Ontario Black wins T12 final in clash of the titans
Ontario Black poses with their medals after winning Tournament 12. Photo Credit: Tyler King
By: Tyler King
Canadian Baseball Network
Baseball isn’t always unpredictable. Sometimes the favourites win. Sometimes the top players are the big story.
This appeared to be the case at the fourth annual Tournament 12 showcase, with the powerful BC Orange and Ontario Black - two of the favourites from the onset - battling for the championship Monday night at the Rogers Centre.
Although the teams went back and forth all game, and indeed all tournament, Ontario eventually ousted BC 6-3, earning them the title of national champions.
A more predictable finals matchup was a change of pace for a tournament that saw an unlikely Atlantic team win the inaugural event three years ago, and the cinderella team from the Prairies win it last year.
But with a final this time around that featured eight players with experience on the Canadian Junior National team (five from BC and three from Ontario), either side would have made a fitting 2016 champion.
Both teams had the exact same record in pool play at 3-1, and when they faced off against each other in round-robin action, BC edged Ontario by the slimmest of margins, winning 4-3.
So it should come as no surprise that they played out an action-packed final game where the tournament’s biggest names showed up.
In his fourth and final T12, Hall continued to show why he’s been a staple at the event for so many years. He went 8-for-18 (.444) with six RBI and eight stolen bases, making him the obvious choice for the MVP honours.
For BC, National team member Michael Stovman was the standout. He went 3-for-3 in the final game with a run scored, and hit .412 with a .995 OPS over the course of the tournament.
But, perhaps oddly, the fact that BC had so many National Team members may have worked against them ... at least that’s what Ontario reliever Ben Abram believes.
A member of the National Team himself, Abram came on in relief in the fifth inning, with the game deadlocked at three. He then proceeded to strike out five over the final three innings, holding the BC bats at bay and allowing Ontario to win it with a three-run sixth.
“A lot of that [BC team] I know,” Abram said after the game. “With all those guys also playing on the National Team, I know which guys may not be able to hit a changeup very well or which guys can’t hit the inside pitch or a curveball ... I knew I needed to execute, and just put up zeros.”
Playing in his second T12, it was clear that Abram - and the rest of the Ontario team - sees this event as more than just a showcase tournament.
“I wanted to win last year. Thank God it happened this year. The first Ontario team to win it too, so it’s a great honour. It’s been a great experience.”
Until Abram came on and settled things down, however, it looked like BC might just snatch the title from Ontario yet again.
The Orange side seemed poised to break it open early, as third baseman Damiano Palmegiani was hit by a pitch to lead off the second inning. Stovman then collected his first of three hits on the night, putting runners on the corners with none out.
But Ontario starter Griffin Hassall induced two groundouts and a strikeout, stranding both runners.
Ontario then got on the board in the next half inning on a bizarre play. Outfielder Adam Plouffe hit a line drive to right that was misread by BC left fielder Dawson Gray. Gray injured himself diving for the ball and remained on the ground, allowing Plouffe to round the bases for a stand-up inside the park home run.
That sequence of events seemed to rattle BC starter Wesley Moore, as he then gave up back-to-back singles and hit a batter to load the bases, still with nobody out. After getting Noah Naylor to ground into a fielder's choice, Moore exited the game with the ever dangerous Hall next to bat.
With BC reliever Fynn Chester pitching, Hall had an RBI groundout before a fielding error allowed Ontario to score their third run of the frame.
But just when it appeared Ontario would run away with it, the BC bats also capitalized on some of their opponents miscues.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Orange team answered Ontario’s three-run frame with three runs of their own. Palmegiani reached on an error leading off before Stovman (surprise, surprise) had another base hit to left.
With BC threatening, Hassall seemed to lose his command. He walked catcher Noah Or to load the bases before also issuing a free pass to Owen Napieralski, allowing the first Orange run to score. A second run came home on a double play before Hassall uncorked a wild pitch, bringing in the tying run.
The two teams remained tied until the sixth, when Ontario put up their second three-run frame of the game.
With two on and one out, Daniel Carinci grounded back to the pitcher. Hall tried to score on the play, but the ball beat him there by about three feet. Instead of going quietly, Hall decided to show off his incredible speed. He stopped on a dime just before reaching home plate, then retreated full steam back to third, beating out the rundown.
A sac fly and a double restored Ontario’s three-run lead, which, thanks to Abram, was where the game would stand.