Sports
August 28, 2008 10:11 PM
Quirky rule hands title to Thornhill midget team
John Cudmore
An old baseball truth equates a bloop hit with a line drive when it appears in the next morning’s boxscore.
In the final analysis, it’s all about the bottom line.
The Thornhill Reds midget baseball team can relate.
The Reds claimed the Baseball Ontario double-A championship in a bizarre ending Sunday, outlasting the field in a 12-team, double-knockout tournament in Vaughan.
The Niagara Falls Falcons had already pushed across two runs for a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning of the title game and were threatening for more when a player ejection prevented the team from being able to field nine players for the bottom of the seventh inning to complete the game.
Thornhill was awarded a 7-0 victory.
To recap: With one out and the bases loaded, an attempted squeeze play resulted in a play at the plate in which the Niagara Falls runner from third base crashed into Reds’ catcher Blake Enzel.
In addition to the out, Baseball Ontario rules call for an ejection when a baserunner crashes into a defensive player.
Having already substituted all its players into the game, the Falcons had no players remaining on the bench.
The means to the outcome did not faze Thornhill head coach Jason Booth, a coach at the U.S. college and Intercounty level, who claims he has never witnessed such a finish in a championship game.
“There are two ways to look at it,” said Booth, whose team finished with a 44-15-1 overall record this season. “One, a championship is a championship. And, the player should have slid.
“I’m proud for everything these guys did. They worked hard all year. I demand a lot out of them and they did it.”
The Reds’ lone loss prior to the final was a 6-0 defeat Saturday night at the hands of the Falcons.
Thornhill brushed themselves off then rode a 5-0 shutout from Jason Rubenstein against the Sarnia Braves to a rematch with unbeaten Niagara Falls.
Kyle McKay threw six shutout innings to a 5-0 victory to set the stage for a winner-take-all showdown.
“No one wanted to win that way,” assistant coach David Caine said. “No one can ever take away a championship, but still, it will always be in the back of your mind.”
For several members of the Reds’ squad, the victory marked a repeat of the Baseball Ontario title they won in 2007 at the minor midget level.
“Hopefully, this is the start of a dynasty for Thornhill baseball,” said Booth.
Booth will have a rare opportunity to go for a double when the Thornhill minor midget team he coaches hosts the minor midget double-A championships at Concord Regional Park and Bishops Cross Park starting Friday afternoon.
Thornhill is slated to face Sudbury in its 4 p.m. opener at Concord. Finals are slated for Sunday afternoon.