9U Rep A Black Sox Offence Explodes at Stratford Mega Tournament

The 9U Rep A Soo Black Sox made a strong statement at their first tournament of the season, finishing with a 2-1 record at the Stratford Mega Tournament and narrowly missing Championship Sunday due to a tournament tie-breaker.

After a late start to outdoor play and only four exhibition games before tournament action, the coaching staff was excited to see how the team would perform against some of Ontario’s top competition.

“Our lineup is deep,” said Coach Tyler Belanger. “From spots 1 through 12, every player is capable of collecting extra-base hits, putting together multi-hit games, and driving in runs. The hitting work these kids put in during the off season really showed this weekend.”

Game 1: Black Sox 24, Opponent 10

The Black Sox offence came out swinging in the tournament opener, scoring 24 runs in an impressive team effort.

Player of the Game: Bo Belanger

Defensive Highlight: Isaiah Dereski unassisted double play.

Game 2: Black Sox 17, Kitchener Panthers 1

The bats stayed hot as the Black Sox rolled to a four-inning mercy-rule victory over the Kitchener Panthers.

Thomas P led the attack with three hits in three at-bats, while the Sox piled up an incredible 25 hits as a team.

Contributors throughout the lineup included Caleb L, Lochlyn M, Bodin B, Maverick H, Dax C, Averman M, Lawson K, Logan W, and Noah B.

Maverick and Bodin combined for six RBIs, while the team also turned another double play on defense.

Player of the Game: Lochlyn Moore

Defensive Highlight: Lawson K recorded an outfield double play.

Game 3: St. Thomas Cardinals 14, Black Sox 6

The marquee match up of the weekend came against the St. Thomas Cardinals, who eventually went on to win the tournament.

Despite the final score, the Black Sox actually out hit St. Thomas 25-23 and consistently put pressure on one of the strongest teams in the event.

Bodin B, Maverick H, and Thomas P each collected three hits, while Isaiah D, Caleb L, Averman M, Lochlyn M, Stanley W, Logan W, and Noah B all recorded multiple-hit games.

The turning point came in the third inning when St. Thomas scored seven runs, highlighted by a grand slam that created a gap the Sox couldn’t quite close.

“We hit the ball extremely well,” said Coach Belanger. “A lot of our hard-hit balls were right at defenders while St. Thomas found some holes. Defensively, a few more balls got through that we normally secure, and the grand slam was a dagger. But considering this was already their fourth tournament of the season, we’re very happy with where our group is. We’re excited to get to work on more defensive reps in practice and develop more ways to prevent runs. We’re right there.”

Player of the Game: Maverick Harnden

Defensive Highlight: Maverick Harnden helped turn another double play.

By The Numbers

Record: 2-1
Team Hits: 74
Double Plays Turned: 3
Mercy Rule Victory: 1
Multi-Hit Performances: Numerous throughout the lineup
Every player contributed offensively during the weekend

The coaching staff was particularly encouraged by the team’s offensive depth and ability to consistently put hard hits in play.

A Tough Tie-Breaker

Despite finishing the round robin with a 2-1 record, the Black Sox narrowly missed the semifinal round due to the tournament’s Runs Against Ratio tie-breaker (runs allowed divided by defensive innings played).

A few unusual tournament circumstances played a role:

The 17-1 mercy-rule win over Kitchener ended after four innings, reducing total defensive innings played.
The St. Thomas game ended after six innings because the score difference prevented a seventh inning from being played.

The Black Sox finished with the same number of runs allowed as Lakeshore, but Lakeshore had played one additional defensive inning during the tournament. That extra inning was enough to give them the better tie-breaker ratio and the semifinal spot.

While disappointing, the result doesn’t take away from an outstanding weekend of baseball.

The boys represented the Black Sox extremely well. They competed hard, supported one another, played with energy, and put themselves in position to play on Championship Sunday. The coaching staff is proud of the effort and excited about what lies ahead as the season continues.