| Game 30: Ontario 3 New Brunswick 2 |
|
DARREN STEINKE This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it New Brunswick was six outs away from pulling out a major shocker at the Baseball Canada Cup. Going into the bottom of the sixth inning in a semifinal contest against a powerful team from Ontario, the Pool B champs held a 2-1 lead and looked poised to become the first Atlantic province team to make the tournament’s gold medal game. Ontario tied the match 2-2 with a run in the bottom of the sixth and with two outs in the seventh, rallied for a 3-2 win. With Donovan Latour and Maxx Tissenbaum on base, catcher Larry Balkwill came through with a hard hit liner into left field to drive home Latour and clinch a championship game berth Sunday at Athletic Park. The normally calm and composed Ontario squad flew out of their dugout for a joyous celebration at home plate like they had just won the World Series. “I went up there, I just kind of cleared my mind,” said Balkwill, who was 3-for-4 in the game. “I can’t think about stuff. I just have to hit. “You don’t know what is coming. Just react to everything. He threw me a slider, and I just reacted.” The biggest story of the game was the performance of New Brunswick’s stellar left-handed pitcher Ben Sollows. Sollows went the distance striking out four batters, keeping Ontario off balance with a variety of off-speed pitches. While warming up to start the bottom of the seventh, Sollows slipped and fell, hyperextending the back of his left leg. He stayed in the game but was unable to cover first base on Latour’s two-out hit to first-baseman Mike Washburn which would have sent the game to extra innings. “It is kind of tough losing in the bottom of the seventh with two out,” said Sollows. “We battled hard throughout the game. We played our best. “We didn’t get the key hits, when we needed them. Overall, we played real well. We represented our province very well.” Ontario went up 1-0 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth by second baseman Blair Todd. In the top of the fifth, New Brunswick finally got to Ontario starting pitcher Jeff Gibbs, who gave up his only two hits of the complete game victory to allow the underdog Atlantic team to go up 2-1. Matt Clark drove home Aaron Noel to tie the game 1-1, and Josh Dewitt hit a sacrifice grounder to score Daniel McNeil to make the score 2-1. An RBI single from Trevor Barton in the bottom of the sixth tied the game 2-2 to set the stage for a thrilling seventh inning. “I have to give all the credit to New Brunswick and Sollows,” said Ontario head coach Jason Chee-Aloy. “He is a hell of player. “Sometimes it is unfortunate that you have to lose, but someone has to.” |
