IN THE DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, THE CARDINALS PREVAIL OVER TORONTO PLAYGROUNDS FOR THE EBA SELECT LOOP VICTORY AT LAMBTON KINGSWAY PARK
Game Post composed by Chip Cornea. Photo courtesy of Naomi Gaskin.
The Toronto Playgrounds Rookie Ball Selects lost 14-12 to the Royal York Cardinals in a shortened dogfight at Lambton Kingsway Park on Tuesday night.
Here are the highlights:
- TP seemed on their way to improving their record to 3-0 when they jumped out to an early lead, batting around the order in the first two innings.
- Jordy “Hollywood” W. led off with a blistering three-bagger and flashed some sparkling leather, putting out more than one hard-hitting Cardinal on the night.
- Jordon “JLo” L. crushed the ball all night, the highlight being a two-run jack to add to the Selects’ early run tally. From the shortstop slot he helped keep the infield focused with his play-calling.
- Sammy “Rocco” P. wielded a thunder stick in the box and a sticky glove in the field, snaring a well-stroked fly and stretching his lean skeleton to its snapping point to make a key put-out at third.
- Sam “Lefty” H.T. was his usual formidable self with the bat and at first, as steady and reliable as a vintage Hal Blaine backbeat.
- Emmett “M&M” made key put-outs at first, had multiple hits and sported his rocket cleats on the base path.
- Desmond “Tommy John” G. and Tommy were implacable backstops behind the plate. Both players displayed plate savvy and batsmanship beyond their years .
- Malcolm “MVP” continued to leave opposing pitching machines scratching their heads wondering what they’d have to do to get this guy out.
- Michael and Christian were key to the Selects’ team effort both with their timely hitting and heads-up play in the outfield, fielding balls cleanly, hitting their cut-off men and stingily holding opposing hitters to singles.
With TP Rookie Ball Select Head Coach Adin Wener away on a baseball-related advanced scouting junket, Assistant Coach John Gordon managed the squad with elán and aplomb.
“This was a great team effort tonight by our guys. We’re really coming together as a unit. The whole team wins, and the whole team loses,” said Coach John. He went on to muse, “Baseball is baseball. In the end there lacked the requisite illumination to proceed.”
“What does that mean?” asked a bystander.
Coach John replied with clear and weedy simplicity, “It got too dark to keep playing.”
After a two week junket on the road, our TP Rookie Ball Selects (2-1) return home to the friendly confines of Christie Pits Diamond 3 to play host to the Bloordale Bombers on Tuesday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m.