11U Rep A take 2nd at Provincials!

The 11U Black Sox hosted the Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) Rep A Provincial Championships over the Labour Day weekend at Sinclair Yards, welcoming 11 teams from all over the province to Sault Ste. Marie. This was the first year that the team participated in the highly competitive Rep A division.

The weather was great, the ice cream was cold, and the baseball was impressive. The Sox opened the tournament with a strong win against the Burlington Bulls with a score of 9-1 with 12 hits in the game. Thomas Hirvi, Reece hunter, Lucs Farand, and Oliver Holtom each collected two hits, as Reece Hunter and Lucas Farand each drove in two runs. Thomas Hirvi earned the win with strong catching efforts by Jax Palahnuk. Player of the Game was awarded to Lenny Horton.

In the second game of the day, the Sox came out swinging against the Barrie Baycats scoring 4 runs in the first inning and 3 in the third inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead after four innings. Reid Entwistle and Thomas Hirvi both had three hits in the win, while Reece Hunter earned the win for the Sox with 5 strikeouts.  Player of the Game was awarded to Reid Entwistle. 

The first day ended with an opening ceremonies presentation on IDA park at Sinclair fields with the Colour guard leading in the teams, and speakers including Mike Lebel, President of the Soo Minor Baseball Association (SMBA), welcoming all the teams to Sault Ste. Marie and wishing them luck.

With the two wins, the Sox (2-0) clinched the bye to the second game of the day on Saturday, matching up against the 3-0 Royal York Cardinals.  Great defense by both teams kept the score to 2-1 heading into the third inning. The Sox broke open the scoring in the third with 3 runs, and 5 in the fourth inning, bringing the score to 10-3 after 4 innings. Jax Palahnuk collected 3 hits, had an RBI, and earned the win for the Sox with a score of 15-5 after 6 innings.  Oliver Holtom and Mason DiDonato had RBIs in the contest, while Theo Rome also collected 3 hits in the victory. Strong catching efforts were made by Lucas Farand and Jacob Schonauer. The Player of the Game was awarded to Jax Palahnuk.

Championship Sunday would begin with a game against the Mississauga Majors (2-1). Landon Morley got the scoring started in the first inning with a single to put the Sox on the board first, as the next runs would come in the third inning. The Sox contributed 13 hits in the game to beat Mississauga by a score of 11-1 after 6 innings. Thomas Hirvi, Reece Hunter, Landon Morley and Reid Entwistle each collected two hits for the Sox, while driving in multiple runs. Reece Hunter earned the win at the mound and was awarded the Player of the Game.

Next the Sox (4-0) would face the Royal York Cardinals (3-1) for the second time, and it was Thomas Hirvi who opened the scoring in the first with a single. Like the last game, the next runs would come in the third inning, but it was Royal York who got on the board bringing the score to 3-1 after three. The Sox would answer back with 1 run in the fourth and fifth inning, tying the game at 3 after five innings, and scoring 4 runs in the sixth inning. Royal York would battle back to score 4 as well, tying the game once again as it entered the seventh inning. The Sox did not get on the board in the inning, and with Royal York at their last bats, they scored on a walk off double that left the Sox on the wrong end of the 7-9 defeat. The Sox collected 14 hits led by Lucas Farand with three hits, and Reece Hunter, Jax Palahnuk, and Mason DiDonato each collected multiple hits. Thomas Hirivi had eight strikeouts at the mound, while Reece Hunter was awarded the Player of the Game. 

Heading into the last game of the championships, both teams left if all on the field as they battled for the championship with 4-1 records, only losing to one another thus far. It was their third match up in 24 hours, and Royal York came out swinging as they would score 7 runs in the first three innings while holding the Sox to zero. The Sox would get one on the board in the third inning, and Royal York answered back with one run. Down 7-1 heading into the fourth inning, the Sox played great defense as they held Royal York to no runs in the fourth and fifth while scoring 3 runs. Royal York once again had big bats as they matched the 3 runs, as the Sox entered the bottom of the sixth inning down 10-4. The Sox found their bats as they scored the max 4 runs to narrow the score to a 10-8 deficit from the 7-1 deficit. Unfortunately, they could not quite erase the 7-run deficit as neither team were able to score in the seventh inning and the Cardinals would defeat the Sox 10-8 after 7 innings. The Sox tallied 12 hits in the game with Reece Hunter, Jax Palahnuk, Landon Morley, Jacob Schonauer, and Oliver Holtom all with multiple hits, as Reece Hunter and Connor Gaines each drove in two runs. 

It was not the ending the Sox hoped for, but the 11U’s are the OBA Rep A provincial finalists representing Sault Ste. Marie with great pride!

The coaches, parents, and players would also like to acknowledge their sponsors who have helped them on their journey to the provincials this season: 

RBI, Sammy backpacks/Roy Graham Trucking, Rome's YIG, Steel speed, C&L Security, Trimount

Winmar, Floreani, O'Toole and Dool Orthodontists, Napa Auto - Reyco Auto Supply, Revive Integrative Health, Huckson's Waterworks Ltd, Classic Auto, United Steelworkers Local 8748, Avery construction, Superior Gardener, and Unifor Local 1359.  Thank you and we appreciate you!!

Thank you to the City of Sault Ste. Marie Tourism, SMBA, Holy Cows Canteen, Rome’s YIG, SMBA umpires and volunteers for all their efforts in making the weekend so memorable and enjoyable for all the participants.

See you next season as the 11Us will host the OBA Championships again in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

Roster: Mason DiDonato, Lenny Horton, Jax Palahnuk, Theo Rome, Reid Entwistle, Connor Gaines, Jacob Schoenauer, Reece Hunter, Lucas Farand, Thomas Hirvi, Landon Morley, Oliver Holtom 

Bat Boy: Andrew Hirvi 

Coaches: Ryan Palahnuk, Brad Entwistle, Chris Rome, Tom Farand, Jay Hunter