AFTER BUILDING AN 11-2 LEAD, TORONTO PLAYGROUNDS FENDS OFF A FEROCIOUS PHOENIX RALLY ATTEMPT IN THE FINAL INNING TO WIN THEIR OPENING ROUND ROBIN GAME AT ADAMS PARK
TP POWER > Clockwise from top left: Respective grace under pressure doubles by Desmond (3) and Jonas (9) sparked a ten run uprising for TP in the fourth inning versus Richmond Hill; Emmett (8) stroked two singles in the fourth during an eleven hit barrage against the Phoenix; Sammy P. (11) delivered a RBI single in the fifth to bring Jordan L. (10) home with an insurance run.
Game Post composed with file from Vincent Lynch
Under the incandescent lights on a cool summer night, our Toronto Playgrounds Rookie Ball Selects defeated the Richmond Hill Phoenix 11-9 in five innings tonight at Adams Park to win their opening round robin game at the West Hill Rookie Ball Tournament in Scarborough.
- TP was the visiting team this evening and were stymied in the top of the first leaving Emmett (8) on base after a lead off single.
- Richmond Hill came out firing in the bottom of the first and got a quick first run to take a 1-0 lead. However, the TP Wall of Sound defense slammed the door shut on the Phoenix after that initial score. The highlight was a great pop fly catch by Stephen (1), a call up from TP’s AAA Rookie Ball Dodgers affiliate farm club at Christie Pits.
- Over the next two innings, the bats went silent with neither team managing to post a run.
- At the start of the fourth, Toronto Playgrounds was down 1-0 with only three base hits to show for their efforts. But that’s when the bats came alive. The TP offense went nuts withs a bat around ELEVEN hit barrage that scored TEN runs by the time the top half of the inning was complete. Notable in the offensive explosion were doubles by Desmond (3) and Jonas (9) and Emmett, who managed to get two singles in the same inning!
- In the bottom of the fourth, the Phoenix scored a run to trim the deficit to eight.
- In the top of the fifth, Jordan L. (10) started off the inning with a triple and was cashed in on a RBI single by Sammy P. (11) to widen the TP lead to 11 to 2.
- However, Richmond Hill refused to go quietly into the night as they staged a ferocious comeback bid in the bottom of the fifth. With resolve, the Phoenix gallantly scored seven runs to make for a nail biter of a finish. In the end, TP secured the necessary three outs to hang on for a hard fought 11-9 victory.
The TP Rookie Ball Selects (1-0) continue their journey at the West Hill Tournament with two more round robin games on Saturday (June 27) at Adams Park. TP will face the East York Bulldogs at 11:30 a.m. and play against the North Toronto A’s at 4:45 p.m. The results from these final two round robin games will determine whether TP advances to Sunday’s playoff round.
Updates from the tournament will be posted when they become available.
GO! TP! GO!