C-RHP Evan Maillet caught five games and pitched in two — with a win and a save — as the Mississauga Majors went 6-1 to win the OBAs 16U in Hamilton, Ont.

October 3, 2022

Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The Mississauga Majors suffered their first loss of the OBA 16U championships at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium in Hamilton.

The Majors were humbled 16-6 by Newmarket in the rain to drop their record to 4-1.

And then the Majors lost again. So, that’s it? A double knockout right?

No, with three teams remaining and the London Badgers already having a bye either Newmarket or the Majors would get the bye. The Majors lost and had to play London.

After a win came a rematch with Newmarket for the OBA title. Coach Mike Irving turned to his stud hoss or workhorse Evan Maillet to start. Maillet was fresh -- he had caught five games and pitched an inning in a sixth game -- but had not squatted in over 50 minutes so he was ready.

Maillet pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing three runs -- two earned -- on eight walks and one hit. He departed with a four-run lead after 109 pitches (49% strikes). Yenna Robson pitched two scoreless innings and then Elijah Morales came on to get the final two outs.

Cue the dog pile.

The Majors scored five times in the second on two walks, three errors and a two-out single by Morales. In all, the Majors won on three hits: a Jackson Irving, run-scoring single, a Nolan Scicluna single and the productive two-run single by Morales. Daniel Lucas also knocked in a run.

A good time was had by all, including new coach SMAL!, as the team adjourned to Montana’s for a championship celebration.

* * *

Game 1: Majors 18, Bytown Dodgers 0

Up 1-0 in the third, the Majors scored six, then three in the fourth and eight in the fifth.

Lucas Marciello, Morales, Scicluna, Irving and Maillet opened the inning with base hits. Alex Pieper hit a run-scoring double -- one of his two hits.

On the mound, Lucas pitched two hitless with four strikeouts, throwing 28 pitches (68%). Robson worked the next two, fanning a pair in her 26 pitches (58% strikes). Liam Hicks pitched the fifth, striking out one, throwing 16 pitches (50%).

At the plate, Scicluna (one RBI) and Marciello led the way as each went 3-for-3. Maillet had two hits and knocked in four. Irving had a pair of hits and drove in a pair, as Luke Heinbuch tripled in three runs. Markus Smoljanovic drove in as a run as well.

* * *

Game 2: Majors 3, Whitby Canadians 2 (Extra innings)

They say any championship team has to have its best players play at their best and others have to do more than is expected of them.

Used as a reliever all season, Marciello had worked in 11 games, throwing more than one inning four times. On this night he came in to protect a 2-1 lead in the seventh. He allowed an unearned run, but he scored the winning run and wound up with the victory as the Majors won 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth.

The Majors went up 1-0 in the second when Pieper singled, stole second and scored on a Jake Heinbuch single. Lucas was hit by a pitch in the sixth, stole second and after a Morales walk, Scicluna singled home Lucas to put the Majors up 2-1.

Jake Heinbuch started and allowed one run on one hit and one walk in five innings, while striking out six, including the side in the fifth. He threw 74 pitches (64% strikes). On came Marciello, who had never worked more than two innings all season. He pitched three inning and 62 pitches (68% strikes).

The difference in the game was the eighth -- as extras began with ghost runners on first and second -- the Whitby lead-off hitter was unable to get the bunt down in three attempts. Marciello then turned a double play ball to Irving ending the top of the eighth.

Meanwhile, in the bottom half Scicluna led off and not only got the bunt down, but beat it out for a base hit, loading the bases ... his second hit of the game. Next up was Irving who flied to shallow left. Marciello tagged and beat the high throw home.

As the team gathered in short left field the sound of a honking horn could be be heard all the way back to Mississauga.

OF Chad Samaroo doubled and tripled in a win against West Toronto.

* * *

Game 3: Majors 8, West Toronto 4

The Majors allowed two runs in the first but scored once in the first, twice in the second and five times in the third for an 8-4 victory moving to 3-0.

Pieper and Samaroo each had three hits while Maillet had a pair.

Scicluna reached on an error and was erased on Irving’s ground ball. Iriving stole second and scored on Maillet’s first of two singles in the first.

Pieper singled and scored on a Samaroo double. Then, with two out Scicluna singled home Samaroo for a 3-2 lead.

The Majors broke it open in the third as Irving walked and Maillet singled. With two out Pieper singled, Samaroo tripled and Daniel Lucas singled. Lucas scored on a wild pitch. Samaroo later admitted he should have had two triples but stumped over first base -- who put that base there?

Aidan Luther pitched six innings allowing four runs -- two earned -- on four hits and three walks, while fanning four. He threw 94 pitches (57% strikes). Liam Nash pitched a 1-2-3-4 seventh to make it warm-up-the-bus time.

* * *

Game 4: Majors 3, London Badgers 2

The linescore read like this ... The Badgers had two hits on nine hit and zero errors ... while the Majors had three runs on six hits, on two Badger errors and threw out six runners -- SIX -- on the base paths.

