The Panthers battled hard right to the finish
The Rahnmet North Bay Panthers 9U baseball teams season has come to an end, following a loss in the semifinals at the OBA Provincials in Sault Ste. Marie this past weekend. The Panthers battled hard right to the finish, but their season ended with a 15-10 loss to host Soo Black Sox. The teams traded runs over the first three innings, until the Soo broke out with seven runs in the fourth.
The Panthers answered back by putting up four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Adrian Hosein hit a two run triple, while Jude Martel and Michael Patreau added RBI singles. Martel ended the day with a 4-4 performance with three RBIs. That four run fifth got the Panthers to within striking distance, but they couldn't close the gap further over the final two innings.
Prior to that, the Panthers went 3-1 through their preliminary games.
They opened the tournament with a rematch against Richmond Hill, whom the Panthers defeated in the finals of a tournament earlier this season. It was a tight, back and forth affair that ended with the Pheonix winning 8-5 over the Panthers.
The following day, North Bay won three straight games to qualify for the semifinals.
They began with a 10-8 win over the Mississauga Tigers. North Bay put up six runs in the first and added four more in the second for a big 9-1 lead going into the third. Mississauga chipped away all game, but the Panthers defence came through when they needed it most to keep the Tigers at bay.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers were threatening with the bases loaded and nobody out, but on back to back plays, the Panthers cut down a runner at home. The first play was a ground ball to third base, where Martel fired the ball home to Jason Pickles-Sookram for the force out. The very next batter hit the ball to second where Eli McCann fielded the ball cleanly and delivered a strike to Pickles-Sookram at the plate for another force out. The Panthers got out of the jam when Hosein snagged a line drive at short to end the inning.
Kieran Vlach went 3-3 with three RBIs in the game. Eli McCann went 2-3 including a big hit early in the game with a two-out RBI single to put North Bay ahead 3-0. Ben Laframboise had a 3-3 game as well.
The Panthers then took down the Thornhill Reds by a score of 13-5. This game was marked by tremendous defence by the Panthers as they held the Reds off the scoreboard through the first four innings and didn't allow a base runner past second base. Some of the defensive highlights included a relay throw from McCann in centre field, to Hosein at short, to Pickles-Sookram at home who caught the ball and made the tag.
Blaise Prytula was 2-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Dallas Monette-Taylor and Mason Auger each had a pair of hits, scored a run, and drove in two RBIs. Hosein hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third.
North Bay ended the day with a 16-6 victory over Midland-Penetang. Ben Laframboise, Jacob Wrixon and Monette-Taylor each had three hits and combined to drive in seven of the teams runs. Martel and Laframboise both hit two-run home runs that cleared the fence.
Head Coach Jeff McCann says, "I'm incredibly proud of this team. They improved so much since they first came together, practicing inside the dome in February. Every single one of them contributed over this past weekend and I can't wait to see how they will continue to improve as ball players."
The Panthers finish the year with a 15-5-1 tournament record, two tournament victories, and two semifinal appearances.
The Rahnmet North Bay Panthers 9U Baseball team is comprised of: Adrian Hosein, Ben Laframboise, Blaise Prytula, Dallas Monette-Taylor, Elijah McCann, Jacob Wrixon, Jason Pickles Sookram, Jude Martel, Kieran Vlach, Mason Auger, Michael Patreau and William Leggett.
