June 16, 2024

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The first time I ever saw two teams play for a berth in the Connie Mack North Atlantic regional was in 1974 when the Ottawa-Nepean Canadians visited the Brockville Bunnies at Fulford Field.

Aware of whom the late Connie Mack was, I had no idea the age group. They were talented, well-coached, high schoolers.

And this previous weekend, the Ottawa-Nepean Canadians were in the final again -- except this time a trip to Farmington, N.M. and the Connie Mack World Series was on the line.

The Mississauga North Tigers won 10-2 to successfully gain a return trip as they won the six-team tournament played at Dobkin Park and Meadowvale North diamonds in Mississauga.

The Tigers won a $7,000 stipend for travel expenses and plane tickets to New Mexico -- as they did a year ago.

Starter Alan Altuna picked up the championship victory with five innings -- allowing two unearned runs.

For the Tigers, Tommy Hanger hit a two-run double in the final, while Keshav Tebeck also doubled. Marc Nellis, Adyn Schell, Hoss Fenwick, Nathan Belle, Jordan Gallo and Lachlan Maude also contributed.

Coleson Kaluza singled in a run for the Canadians.

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In the tourney opener, The Tigers registered a 2-1 win over Pilipinas Select. Schell, a Missouri State commit, came within an out of a complete game, pitching 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and striking out 10.

Gallo homered and singled, while Tebeck and Fenwick each doubled. Maude singled twice and Belle singled once.

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You could say LHP Nathan Currah was dominant. Or you could say he was perfect ... because he was. He went 21 up, 21 down, striking out 15 as the Tigers blanked the Canada Reds 7-0. Hanger hit a two-run single, while Anderson and Stanley each singled.

* * * .

Gallo doubled in a run, singled and scored twice in the Tigers’ 10-2 win against the Canadians. Maude, who authored the walk-off win at Farmington -- also known as the Lach-off homer -- hit a two-run triple. Belle singled in a run. Coleson Kaluza hit a run-scoring single and Albion singled for the Canadians.

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Nathan Chiasson pitched a complete game win in a 13-2 decision over the Majors as Tebeck went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Jacob Berney added a single.

Lucas Marciello doubled while Jackson Irving and Braydon Harte each singled.

In other games ... Alex Pieper doubled and singled for the Mississauga Majors in a 5-4 victory against Fil-Can. Daniel Lucas singled in a run. Carter Celerian (Caledon, Ont.) had two singles for Fil-Can.

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Matthew McGuinness doubled, singled and knocked in a run as the Canadians beat the Majors 11-3. Wesley Finner doubled and singled in a run for Ottawa, as Noah Lapierre hit a two-run single and Evan Allibon singled in a run. Luke Heinbuch doubled for the Majors.

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Jay Benedict Dalumpines and Nolan Johnson doubled in a run for SoCal Phillipines in a 10-0 win over Fil-Canada. CJ Alinas and JJ Fagfoomsintu hit run-scoring singles.

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Andrew Jomgotchian and Justin Lacroix each singled for Canada Reds in a 4-3 win against Fil-Canada.

Mississauga Majors Action Jackson Irving pitched the win over Canada Reds

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Action Jackson Irving pitched the Majors to an 8-1 win over Canada Reds. Irving tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing zero earned runs as he struck out four. Irving also singled in a run. Peiper hit a two-run single and Daniel Lucas also added a single.

Andrew Jamgotchian hit a ground-rule double for the Reds.

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Fagfoomsintu hit a walk-off, two-run single to give Pillipines So-Cal the victory over the Mississauga Majors. Noah Johnson and Benedict Dalumpines had two singles each as Noah Fong singled in a run. Lucas Marciello doubled home a run for the Majors.

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Will Watson hit a two-run homer as the Canada Reds beat Fil Canada 4-3.

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Xavier Beckstead worked seven innings for the Ottawa-Nepean Canadians in an 8-2 win against the SoCal Philipinas Select. Beckstead struck out eight and didn’t allow a run.

Malone Culhane doubled

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Over the years, the Canadians have produced the likes of major leaguer OF Doug Frobel (Ottawa, Ont.) as well as minor-league pros: LHP Mike Kusiewicz (Nepean, Ont.) RHP Dave MacQuarrie (Ottawa, Ont.), INF Chris Bisson (Ottawa, Ont.), INF Phil Franko (Nepean, Ont.) and 1B Trevvy Mosley (Nepean, Ont.).

Frobel played parts of five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos and Cleveland appearing in 268 games, hitting 20 homers. He played 11 seasons in the minors with class-A Charleston, class-A Shelby, class-A Auburn, class-A Salem, double-A Buffalo, triple-A Portland, triple-A Hawaii, triple-A Tidewater, triple-A Buffalo, triple-A Indianapolis, double-A Jacksonville, triple-A Vancouver, double-A Birmingham and the Mexico City Reds.

Bisson, a fourth-round pick by the San Diego Padres from Kentucky, played in 314 games at rookie-class Padres, class-A Eugene, class-A Fort Wayne, class-A Lake Elsinore and double-A San Antonio.

A Colorado Rockies draft, Kusiewicz worked in 250 games in the minors winning an ERA title at class-A Asheville. He also pitched at class-A Salem, double-A New Haven, rookie-class Rockies, double-A Tennessee, triple-A Pawtucket, double-A Trenton, triple-A Sacramento, double-A Midland and class-A High Desert. He also toed the rubber in independent league ball at Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

Signed by the Minnesota Twins, Franko played at rookie-class Elizabethton, class-A Visalia, class-A Wisconsin Rapids and class-A Kenosha.

An Expos farmhand, MacQuarrie pitched 81 games for the rookie-class Gulf Coast Expos, class-A Kinston, class-A West Palm Beach, double-A Quebec and double-A Memphis.

A former Pace University first baseman, Mosley played 66 games for Johnstown Johnnies in the Frontier League.