Russell Young was the difference for Saturday’s Tournament 12 action as Team Roberto beat Team Sandy 6-1 in the final game of the week-long scouting combine.
In a game with the best of the best, only Team Roberto had success generating offence, getting on base often and being aggressive when there.
The bottom of the third saw Bryce Arnold, of Grimsby Ont., hit a deep shot that sailed over the left fielder’s head. The ball went all the way to the wall allowing Arnold to get to third.
Arnold would come home on an Owen Caissie line drive to get the scoring started as Team Roberto led 1-0.
Team Sandy’s starting pitcher Theo Millas, of Burnaby B.C., was cruising early, with three strikeouts through the second inning and dominant velocity on his fastball, hitting 89 several times.
He ended his day with four strikeouts through two innings, no runs allowed, one of the few positives from Team Sandy on the afternoon.
Team Sandy’s Maddux Mateychuk, of Dominion City, Man., was hitting 90 miles per hour on his four seamer relying on it heavily in the third inning, he would play the single inning and strike out one.
One run scored while Mateychuk was on the mound, but was due to an attempt by catcher Connor Caskagnette to nab a runner stealing third, that went awry.
Tyson Gomm added to the rally after a wild pitch from Mateychuck, giving Team Roberto the lead once again at 2-1.
Cal Zeigler, of Heidelberg, Ont., came on in the forth to continue the steak of fastball pitchers from Team Roberto, hitting as high as 93 on his fastball, stumping the four batters he faced.
Bases were loaded for Team Roberto in the fifth after Drew Howard walked two in a row.
Young, of Surrey, B.C., got a curveball low centre in the strike zone and was able to capitalize, driving in all three runners on a line drive to centre field boosting Team Roberto’s lead to 5-1.
Team Roberto would add one more in the sixth inning and it would stay that way.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, the catchers of Team Roberto, and Team Sandy, were inadvertently reversed. The Observer apologizes.