AAA Major Rookie Tigers defend title at Cubs Classic
The Peterborough AAA Major Rookie Tigers successfully defended their 2017 Cubs Classic title last weekend in Cambridge.
The Tigers had a perfect record in the tournament at 5-0 and beat 2017 Ontario runner-up East
York in the championship game to win the 2018 Classic.
The opening game of the tournament Friday night was a slug fest against Kitchener. The teams went back and forth through the first half of the game before the Tigers took over and shut the door to earn an 18-10 victory. The offence was led by game MVP Lincoln Rose who had two extra base hits.
On Saturday, Peterborough faced league rival Whitby and won 13-5. Strong outfield play by Jack Philips set the tone for the Tigers. Jack Hatton’s heads up defence at catcher and multi-hit game earned him MVP and sent the Tigers to 2-0.
In the Saturday night cap, the Tigers battled unbeaten Waterloo under the lights. Waterloo jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and seemed in control in the fourth ahead 6-2. However, Peterborough’s defence clamped down with Noah Stanley and Beau Marshall combining for several key outs up the middle. Stretches by Brett Crowley and Cole Cavanagh at first base helped preserve a 9-8 victory for Peterborough after Lucas Cavanagh sparked the offense with a pair of extra base hits, earning game MVP. The win clinched first place for Peterborough and setup a semi-final game against host Cambridge.
Saturday also saw the Tigers participate in the annual Cubs Classic Skills Competition. The boys finished first in the team hardest throw competition. Cole Cavanagh (54 mph), Ayden Turner (53 mph), Jack Philips (52 mph) and Jack Hatton (47 mph) participated, totalling 206 mph for the team. In the team running and infield throwing events, the Tigers finished third, making them the only team with three Top 3 finishes.
In the semifinal, Peterborough’s bats came alive. Extra base hits by Lucas Cavanagh, Tyler Crawford, Philips, Turner, Hatton and Marshall started the offence and clutch hitting by Thomas Dalliday with three 2-out RBI blew the game open. The Tigers won 15-3 and advanced to the final to face 2017 Ontario
AAA runner-up, East York. Dalliday was named game MVP.
The championship game was the best effort of the weekend for Peterborough. They took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but East York threatened in the bottom. Garrett Jones made two outfield assists in the inning to stall the attack.
In the top of the second, Peterborough put up seven runs on eight consecutive hits and grabbed control of the game. A diving catch by Dalliday in the fourth put an exclamation point on a great defensive effort as the Tigers defended their 2017 Cubs Classic title with a 13-4 victory over East York. Lucas Cavanagh was named tournament MVP.
The boys returns to EOBA league action Thursday night in Oshawa. The next home game for the Tigers is Saturday at noon at the George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl.