Minor Bantam Tigers advance to AA Provincials
The Peterborough Junior Rookie Tigers will be hosting the Ontario Baseball Association A championships Friday through Sunday at Bowers Park and George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl. Team coaches include (l-r) Bob Neck, Ryan MacLaren, Trevor Kuypers, Scott Richardson, Adam Crowley. Team players include (l-r) Blake Moncrief, Casey Richardson, Ian Neck, Beau Marshall, Alex Kuypers, Hunter Young, Jag Turner, Cole Cavanagh, Ty Rupnow, Austin Shears, Jack Gauvreau, Brett Crowley and Grayden Taylor.
In junior rookie baseball everyone hits and everyone gets a chance to field as development is more important than wins for eight-yearolds.
That’s the philosophy of Peterborough Baseball Association junior rookie Tigers coach Adam Crowley. The first-year rep players will get a great learning experience when they host the Ontario Baseball Association junior rookie A championships Friday to Sunday at Bowers Park and George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl.
Peterborough native and recent Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School graduate Rhiannon Kissel has been named the UOIT student-athlete of the week for the period ending Aug. 28. Kissel, a first-year life sciences major, made her Ontario University Athletics (OUA) debut on Friday at home against Ottawa.
The athlete was recognized for her efforts in her second game where she scored her first OUA goal and added a second in the OUIT Ridgebacks’ 2-2 draw against Carleton on Sunday.
Her first goal came in the 51st minute when she scored on a loose ball dropped by Carleton goalkeeper Rada Mintchev, who was bumped into by her own defender.
The second was a goal-scorers goal, as she took a pass from Taijah Henderson, beat the defender and put the ball in the bottom right corner past Mintchev. Kissel and the women’s soccer team are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Toronto to face the Ryerson Rams at 1 p.m.
The Tigers – sponsored by Ricky’s All Day Grill and Gauvreau & Associates Accountants – are coming off a semifinal appearance in the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association tournament where they are mixed in with A, AA and AAA teams. The Tigers had a 9-15 record, but against A teams they had a winning mark. They also reached the semifinal of their only other tournament this season in London.
“We have a pretty good team for A,” said Crowley. “We should be pretty competitive.”
They applied and won the bid to host the tournament and they’ll kick off the action 9 a.m. Friday against Bolton at Bowers Park. An opening ceremonies will follow at 11 a.m. with local dignitaries. There are 19 teams competing from across Ontario, the largest of the three junior rookie OBA championships this year. Other games will follow at 12, 3 and 6 p.m. on Friday. The final is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at East City Bowl Rhinna Kissel and if an extra game is required it will be at 6 p.m.
If they win the opening game they will play again at 3 p.m. Friday. If they lose they will play 9 a.m. Saturday. Rookie ball is a bit different. Rather than a pitcher there is a pitching machine which tosses balls at 40 miles per hour. All players hit regardless of whether they are in the field. There are unlimited substitutions at rookie so Crowley rotates his fielders through all the positions. There is a fourth outfielder at rookie and no walks.
“We have 13 players on our roster and our philosophy all year has been you win as a group of 13 or you lose as a group of 13,” said Crowley. “I’m a big believer in putting all kids in all situations and doing it equally. We do play against other teams that don’t do that.”
Wherever they left off in the batting order last game, they will start the next game.
“We don’t have a top of the order type of thing,” he said. “It’s to try to get as many reps in for each kid as we can possibly get to try to develop that skill. Ultimately, you want to grow their love for the game and keep their interest. If you had 13 kids and only played 10 regularly the others are going to do something different and go play lacrosse or golf. I think that’s made us stronger down the stretch. The kids are excited because they know they’re going to come and be a part of it.”
Other visiting teams include Belle River, Niagara Falls, London, St. Thomas, Wyoming, Burlington, Waterdown, Kitchener, Halton Hills, Vaughan, Whitby, Markham, Leaside, Waterloo, Oshawa, Aurora and Stratford.
“It’s a great thing for the community,” said Crowley. “We have a lot of teams filling up all our restaurants and hotels.” The Peterborough JWK Insurance Broker Ltd. Minor Bantam Tigers qualified for the AA Provincials after winning their best of three series against the Oshawa Legionnaires 2-0. On Wednesday, the team defeated Oshawa 11-0. Jordan Sciuto hit a triple for Peterborough with singles added by Robin French, Evan Downer, Adam Gilmoure, Gavin Windsor, Dan Milburn, and Jack Moloney. Murray, Windsor, French, Sciuto, Gilmoure, Milburn, Dylan Brown, and Steve Garvey earned runs with RBIs contributed by French, Sciuto, Murray, Windsor, and Moloney. Brown tallied three strikeouts for the win while Murray and Gilmoure added one strikeout each. The Tigers went on to defeat Oshawa 9-5 in their second game. Garvey earned a triple with doubles from French and Windsor. Singles were contributed by Ethan Nichols, Jacob Duda, Brown, Sciuto, Downer, Windsor, and French. Gilmoure and French had two runs each with remaining runs added by Windsor, Garvey, Downer, Sciuto, and Murray. Brown, Windsor, and Sciuto recorded RBIs. Gilmoure pitched the win for Peterborough with six strikeouts in under five innings. Nichols and Murray struck out three and two batters in relief, respectively. The Tigers are still playing for the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association championship with four teams out of eleven remaining, Peterborough, Ottawa, Seaawy, and Oshawa 2.