Rookie Minor (8U), 2013, Titans (Turtle Club Baseball and Softball)

In a hard fought weekend in their first travel baseball tournament in St Thomas, the Titans Rookie Minor team stepped up to the plate and delivered with a 5-0 performance to capture the Championship. The Titans went 3-0 in pool play beating Georgetown, Dorchester and the host team St Thomas.

The team then faced a very difficult challenge in the semi finals against a very talented Mississauga team. In a hard fought defensive battle, the Titans hung on to win a 9-8 thriller. In the 7^th inning, the Mississauga team was threatening to score the tying run when the runner was thrown out on his way to the plate for the final out.

In the finals, the Titans faced another very talented team from North York. The game went back and forth throughout and the Titans had a 4 run lead going into the top of the 7^th inning. The strong hitting North York team rallied in the top of the 7^th and were threatening to score the maximum of 7 runs. The Titans then stepped up their defense and held the North York team to 5 runs giving North York a one run edge going into the bottom of the 7^th inning. In the bottom of the 7^th inning, the Titans clawed back and won the Championship on an opportunistic play. The winning runner slid into 3^rd on a close play and the ball was overthrown. The winning runner then took off for home sliding in under the tag at the plate for a 20-19 win and causing a wild championship celebration. In the words of the St Thomas Tournament Director; “ In all the years we have been doing this tournament that was the most exciting Rookie Minor Championship game we have ever seen”.

Congratulations from the coaching staff. Great tournament boys!

Lasalle Titans Tournament Recap:

The Lasalle Titans Minor Rookie team continued their successful season with a 2^nd Place finish at the host Lasalle Titans Tournament on the weekend of August 9-11.  The team opened up with a convincing victory on Friday night versus the Walker Homesites Hawks.  The 2^nd game of pool play featured a preview of Round One of the OBA “AA” eliminations against the Sarnia Braves.  A very exciting see-saw battle resulted in an 11-10 Titans victory.  A loss versus Sarnia would have meant that the Titans would not have advanced to Championship Sunday.  Lasalle handed Leaside a loss to finish 3-0 in pool play, and a 2^nd place pool finish to Riverside based on tiebreak.

Sunday morning began with a dramatic 8-7 Semi-Final victory versus the “AAA” Oakville A’s.  While congratulating the boys, and wishing them luck in the finals, the Oakville coach stated: “How you boys are a AA team is beyond me, with defense like that.”   It was a testament to the lockdown play the boys showed against a very talented team.  The final game took place versus a streaking Riverside Royals team, in which the boys fell by a score of 5-2 in the finals.  All Riverside scoring took place in the first inning, but the bats unfortunately did not come alive during the game… The Titans played a great tournament, and certainly have nothing to hang their heads over.

The coaches were once again proud of the effort shown by the kids, and are looking forward to a hopeful rematch with Riverside at the upcoming Riverside tournament from August 16-18.

Congratulations boys!

The Riverside tournament opened up with a game under the lights at the Riverside Baseball Complex.  The night was a memorable one for the kids as they got to hear their names announced, and their numbers displayed on the giant scoreboard in right field.  The kids responded with a 19-2 victory versus Walker Homesites.  Day 2 of the tournament saw the Titans beating the Amherstburg and Riverside Select teams to finish with a 3-0 record, and a first place finish in pool play.

Championship Sunday had the kids opening in a semi-final matchup against the Amherstburg Cardinals, a team comprised mostly of Rookie Major players.  The Titans fought hard, but lost 8-2 to the eventual tournament champions.  This set up a Consolation Final against the Riverside Royals, as the kids looked to return the favor from the loss they had suffered the weekend before.  Riverside came out of the gates flying, and put up a convincing lead.  The Titans defense then stepped up, allowing the bats to awake from their slumber and erase 2 separate six-run deficits.  The Titans piled on runs in the sixth inning, and took the lead in the top of the seventh.  The kids dug deep for 1 final inning of lockdown defense to secure the 12-10 victory.  The Final of the tournament comprised two older Rookie Teams, and the boys survived as the highest finishing Rookie Minor team in the tournament.

Another great effort by the Titans Rookie Minor team.

The LaSalle Titans Rookie Minor AA team completed a successful season by putting the Town of LaSalle on the Ontario Baseball Association map. The team went 7-0 and completed the OBA Championship weekend with a decisive 17-2 win in the final game against a very tough team from Markham. The Titans bats were alive all weekend with production from the entire lineup. However, it was their strong consistent defense that ultimately led them to become champions.

The Titans defeated Sarnia, North London, Stouffville, Milton, Ajax and Barrie before facing Markham in the Final game. The coaching staff is extremely proud of the long journey the team traveled to get them to their final goal of becoming OBA Champions. Congratulations boys, you ALL deserved it!!!