Fourth-inning rally secures Atlantic's spot in semis

Mount Pearl, Nfld., native Cole Tucker, shown here with Roberto Alomar on Friday at the Rogers Centre, had a key two-run single as part of a six-run, fourth-inning rally for the Atlantic squad in the opening game of T12 on Sunday. Photo Credit: Tyler Partridge

By Patrick Stothers

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO – Luck can run either way as both teams learned in the first game on Sunday at Tournament 12.

Atlantic Maroon (1-1) beat B.C. Orange (0-2) 8-5 thanks to a six-run fourth that broke open a 2-2 game. The Atlantic squad advances to the semi-finals with this victory.

Gabriel Penalver (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) started off the mid-game run with a ground ball single to centre field that scored Ryan Scott (Quispamsis, N.B.) and advanced Noah Duckworth (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) to third. Cole Tucker (Mt. Pearl, Nfld.) followed up with a bases clearing line drive to right field.

B.C. pitcher Hayden Wilcox (Saanich, B.C.) had a rough go in the fourth, as a wild pitch with the bases loaded later brought home Tucker and advanced both Philip Rail (Dieppe, N.B.) and Evan O’Toole (Bridgewater, N.S.) into scoring position.

A second wild pitch walked Daniel Hogarth (Conception Bay South, Nfld.), scored Rail, and moved O’Toole up to third. Unfortunately for Wilcox, bad things come in threes, and yet another wild pitch scored O’Toole to make it an 8-2 game in favour of Atlantic Maroon.

There was some push back from B.C. in the bottom of the fourth, as Daniel Gernon (Surrey, B.C.) ripped a line-drive triple to centre to score Jayden Wakeham (Victoria, B.C.), and then reached home plate when Madjik Mackenzie (Vancouver, B.C.) grounded out.

The Atlantic squad scored eight runs on four hits in this contest, while B.C. could only muster five on six, while leaving 16 runners stranded.