IN A SHIVER ME TIMBERS AFFAIR, THE SWASHBUCKLING BUCCANEERS ERASE A 5-1 DEFICIT TO PREVAIL OVER THE BIG RED MACHINE AT CHRISTIE PITS AND TAKE HOME A BOOTY OF CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLOONS
Beneath a Jolly Roger canopy of cool late summer skies, the Pirates edged the Reds 6-5 in a nail biting 5 ½ inning sea dog battle this evening at Christie Pits Diamond Bay 2 to win the 2019 Toronto Playgrounds House League Baseball Tournament Peewee Division Championship Game.
In the resumption of a Yo! Ho! Ho! game that was suspended on Wednesday night due to lightning and rain, the Buccaneers ultimately took control of mizzenmast as they prevailed over the landlubbin’ Big Red Machine to take home a championship treasure trove of gold doubloons.
The Reds jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in top of the first when Sawyer (14) drew a two out walk and swiped his way around the horn (Cape Horn…Arg!) to third base. Liam (7) followed with a clutch RBI single to bring Sawyer home with the opening run of the game.
With the son of a biscuit eater fervour, Pirates starter Jalen (12) tallied two pop outs and a strikeout in the first frame to quell the Reds insurgency.
In the bottom of the first, the Bucs answered back in blow the man down fashion as they tied the game 1-1. With two outs, Duncan (4) fired his cannon as he launched a clutch solo home run blast over the left field fence into a graveyard where dead men tell no tales.
With a helping hand from his friends, Reds starter Sawyer chalked up a pair of groundouts in the first to put the kibosh the Pirates pillaging.
During the inning, Sawyer was assisted with a nifty play from the Big Red Machine defence. With no outs and Bucs baserunner Luc (10) on first after a leadoff walk, Reds second baseman Stephen (8) vacuumed up a sharply hit ball off the bat of Damian (3), stepped on second base to erase Luc, and made a lightning throw to first to ring up a sweet 4-3 double play.
The Reds added a run to their tally in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead. After being hit by pitch to open the inning, Lucca (19) swiped his way to third with Grand Theft aplomb. A subsequent Pirates error allowed Lucca to come home and score a dramatic discombobulated run.
With heave ho intensity, Buccaneers reliever Duncan struck out two in the second to subdue the Reds uprising.
Duncan also received a nice hand from his defence in the second frame. After stroking a one out single, Reds baserunner Kyle (4) made a brazen bid to steal second. As he took receipt of a laser throw from catcher Shael (5), Pirates second baseman Jalen slapped a Cackle fruit tag on a sliding Kyle to ring up an old salt 2-4 putout.
The Bucs threatened in the bottom of the second frame after Ford (6) drew a walk and stole a base to advance to second. With a dash of mustard and relish, Reds reliever Kyle chalked up a pop out and a pair of groundouts to end the threat and keep the Pirates off the scoring abacus.
In the top half of the third, the Big Red Machine tacked on another run to widen their advantage to 3-1. Following a leadoff double and stolen base by Lucky (10) that advanced him to third, Stephen delivered a RBI single to bring him homeward.
Pirates reliever Jack K. (1) chalked up a strikeout and a sweet defensive play in the third frame to short circuit the Reds offensive momentum. With no outs and Reds baserunner Stephen on first, Jack K. snagged a hot tamale line drive off the bat of Liam to tally the first out and made a rocket throw over to first baseman Luc to complete a hornswaggle 1-3 double play.
The gnarly Buccaneers threatened in the bottom of the third after Dimitri (14) stroked a single and swiped his way around the Poop deck to third base. Unfazed, Reds reliever Alex (2) struck out three to keep the Pirates off the scoring ledger and in the Captain’s Mess.
Exercising patience at the dish, the Reds scored a pair in the top of the fourth to increase their lead to 5-1. After garnering a leadoff walk, Lucca swiped his way to third base. As he slid into third, a Bucs faux pas allowed Lucca to scamper home with a run.
Following a walk by Jesse (9), Kyle stroked a single that advanced him to third. A Pirates error on the play allowed Jesse to shimmy homeward with another Reds run.
Giving no quarter, Buccaneers reliever Shael tallied a strikeout, groundout and pop out to quash the Reds insurrection.
The slumbering Pirates offence exploded with Man-O-War resolve in the bottom of the fourth as they rallied with a four-spot to tie the game 5-5. After a leadoff walk by Nate (15), Duncan garnered a two out walk that put two swabbies on deck. Shael utilized his cutlass to send a majestic three run home run shot over the left field fence that landed in Davey Jones’ Locker.
After a single by Jalen and a walk by Ford (6) that put two salty seadogs on the pond, Daniel (11) stroked a RBI single that brought Jalen home with the Buccaneers tying run.
In a gritty effort on the hill, Reds reliever Liam chalked up a strikeout and flyout against the gnarly Bucs. And a tip of the cap to Reds centre fielder Lucky, who made a nice shoestring catch on Damian’s eight mile high fly ball for the second out of the inning.
Nonplussed, the Big Red Machine threatened once again in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases courtesy of consecutive walks by Lucca, Jesse and Kyle. Shaken, but not stirred, Pirates reliever Daniel found his mojo as he made the Reds walk the plank with three shark bait strikeouts to keep them off the scoring register.
With the aid of Jacob’s Ladder, the Buccaneers scored one in the bottom of the fifth to take a slender tenderloin 6-5 lead. After a leadoff single and a pair of stolen bases by Jack K. that moved him to third, Jack P. (2) earned a walk that put two freebooters on the diamond. Sulei (8) followed with a groundout to first base that advanced Jack P. to third and brought Jack K. home with the go ahead run.
With one out and a runner on third, Dimitri hit into a fielder’s choice. As Pirates baserunner Jack P. charged homeward, Reds reliever Lucky made a rocket throw to catcher Lucca, who slapped a tag on Jack P. to chalk up a nice 1-2 putout play for the second out.
Lucky proceeded to strikeout the next batter to terminate the Buccaneers coup d’état.
Refusing to go quietly into the night, the Reds donned their rally caps in the top portion of the sixth in one last battle to scuttle the Pirates ship. After Lucky reached base on a catcher’s interference call to open the inning, Liam and Conor garnered respective walks to load the bases.
With the game on the line, Buccaneers pitcher Jalen rang up two strikeouts and a groundout with Crow’s Nest precision to seal the deal on the Pirates championship victory. Arg!
[EDITOR’S NOTE: As an added bonus for those dedicated and rabid TP Baseball Website followers who are enamored of additional photos from the 2019 Peewee Division Tournament Championship Game, please keep scrolling downwards to access more picture collages from the game and postgame ceremony. Enjoy!]
