13U Soo Selects Win Silver Medal at Provincial Tournament

The 13U Soo Selects had a strong performance at the House League Selects Provincial Tournament held in Ajax, Ontario this past Labour Day weekend. 

The 16-team tournament featured two “seeding games”, followed by a March-Madness style single elimination bracket to determine the provincial championship. 

The Selects started the tournament strong, with a decisive 16-2 win over the Caledon Nationals. Judah Erickson picked up 2 hits in the win, including a double. In game two, the Selects dropped a close 9-7 game against the No. 5 seeded Northumberland Jacks.

As a result, the Soo was seeded 8th out of the 16 teams heading into the elimination rounds. 

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the Selects faced off in a rematch against the No. 9 seeded Caledon Nationals. The Selects were victorious in the elimination game, winning 9-3. 

“We were able to succeed in our first elimination game due to our ability to run the bases extremely well and move our runners all game,” said assistant coach Brandon Dewar.

Quarterfinals

The Selects’ victory over Caledon earned them a trip to the quarterfinals and a matchup against the No. 1 seeded Forest Glade Falcons. The Selects had previously beat Forest Glade 5-4 in a tournament held in Windsor, Ontario, earlier this season. 

After a back-and-forth game, the Selects defeated Forest Glade by a score of 7-4. Damian Beharriell picked up the win on the mound, going 3 1/3 innings, striking out 9 batters. Left-handed pitcher Max Pritchard picked up the save in relief.

Semi-Finals

The Selects then faced the No. 4 seed Binbrook Bisons in the semi-finals. Binbrook was undefeated in their season heading into this tournament. Carter Myers, the Soo’s starting pitcher, threw 4 strong innings, while second baseman Matio Cheung added two hits. 

With the score tied 7 to 7, the game went into extra innings. 

Luca D’Ulisse, pitching in relief for the Soo, shut down the Binbrook hitters in extra innings, striking out 2 batters. Then, in the bottom half of the inning, D’Ulisse cashed in the game-winning RBI with a walk-off base hit. This 8-7 win earned the Soo Selects a trip to the championship finals.

“Our team brought an aggressive approach at the plate,” saidDewar. “Our ability to reach the finals was due to our team’s depth.”

Finals

The Championship game pitted the Soo Selects against Saugeen Shores. In a nail-biting game, which featured six lead changes, the Soo ultimately lost 9-8. As a result, the Soo finished the provincial tournament with a second-place finish, and a silver medal. 

The Soo’s starting pitcher Sam Cripps threw 4 solid innings in the final match, striking out 5 batters. Cripps also went 3 for 3 at the plate. 

“Our hitting was our strength throughout the tournament, as was our pitching depth. All 11 players took the mound,” said Soohead coach Pat Henderson. 

When asked how he felt about coming so close to winning the provincial tournament, Henderson had this to say: 

“I am so happy with the effort and result. The players played great and this team’s success could not have happened without the commitment of the parents, sponsors, and assistant coaches.”

“The growth of these players was incredible,” added Dewar.“Each position group matured over the season. Special thanks to our catcher’s group.”

Damian Beharriell and Luca D’Ulisse led the Soo hitters throughout the weekend, both picking up an impressive 14 hits each over the 6 games played. 

The Soo Selects ended their season with an 11-9 record. Their silver medal marks the first time a Soo House League Select team has medalled at the Provincial tournament.