TORONTO PLAYGROUNDS RALLY TO TIE UP THE CARDINALS IN THEIR FINAL AT BATS DURING A WILD WEST EBA SELECT SHOOTOUT AT THE CHRISTIE PITS CORRAL
Beneath a quilted duvet of warm summer skies, the Toronto Playgrounds Minor Mosquito Selects and the Royal York Red played to a 14-14 draw in three innings of Etobicoke Baseball Association (EBA) Select Loop action this evening at Christie Pits Diamond 2.
Down 14-13, TP donned their rally caps in the bottom of of the third as they made one final bid to overtake the Cardinals. After garnering a leadoff walk, Lucas (24) turned on the afterburners as he swiped his way around the horn to third with Grand Theft aplomb. With one out, Sawyer (43) hit a groundout to first base that allowed Lucas to motor home with the game tying run.
Subsequently, with two outs and two TP runners on base, Royal York reliever Jopling (8) coaxed the next TP batter to hit a fly ball to left field to bring the curtain down on the proceedings.
The wild west proceeding was a highly entertaining affair from the first pitch to the final out.
Feasting upon a Mandarin Buffet serving of seven walks, Royal York staked itself to an early 7-0 lead in the top portion of the first frame. After Buckland (57) and Jopling led off the inning with back to back walks that put two mallards on the lake, Marchetti (16) stroked a RBI single to load the bases. Androulidakis (10) followed with a RBI single that brought Buckland home with the opening run of the game. A TP error on the play allowed Marchetti and Androulidakis to move up a base and brought Joplin home with a run.
After Martin (9) garnered a one out walk to reload the bases, Hurley (4) drew a bases loaded RBI walk to force Marchetti home from third. With the bases still juiced to the gills, Zaccaria (14) followed with a bases loaded RBI walk to bring Androulidakis home.
With the sacks still full, Kakaria (35) delivered a RBI single that allowed Martin to some homeward. Altosaar (24) followed with a bases loaded RBI walk that brought Hurley home to roost. A subsequent TP error would allow Zaccaria to charge home from third with another run.
In a nitty gritty foray on the hill, TP reliever Ben (15) entered the fray with one out in the first and tallied a strikeout and pop out to subdue the Cardinals insurrection.
With posthaste urgency, TP answered back with six runs in the bottom of the first to slice and dice the deficit to one. After Hudson (18) and Chase (23) hit respective singles to leadoff the inning and put two aboard, Mike (9) drew a one out walk to load the bases. Henry K. (13) followed with a bases loaded RBI walk that brought Hudson home with TP’s first run.
With the bases still loaded to the max, Oliver (35) delivered a two RBI double that advanced Henry K. to third and allowed Chase and Mike to come homeward bound.
With TP runners on third and second, Ben (15) stroked a RBI single that moved Oliver to third and brought Henry K. home to crow.
Still, with two ducks on the pond, Alex (65) delivered a two RBI single that allowed Oliver and Ben to hustle home and close the gap to 7-6.
With spunk and perseverance, Royal York starter Martin chalked up a pair of strikeouts and a groundout in the first to quell the TP uprising.
In the top of the second, the Cardinals offence went back to work as they scored four to extend their advantage to 11-6. Following a majestic leadoff triple by Marchetti (16), Menzes (77) delivered a one out RBI single to bring Marchetti home.
Following a two out walk by Hurley that put two capybaras on the diamond, Zaccaria (14) stroked a RBI single that allowed Menzes to come home to crow. With two aboard, Kakaria connected for a RBI single that brought Hurley home with a run. A TP faux pas would allow Zaccaria to come homeward with the peameal bacon.
With a dash of pluck and grit, TP reliever Oliver (35) struck out three in the second to quash the Royal York rebellion.
TP stormed back with tsunami intensity in the bottom portion of the second as they tallied seven to take a 13-11 lead. After Henry B. (14) had garnered a leadoff walk and swiped his way around the horn to third, Sawyer (43) hit into a 4-3 groundout that allowed Henry B. to motor home with a run.
After Payton (3) reached base on a hit by pitch and Hudson drew a walk that put a pair of otters on the lake, Holden (25) stroked a two out single that loaded the bases. Mike followed with a clutch two RBI single that advanced Holden to third and brought Payton and Hudson home. With two ducklings on the pond, Henry K. delivered a RBI single that brought Holden home and trim the margin to one.
With runners on third and second, Oliver delivered a grace under pressure two RBI single that allowed Mike and Henry K. to blaze homeward with the tying and go ahead runs.
After Oliver advanced to third on an error and stolen base, Ben stroked a RBI double that allowed Oliver to come home with the Oreo Double Stuffed Cookies.
Refusing to go quietly into the night, Royal York rallied with three dramatic runs in the top half of the third to retake the lead 14-13. Following respective walks by McDonald (6) and Marchetti that put two swans on the lake, Androulidakis crushed a clutch two out triple that brought them home with the tying runs.
After Menzes and Martin garnered back to back walks to load the bases, Androulidakis stormed home on a wild pitch to score the Cardinals go ahead run.
With two outs and the bases loaded, TP reliever Julian (77) entered the fray from the bullpen to ring up a strikeout to extinguish the Royal York insurgency.
And it was at this juncture in the proceedings where TP came up to bat in the bottom portion of third and came face to face with their moment in the time continuum alongside the Royal York Red.
In their next EBA Mosquito Select Loop game, the TP Minor Mosquito Selects (2-3-1) will play host next Sunday (June 30) evening to the Annette Black at Christie Pits Diamond 2 at 6:00 p.m.
