Max Grant delivered three hits to propel Team Green to an 8–3 victory over Team Maroon in the second game of the Blue Jays’ Tournament 12, Wednesday afternoon at the Rogers Centre.
The native of Fredericton, N.B. also recorded two runs and two RBIs in four at bats.
Team Green came out blazing, dominating the first inning 4–0. Texas-native Homer Bush Jr. (son of the former Major League infielder) kicked things off, hitting an infield single before stealing second and ultimately coming home off a single by Grant.
Mississauga’s Austin Gomm then struck a single of his own, allowing Grant to reach third before he stole home on a throw to make it 2-0. Minutes later Gomm reached home himself on a wild pitch.
The final run of the inning was driven in by Russell Young, of Surrey, B.C., who hit a double on a sharp line drive.
Continuing Green’s strong performance, in the bottom of the second London’s Kieran Pook walked, stole second, and scored off a single up the middle by Grant, who subsequently hustled home on a Team Maroon error to make it 6-0.
Alfonso Villalobos, of Kirkland, Que., added to the margin by scoring on a single in the third and then struck a double in the fourth to drive Gomm home.
Team Maroon’s scoring came from David Calabrese, of Maple, Ont., who tripled in the third and came home on a sacrifice fly by Nick Gravel, of Fall River, Nova Scotia; and runs scored by Josh Niles, of St. Thomas, Ont., in the fourth, and Dante Wright, of Pickering, Ont., in the sixth.
Calabrese also hit an apparent two-run double on a line drive in the fourth that would have driven Wright and Mission, B.C.’s Yosuke Fujie home, but Team Green appealed that the hitting missed first base. He had, and the runners were called back.