By Ryan Sweeney

Canadian Baseball Network

The 2020 season, and the 73rd year, of St. John’s Amateur Baseball is officially underway in Newfoundland.

Before it began however, on June 12, a moment of silence was held for the world, our recovery from Covid-19, and for Tyler Pittman, a dear friend of the game in St. John’s, NL.

“With heavy hearts, the family of Tyler Pittman shares the news of his passing on May 18th, 2020 at 30 years of age after a courageous battle with depression. (reads Tyler’s obituary from May of 2020).”

Tyler grew up at St. Pats ballpark, and was a staple in the scorekeeper’s box behind home plate. In a fitting and classy move, St. John’s Baseball named the booth ‘Tyler’s Place’ to honour his memory.

Before the game began, the first pitch was thrown out by Carl Lake. A longtime umpire in the province of Newfoundland, Lake has spent the better part of seven decades down at historic St. Pats Ball Park in St. John’s. Founder, and main contributor, for The Sports Page NL,

Carl has been dealing with health issues the last few years, but apparently that won’t stop him from getting back on the field this summer! His contributions to sport and the game in the province are unmatched; he was a fitting candidate to kick-off 2020.

The first game featured a rematch of last year’s final between the champion Shamrocks, and Feildians. The 2019 runner-up Feildians loaded the bases in the first inning, but were unable to bring any runners across the plate.

As if expected, and for no other reason than to try and keep itself relevant as we move-on with our lives, ‘The Covid’ (as its known colloquially in Newfoundland) decided to rear its ugly head in the very first game and cause a little controversy. In the bottom of the sixth, Feildians’ RHP Cam Brewer, who pitches at North East Community College (under Marcus Clapp), was prevented from delivering another pitch in a 2-2 count, as the game was called.

New rules regarding timelines for the 2020 season, as outlined in the government approved return to play plan, prevented completion of the game as the allotted time had expired. Controversy aside, it was a tight contest, but in the end, the Feildians ran out of time, and the defending champion Shamrocks proved to be the best team once again, coming out on top with a 4-2 victory.

Game two action saw the Holy Cross Crusaders meet the Gonzaga Vikings. Cross took a 1-0 lead midway through the game -- able to capitalize on a walk followed by back-to-back hits. Gonzaga threatened in the top of the seventh with a single (by the writer, Ryan Sweeney who played his first game in 10 years), and were able to get a runner in scoring position with less than two out. However, good pitching and defensive play was the story of this game, as cross was able to hang-on and come away with a 1-0 victory.

Meanwhile, at Smallwood Field, in the neighbouring city of Mount Pearl, the Storm and the Knights went head-to-head. Inconsistent pitching and defence by the Knights coupled with timely hitting from the Storm led to a 13-3 mercy rule stoppage in the fifth inning.

Returning to the Storm roster for the first time in many years due to the cancellation of the WCBL season, Cole Tucker, who plays for Niagara University will split his time between 3B and 2B this summer. Tucker’s arrival, combined with key off-season trades and quality draft picks, makes the Storm an early contender to compete with the Shamrocks for this year’s top spot.

As for the weather, 18 degrees and overcast was the predicted forecast for opening day. As if to make up for the last four months of Covid, the baseball gods stepped in and blessed the parks with sun and temperatures north of 30 degrees and no wind; there aren’t too many games in Newfoundland that are played in such perfect conditions.

And on Sunday, the weather, was the predicted forecast for opening day. As if to make up for the last four months of Covid, the baseball gods stepped in and blessed the parks with sun and temperatures north of 30 degrees and no wind; there aren’t too many games in Newfoundland that are played in such perfect conditions.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Generals rallied from a 6-2 deficit and won 7-6 over the Storm. Generals OF, Jordan Walker cleared the bases with a triple deep into the right-centre gap, bringing the game to an end with under two minutes remaining (as per the new Covid time lines).

It was a fitting way to shake off the rust and gloom of 2020, and now the boys of summer are back in full swing.

Ryan Sweeney is the president of Premier Sports Academy Inc.

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