WITH A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT, TORONTO PLAYGROUNDS DEFUSE THE BOMBERS AT NEILSON PARK TO WIN THEIR SECOND EBA SELECT GAME OF THE SEASON
Game Post composed with files from Vincent Lynch and Jason Koskela
Under a canvas of sunny skies, our Toronto Playgrounds Rookie Ball Selects defeated the Bloordale Bombers 15-8 in seven innings of Etobicoke Baseball Association (EBA) Select play this evening at Neilson Park to win their second game of the season.
Here are the highlights:
- In the top of the first, TP offense went down quietly with a three up and three down procession on two fly outs and a ground out.
- Bloordale got the home fans excited with some offensive fireworks in the bottom of the first. The Bombers started it off with two singles up the middle off the pitching machine to put two ducks on the pond. After a ground ball had moved both baserunners into scoring position at third and second, the Bloordale offense cashed them in with a hard shot over second into right field to stake them to an early 2-0 lead. The Bombers followed with an additional line drive hit to right field that drove in the third run.
- However, Toronto Playgrounds got the bats going in the top of the second. Marshall (20), Jordan (1) and Thomas (10) led off the frame with three consecutive singles to load the bases. Desmond (3) followed and drilled a solid 2 RBI single that pulled TP within one. Duncan (14) followed suit with a RBI single that brought home the tying run.
- TP’s defence was rock solid in the bottom half of the second when they allowed just one hit between a pair of ground outs and a fly out to the pitcher. After two complete innings, the score was knotted 3-3.
- In the top of the third, Bloordale’s defence was very good during the inning. However, after respective singles by Eitan (7) Emmet (8), Eitan brought home the go ahead run for TP with some really aggressive base running that caused havoc for the Bombers D on the base paths.
- The TP defence was stellar in the bottom of the third with Bloordale going down three up and three down fashion on two ground outs to second and one to shortstop. After three frames, TP held a slender 4-3 lead.
- With zippity doo da zeal, the TP offensive machine kept churning away on offensive in the top of the fourth. Sam (2) and Marshall led off the inning with respective singles to put two ducks on the pond. With two outs, both Charlie (6) and Desmond delivered clutch RBI singles to widen the lead to 6-3.
- Once again, the Rookie Ball Select defense kept Bloordale off the scoresheet in the bottom of the fourth with another efficient three up and three down inning with a ground out to the pitcher and then two fly outs to the pitcher and second baseman.
- In the top of the fifth, TP extended their lead with a timely offensive barrage. After Dante (19) and Marcus (29) got on base with respective singles, Eitan cranked out a RBI single to push the advantage to 7-3. After Emmet followed with a single, Dylan (9) crunched out a 2 RBI hit to increase the lead to six. Marshal would keep the TP conga line going with a single and load the bases. Jordan followed with a RBI single to give TP a 10-3.
- Bloordale answered back with a run on a pair of hits in the bottom of the fifth to trim the deficit to six.
- Desmond and Duncan started the top of the sixth with respective singles to put two TP runners on base. After Milo (45) moved the base runners into scoring position, Dante spanked out a RBI single. Subsequently, Marcus and Eitan followed and delivered RBI singles to give TP a 13-4 lead.
- However, the pesky Bombers refused to surrender as they rallied for a pair of runs on five hits hits in the bottom of the sixth to trim the gap to 13-6.
- In the top of the seventh, TP’s power bats drove the ball for some extra base hits to tack on some insurance runs. After Sam started off the frame with a monster triple, Marshall cracked a hard hit RBI double. Subsequently, after Jordan singled, Thomas stroked a RBI single to give TP an insurmountable 15-6 lead.
- Nevertheless, Bloordale gamely staged a last inning comeback by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh to trail 15-8. TP extinguished the rally bid on a sterling defensive play by the TP left fielder, who gunned down a Bombers base runner at third base, after he tried to stretch a double into a triple.
- Overall, the TP Rookie Ball Selects played an outstanding defensive game with three shutdown innings and never allowing more than three runs in an inning. The TP bats were sizzling tonight too as the Rookie Ball Selects rattled off 28 hits – Marshall was 4 for 4 with 3 runs scored; Jordan went 4 for 4 with 2 RBIs; Desmond was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs; Duncan went 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI; Eitan was 3 for 3 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs; and Markus went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI.
In a postgame interview, TP Rookie Ball Select Head Coach Jason Koskela was thrilled with his team’s focused effort versus Bloordale: “The TP coaches are extremely proud of the team – they did all the little things that win games – backing up plays, staying ready on every pitch and hitting the cut-off player from the outfield. It was impressive to see. But more than that, the offence was terrific – a hard-hitting attack that was more than the Bombers could handle. We’ve had great start to the season and we’ll try to keep it going against Martingrove next week.”
The TP Rookie Ball Selects (2-0) will continue their Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead road trip on the EBA Select circuit next week when they journey to Martingrove Gardens on Tuesday, May 24 to face off against the Martingrove White Sox at 6:30 p.m.