A third inning rally led by Bryce Arnold carried Team Orange to a 5-4 win over Team Red in Tournament 12 action on Friday.
With his team down 3-1, the 18-year-old from Grimsby, Ont., got things rolling for Orange with a single before quickly stealing second base to get into scoring position.
Oshawa, Ont., native Justin Carinci then hit a sharp ground ball to Team Red third baseman Tyler Hinrikus (Kitchener, Ont.), who misplayed it, allowing Carinci to reach base while Arnold advanced to third.
The inning came to a crescendo when Brody Alexandre (Swift Current, Sask.) and Nicholas Thibodeau (Burlington, Ont.) hit back-to-back doubles, cashing in three runs and putting Orange up 4-3 – a lead they would never relinquish.
Arnold finished the game going 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run scored. Alexandre went 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Thibodeau, Matthew Suarez (Vancouver, BC), and CJ Maury (Brampton, Ont.) added one RBI each.
Team Orange starter Jackson Fraser (Buena Vista, Sask.) ran into some trouble early on, allowing three runs through the first two innings. He settled down in the third, pitching a spotless shutout inning to preserve his team’s 4-3 lead, earning the win in the process.
Right-hander Noah Takacs (Victoria, BC) relieved Fraser in the fourth, pitching two perfect innings while striking out three.
However, it was far from smooth sailing after that. Cedric De Grandpre (St-Simon, QC) came in to pitch the sixth for Orange and walked Connor Caskenette (Duncan, BC) before allowing a single to Simon Menier (Chicoutimi, BC), putting runners on first and second.
A couple batters later, De Grandpre was called for a balk which allowed Caskenette to score from third, bringing Team Red within one at 5-4.
That was the closest they would get, though, as the game was called due to time constraints after the top of the seventh. De Grandpre was credited with the save.
Starter Brendan Wilkinson (Milton, Ont.) was saddled with the loss for Team Red, allowing five hits and four runs in three innings pitched.
Williams Camacho Soto (Burnaby, BC.) and Antony Gilbert (Quebec, QC) provided the bulk of the offence for Team Red with one RBI each in the loss. Leadoff hitter Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) collected a double and a triple while scoring one run.
The defeat handed Team Red (2-1-1) their first loss of the tournament, while Team Orange (2-0-2) finishes with an unbeaten record.