First the runners erased: C Maillet threw out a runner at second as Irving sold the cut off freezing the runner at third, with Luke Heinbuch applying the tag with the score tied 1-1 in the second. With a man on second Luke Heinbuch couldn’t field a grounder but kept it in the infield. Lucas and Heinbuch had the runner in a rundown and was eventually tagged, while the throw to second baseman Irving erased the batter attempting to reach second. Pieper picked a man off second in the fifth. And the Majors threw another runner out in the sixth as Scicluna fired to cut-off man Marciello, who relayed home to Morales to get the runner at the plate.

Pieper reached on a fielder’s choice in the second, stole second and scored on a Samaroo single to tie the game 1-1. Iriving led off the fourth with a single, was bunted to second and scored on an error for a 2-1 lead.

Morales doubled in the fifth and scored on Irving’s one-out single.

RHP Alex Pieper pitched six innings allowing two runs in a win over the London Badhers.

Pieper picked up the win with an economical 78-pitch outing (65% strikes) allowing two runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out three. Maillet dispatched the Badgers in the seventh for the save needing only seven pitches to erase the 7-8-9 hitters.

The win put the Majors at 4-0.

* * *

Game 5: Newmarket 15, Majors 6

In weather not fit for ducks and throwing baseballs that could have been found on a field after three days rain Lucas had trouble throwing his curve ball.

Newmarket scored three of the first four innings against Lucas running up eight runs on eight hits and five walks, as he struck out three. He threw 98 pitches (55% strikes). Quinn Murray worked two innings allowing one run on three hits and one walk. Scicluna pitched the final inning in the rain.

Luke Heinbuch and Samaroo each knocked in a pair or runs each, while Scicluna and Lucas had the other hits. Markus Smoljanovic drove in a run.

Then, the Majors lost the draw for the bye, which went to Newmarket.

* * *

Game 6, Majors 7, London Badgers 2

The Majors scored four times in the first inning on the way to a 7-2 lead. London cut the gap to 4-2 in the third, but the Majors stormed back two more runs.

Scicluna led off with a single and one out later Jake Heinbuch put the Majors in good shape with a double. Pieper followed with a two-run single and Maillet walked, moved to second on a grounder and scored on a Lucas single.

Iriving walked and Jake Heinbuch followed with a single. Iriving scored on a Pieper grounder and then Luke Heinbuch singled.

Irving gained the mound victory pitching six innings and throwing 101 pitches (57% strikes) as he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out four.

Robson needed only 21 pitches to put a zero in the seventh.

In all, Pieper had three RBIs. Jake Heinbuch had two hits, while his twin brother Luke drove in a pair. Scicluna and Lucas ech had singles.

And then it was on to the final ...

And shortly thereafter it was on to Montana’s.

CF Nolan Scicluna led all Mississauga Majors with bae hits in the OBA 16Us championships.

* * *

Scicluna led all Majors hitter with nine hits in the tourney, while Pieper had the highest average.

Workhorse Maillet had a .333 average abd and .400 on-base mark. Maillet caught five games and worked 5 1/3 innings in two games.

As one player said “I don’t think we win without Evan

.” * *

Tournament hitting

Names G--AB--R--H-RBI-OBA-Avg

Pieper 7--16--6--7--3--.500--.438

Scicluna 7--23--5--9--3--.417-.391

Samaroo 7-19--5--7--5--.429-.368

Maillet 7--18--8--6--5--.400-.333

Irving 7--16--3--5--5--.389-.313

Lucas 7-14--4--4--5--.375-.214

Morales 6-16--2--4--2--.250-.250

J. Heinbuch 7-21--5--4--1--.190-.190

L. Heinbuch 7-22--4--4--5--.181-.181

Marciello 7-20--2--3--4--.150-.150

Luther 1-0--1--0--0--.000-.000

Nash 2-1--0--0--0--1.000-.000

Robson 2-1--0--0--0--.000-.000

Smoljanovic 3--1-0--0--0--.667-.000

Murray 3-4--0--0--1--.000-.000

Pitching

Names W-L-S G IP H R ER BB SO ERA

Marciello 1-0-0 1 3.0 2 1 0 0 4 0.00

Robson 0-0-0 2 3.0 0 0 0 1 1 0.00

Nash 0-0-0 2 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Morales 0-0-1 1 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

J. Heinbuch 0-0-0 1 5.0 2 1 1 1 6 1.80

Jackson 1-0-0 1 6.0 4 2 2 3 4 3.00

Luther 1-0-0 1 6.0 4 4 2 3 4 3.00

Pieper 1-0-0 1 6.0 2 3 2 2 3 3.00

Maillet 1-0-1 2 5.1 1 3 2 8 6 3.38

Murray 0-0-0 1 2.0 3 1 1 1 2 4.50

Lucas 1-1-0 2 6.0 8 8 7 4 8 10.50