Drew Howard went 2-for-4 for Team Red and earned Player of the Game honours in an 8-8 Tournament 12 tie with Team Green on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.
The Whitby, Ont., product scored one run in the fourth inning to give Team Red a lead and was left on base twice.
Jack Seward, of Port Moody, B.C., pitched three innings for Team Red and allowed two earned runs on three hits. He also walked four batters compared to his three strikeouts.
Team Green was led offensively by 18-year-old Alfonso Villalobos, of Kirkland, Que., who produced two RBI and one walk. Villalobos did not strike-out and finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
Langley, B.C.’s Justin Thorsteinson delivered three innings of work on the mound, allowing three hits and two earned runs for Team Green.
Homer Bush Jr., son of former Yankees, Blue Jays and Marlins infielder Homer Bush Sr., opened the game with a first-inning ground ball double. He later stole third base on the following play.
The 17-year-old native of Houston, Tx., eventually scored on a throwing error by catcher Connor Caskenette, Duncan, B.C., to give Team Green a 1-0 lead.
Team Green added another run to their lead, making it 2-0 in the third inning as a result of an RBI single by Julio Vasquez. Villalobos walked and stole second base before Vasquez hit the single to score his teammate from third.
The opposition responded with a game-tying two-run RBI single by Caskenette. Team Red’s first runs of the game were scored by Tyrese Johnson and Owen Caissie, with Howard also advancing to second on the play.
The tide shifted in favour of Team Green, who capitalized with the bases-loaded, as Gomm walked to score Arlen Peters for their third run of the game. A line-drive single by Villalobos in the following at-bat would extend Green’s lead to 5-2—scoring Russell Young and Bush Jr.
A potent fourth inning saw Team Red storm back to take a 7-5 lead. A bases-loaded walk by Caissie sparked the comeback before Jason Begin batted in an RBI single to score Johnson immediately after.
Caskenette reached base on a fielding error, which resulted in two runs by Howard and Jason Begin to break the tie.
Green pushed back and tied the game 7-apiece in the fifth with two bases-loaded walks by Kieren Look and Bush Jr. to score Carlin Dick and Dryden Howse, respectively.
It took Team Red little time to reclaim their lead as Howard reached base on a fielding error by Peters in the sixth inning. Johnson scored as a result but no further damage was made.
As the game progressed into the seventh, Green trailed 8-7 and had to score a run in order to avoid the loss. Peters smacked his first hit of the game to bring Dick home from third base as the game-tying run, which is where the score would stand.
Both teams are back in action tomorrow on Day Three of Tournament 12 action.