved to be too much for their competition to handle.
Bronze Medal
Québec 14 Manitoba 2
Semi-final #1
BC 16 Manitoba 0
BC wasn’t about to let anyone get in their way for a birth in the championship, and Manitoba knows that first hand. BC scored 8 runs in the first inning and never looked back en route to demolishing Manitoba in the four inning game. They capitalized on some Manitoba errors and scored when given the opportunity. Third baseman Robert Hemer (Vancouver, BC) drove in three runs with his two hits and also scored both times. Lucas Soper (Vancouver, BC) struck out nine batters in his four innings of work.
Semi-final #2
Ontario stole the win in their last at-bat to give themselves a birth in the Gold medal game. Jade Salmon-Williams (Brampton, ON) gave his team life with a two run triple to tie the game, and then scored the winning run on a Hyatt (Royce) Ando (Mississauga, ON) single. It was a gut-wrenching loss for Québec, who got a stellar effort from starting pitcher Zachary Gignac (Gatineau, QC). Gignac through six and one-third innings of shutout baseball only to see the lead – and the game – evaporate.
Placement Games
Vaughan 14 PEI 2
The host Vaughan team got off to a quick start with seven first innings runs to put PEI into an early deficit. They would put another six runs on the board in the fourth inning to officially put the game out of reach. 12 different players had at least one RBI, and Brandon Conte (Vaughan, ON) picked up the win on the mound.
Saskatchewan 5 Nova Scotia 2
Saskatchewan scored five runs on 10 hits to defeat Nova Scotia by a final count of 5-2. Nick Anderson (Muenster, SK) was solid on the mound pitching six and one-third innings without giving up an earned run to pick up the victory.
Alberta 12 New Brunswick 7
A seven run third inning set the tone in the game as Alberta hung on to defeat New Brunswick 12-7. Starting pitcher Kurt Meeberg (Edmonton, AB) was spectacular, striking out a tournament high 14 batters over five frames to pick up the win.
Bantam Girls National Championship
Gold Medal
A four run bottom of the sixth inning blew the game wide open as Québec captured the Gold medal at 2012 Bantam Girls National Championship with an 8-3 triumph over Ontario. Québec led comfortably for most of the game until Ontario got within one run, but they quickly replenished their lead soon after.
The top of the order for Québec did most of the damage, scoring the majority of the runs. Isabella Dénis (Candiac, QC), Catherine Labelle (St-Jerome, QC) and Daphnee Gelinas (Le Gardeur, QC), the 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup, combined to score six of eight runs scored and collected seven hits and four RBI in the process. Cleanup hitter Marie Andrée Rousseau (Blainville, QC) also drove in two runs in the winning cause. Pitching was another key to victory as Québec gave up only three hits throughout the game.
Québec finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record on the way to winning the tournament. They received contributions from everyone in the lineup and managed to take their game to the next level when it mattered most.
Bronze Medal
Nova Scotia 7 Chicago (USA) 6
Kelsey Brumm’s (Dartmouth, NS) two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh inning sealed the walk-off victory and the Bronze medal for Nova Scotia while denying Chicago their first ever medal. Already down in the count, Brumm laced a line drive deep into centre field that scored Rachael Lively (Lower Sackville, NS) to tie the game and Jenna Jackson (Steam Mill, NS) to win it. Brittany McNulla (Litchfield, NH, USA) had three hits and two runs scored in her team’s heart-breaking loss.
Placement Games
Manitoba 15 Newfoundland and Labrador 1
Five different Manitoba players had at least two RBI as they hammered Newfoundland and Labrador 15-1. Caitlin Wilkinson (Eddystone, MB) was one of those players, going a perfect 3/3 at the plate and scoring three runs of her own.
BC 12 Alberta 5
BC erased an early three run deficit to defeat Alberta 12-5. Carys Swan (Kelowna, BC) had two hits and three RBI in the game to lead her team to the victory. Kelsey Lalor (Red Deer, AB) stole three bases in the loss.
