For the sixth consecutive year, the Orillia Wes Brennan (2003 birth year team) Royals will represent the York Simcoe league at the provincial championships in Kitchener.
The group accomplished this incredible feat with some impressive, resilient baseball this weekend at their eight-team league championship tournament in Vaughan.
The event started on Friday, Aug. 2 when Orillia met Aurora. The game was close until Orillia exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning and cruised to an 11-2 victory.
Owen Kaczanowski pitched a complete game for the Royals while Whyatt Winkel and Owen Buckland both lead the Orillia offensive scoring two runs each.
Orillia then faced Richmond Hill on Saturday morning. Wyatt Thompson got locked in a great pitching duel with the Richmond Hill ace, keeping both offences at bay, only allowing one run in a terrific five-inning start.
Jhett Winkel singled home Teddy Mccolum Kuntz to tie the game in the final frame, forcing extra innings. Richmond Hill then received a timely two-out hit to capture a walk-off 3-2 victory over the Royals.
The loss put the Royals on the brink of elimination in the double knock-out formula. The next test for Orillia was a do-or-die game with their league rivals from Innisfil. Orillia jumped out to an early lead, but the Innisfil bats came alive pounding the ball all over the field. The relentless bats saw Innisfil surge to a 10-4 lead after five innings.
With their season on the brink of ending, Orillia started an incredible rally in the sixth with a Jacob Boyle single. The Royals loaded the bases for Briar Decaire who bombed a deep bases-clearing triple to left center field. Decaire would later score to tie the game 10-10.
Orillia held Innisfil in the bottom of the sixth, keeping the game tied heading into the final inning. In the final inning, Orillia posted three runs and took a 13-10 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Tigh Gallagher recorded the first out, but then Innisfil got two consecutive base runners on and forced Orillia to a pitching change.
Aydan Hall came on and locked down the game with two incredible strike outs of the two best bats in the Innisfil line up. This comeback win advanced the Royals to a winner-take-all game Sunday morning in Vaughan against the Markham Mariners. Orillia had yet to beat Markham this season.
Kobe Geofroy pitched a masterful six innings, holding the talented Markham offence to three runs over five Innings. Orillia's offence constantly eroded the Markham pitching putting up 10 runs in five innings, giving Orillia a commanding 10-3 lead. Mccolum Kuntz, Decaire and J. Winkel led the team with two hits each.
Owen Buckland and Aydan Hall both pitched one solid inning and Markham Gogarty made a spectacular catch to lock down the win, capping off an unbelievable weekend, paving the way for the Royals to advance to the OBA championships.
The provincial championships will be held in Kitchener over the Labour Day weekend.
