THE WHITE SOX PREVAIL OVER TORONTO PLAYGROUNDS IN A NAIL BITER AT CHRISTIE PITS
After taking the throw from his catcher, Martingrove third baseman Josh B. (18) slaps the tag on TP baserunner Liam (13) to thwart his bid to steal third in the third inning.
Beneath a tranquil ceiling of warm skies, the Martingrove White Sox edged the Toronto Playgrounds Major Mosquito Selects 7-6 in five innings of Etobicoke Baseball Association (EBA) Mosquito Select Loop action this evening at Christie Pits Diamond 2.
Battling the glare of the sun, TP third baseman Charlie (6) catches a high pop up off the bat of White Sox leadoff batter Alex (3) in the first inning.
The nail biting proceeding was an exciting and well played affair that was contested between two talented teams. In the end, the gritty White Sox fended off a furious late comeback bid by a pesky TP squad to hang on for the razor thin victory.
TP starter Eitan (19) would strike out one in the top of the first to keep Martingrove off the scoresheet.
During the inning, Eitan was also the beneficiary of some nice defensive help from his friends. TP third baseman Charlie (6) would battle the glare of the setting sun to make a nice catch on an eight mile high pop up off the bat of White Sox leadoff batter Alex (3) to ring up the first out. Subsequently, with one out and a runner on first, shortstop Finn (15) and second baseman Niko (2) combined on a pretty 6-4 putout play to erase Ben (32) at second base (as a consequence a slow grounder by Aiden (9)) to tally the second out.
Martingrove starter Julian (4) would strike out three in the bottom of the first frame to keep TP off the scoring ledger.
TP starter Eitan (19) threw two scoreless innings against Martingrove while striking out three.
In the top half of the second, the White Sox threatened by putting two ducks on the pond via a dropped third strike and a walk. However, TP starter Eitan would strike out a pair and coax a groundout to end the crisis and keep them off the scoreboard.
TP would score a pair in the bottom of the second to stake themselves to a 2-0 lead. After a leadoff double, Lukas (23) would advance to third on a Martingrove error. Zach (24) followed with a walk and a stolen base that put two otters on the lake. At this juncture, a passed ball by the White Sox would allow Zach to move up to third and give Lukas an opportunity to motor home with the opening run of the game. A subsequent Martingrove faux pas would allow Zach to hustle home to do the shimmy, shimmy, shake.
With one out, White Sox starter Julian would strike out two in the second to quell the TP uprising.
After taking the throw from first baseman Devon (16), TP catcher Zach (24) tags out Jared (6) to deny his bid to steal home during the White Sox’s six run uprising in the fourth inning.
Martingrove answered back with a run in the top portion of the third to trim the margin to 2-1. After back to back singles by Ethan (10) and Arman (5) that put two swans on the lake, Ryan (20) delivered a one out RBI hit that brought Ethan home with the White Sox’s first run of the game.
TP reliever Liam (13) would induce a groundout and a pair of pop outs in the third inning to end the Martingrove threat.
White Sox reliever Ben (32) would strike out two in the bottom of the third to keep TP off the scoreboard.
Ben also received a big play from his defence during the inning. Following a leadoff single and stolen base, Liam of TP made a brazen bid to steal third. However, the Martingrove catcher made a laser throw to third baseman Josh B. (18), who adroitly applied the tag on a sliding Liam to thwart his grand theft exploits and chalk up the 2-5 putout.
Patiently feasting upon a TP buffet serving of six walks, the White Sox rallied for six runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-2 lead. With no outs and the bases loaded, Liam (12), Julian and Jared (6) drew consecutive RBI walks to bring Ben, Aiden and Josh P. (7) home to roost.
Zach (24) delivers a two RBI triple during TP’s feverish four run rally in the fifth inning.
With one out and the bases still juiced to the gills, Josh B. stroked a two RBI single that brought Liam and Julian home. Subsequently, Anthony (19) delivered a two out RBI single to plate Josh B.
TP reliever Markus (29) would strike out one in the fourth to extinguish the Matringrove insurgency.
The TP defence also turned in a pair of nice plays during the inning. First baseman Devon (16) made a nice throw to TP catcher Zach, who tagged out Jared to thwart his bid to steal home and tally the 3-2 putout and the first out. Later, with two outs, Markus made a quick toss to third baseman Guillermo (14), who tagged out Anthony to end his brazen effort to swipe third on a 1-5 putout play.
With 1-2-3 efficiency, White Sox reliever Ben retired TP in the bottom of the fourth with a strikeout, groundout and a fly out.
With one out, Martingrove closer Luke (25) entered the fray in the bottom of the fifth to strike out two to seal the deal on the White Sox’s one run victory over TP.
Not to be outdone, TP reliever Charlie (6) returned the favour in the top of the fifth by retiring the Martingrove batting order in 1-2-3 fashion with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
Refusing to go quietly into the night, TP donned their rally caps and gorged upon a scrumptious White Sox buffet serving of six walks in the bottom half of the fifth to close the gap to one. Following walks by Eitan and Lukas to lead off the inning, Zach delivered a two RBI triple to bring Eitan and Lukas home. Subsequently, Lukas would steal home and slice the shortfall to 7-5.
After respective walks by Jack (4), Finn and Michinari (51) loaded the bases, Devon garnered a two out bases loaded walk to bring Jack home.
With two outs, the bases loaded, and a razor thin one run lead to protect, Martingrove closer Luke (25) chalked up his second strikeout of the inning to seal the deal on the White Sox victory.
The TP Major Mosquito Selects (1-2) take a brief break away from EBA Mosquito Select Loop circuit this weekend when they partake in the Welland Tournament (June 15-17).