By Braden Morrison

TORONTO, Ont. – Ben Paul (Ottawa, Ont.) played hero for Team New Blue on Tuesday, knocking in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth to lead his team to a 6-1 win over Team Red in the opening game of the 11th annual Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre.

Shortstop Cohen Miller (Calgary, Alta.) set the tone for Team New Blue offensively, going three-for-four with two RBIs and a run scored to take home Player of the Game honours.

"It was the first game, pitchers are eager to throw a first-pitch fastball and try and get it by you, so I was just geared up trying to catch a fastball up front and I managed to do that a couple of times," Miller said after the game.

Team New Blue's pitchers were the big story, however, as Max Nantais-Vlahovich (Port Credit, Ont.), Tyler McWhinnie (Nanaimo, B.C.) and Oscar Leah (Maple Ridge, B.C.) combined for 12 strikeouts over seven innings of two-hit ball.

Starter Nantais-Vlahovich pitched three innings of two-hit ball, allowing one earned run and striking out five. The relievers would follow suit, going four scoreless innings of no-hit ball with McWhinnie flashing some nasty off-speed stuff and fanning three batters to pick up the win. Leah struck out four in two innings of work to earn the save.

Team Red starter Julian Sabourin (Ancaster, Ont.), committed to Oregon State University, finished the night pitching three innings of two-hit ball with one earned run, two walks and a strikeout.

Miller got Team New Blue on the board in the bottom of the second, scoring the opening run off an error by Team Red first baseman Cam Gerla (Calgary, Alta.). The Webber Wildcats product is aiming to build off his performance Tuesday in hopes of catching the attention of the college and pro scouts in attendance.

“Just keep putting up games like that,” said Miller post-game. “Just try to stay consistent and put the bat on the ball, make the easy play and just try not to do too much.”

Team Red would answer back in the top of the third as left-fielder Rogan Rivard (Bonnyville, Alta.) hit a leadoff triple to right. Third baseman Matthew Kolodziej (Oakville, Ont.) would get an RBI groundout to score Rivard, tying the game 1-1.

Pitching was the pivotal difference in this game, as Team Red struggled with control walking seven batters and hitting four. Reliever Lukas McDowell (Kingston, Ont.), a 6-foot-8 University of North Florida commit, would take the loss, allowing two hits and one earned run while walking two and hitting another two batters over three innings.

It looked like McDowell was going to escape the fifth inning unscathed until Paul squared one up for an RBI double, scoring Louis-Charles Larouche (Okotoks, AB) to put New Blue up 2-1 .

Team New Blue would pile on in the bottom of the seventh, adding four runs against Team Red reliever Jasper Bakker (Port Perry, Ont.), who had a rough outing in a game he was not scheduled to pitch in.

By Faraz Hashmi

TORONTO - An inside the park home run by William Henderson (Mississauga, Ont.) guided Team Royal to a comfortable 9-1 victory over Team Navy at the 2025 Canadian Futures Showcase Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

Henderson was named player of the game after going 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs and a stolen base.

“I kind of saw in the gap, centre field wasn't really getting there, so I just kind of started running hard, then I saw him dive, and I was like, 'yeah, I'm scoring,'” Henderson said about his inside the park homer after the game.

Starting pitcher Damarcus Rideout-Carter (Brampton, Ont.) also shined for Team Royal, pitching three innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts and two walks.

Finn Hoeschen (North Vancouver, B.C.), Jalen Jacob (Maple, Ont.), Gabriel Larocque (Azilda, Ont.) and Jayden Kane (Fort McMurray, Alta.) all had an RBI single apiece for Team Royal.

Kadyn Armitage (Surrey, B.C.) was also a standout for Team Royal, making a jumping snag on a hard-hit liner and beating the runner on second back to the bag to turn an unassisted double play in the fourth. He also added a run scored with two stolen bases.

Team Navy starting pitcher Calum Andersen (Calgary, Alta.) finished his night with four strikeouts over three innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks.

Team Royal built an early lead and never looked back.

In the first inning, Jacob drove in Armitage with an RBI single to open the scoring. In the third, Royal extended the lead to 2–0 when left fielder Hoeschen lifted a sacrifice fly that brought home Henderson.

Royal added to its cushion in the fifth. With Ramsey Chung (Mississauga, Ont.) on second after a sacrifice bunt, he later scored on a wild pitch from Navy’s Finn McLean (Ottawa, Ont.) to make it 3–0. Another wild pitch in the sixth by Navy reliever Nicolas Siegenthaler (Vancouver, B.C.) allowed Kane to score the fourth run.

The big blow came later in the sixth when Henderson ripped an inside-the-park home run, bringing in himself, Brault and Chung for a 7–1 advantage. In the seventh, Larocque doubled to score Hoeschen, and Kane followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 9–1.

Navy’s only run came in the fifth. Theo Lima (Whitby, Ont.) singled to left, scoring Gabe Fink (Edmonton, Alta.).

By Liam LaChapelle-Yonson

TORONTO - Logan Cummins (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched three scoreless frames with five strikeouts in a dominant performance that led Team Grey to a 6-3 victory over New Team Blue in the third game of the 11th annual Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase.

The Ontario Giants pitcher was the player of the game and looked stellar over his three frames that saw him strike out nearly half the batters he faced while only giving up two base runners on a hit and a walk.

“I felt comfortable with my change-up and more of my off-speed,” said Cummins, post game. “I did not have my best velo, but I did not walk that many batters and I think I did really well.”

Team Grey opened the scoring in the top of the third after a bases loaded throwing error by infielder Robert Omidi (Mississauga, Ont.) that allowed Carter Bestebroer (Chilliwack, B.C.) to reach safely and scored Joey Khananisho (Kleinberg, Ont.) and Drazic Charbonneau (Montreal).

A sacrifice fly by Dayne Liske (Drayton Valley, Alta.) brought in Evan Mabey (Stratford, P.E.I.) to make 3-0.

Team New Blue catcher Aiden Kilshaw (Saskatoon) mashed a triple to right field at the start of the fifth inning. Cohen Miller (Calgary) scored the catcher with a sac-fly RBI for 3-1.

Team Grey’s Evan Walker (Ajax, Ont.) singled home Khananisho in the bottom half for 4-1, before New Blue set off to make a game of it in the top of the sixth.

A Quincy Jenkins (St. Albert, Alta.) single scored Jose Gelinas, leaving the bases loaded behind pitcher Nick Halcovitch (Waterdown, Ont.). Alex Kuypers (Bethany, Ont.) was walked to score Hayden Payne (Brockville, Ont.).

The inning ended when, as tournament rules dictate, Halcovitch reached his pitch limit.

Team Grey added two runs in the sixth, on a Quinn Carson (Oakville, Ont.) double. The outfielder would later come home on a wild pitch.

Michael Ham (Aylmer, Ont.) pitched three strong inning for Team New Blue, going two shutout innings on three strikeouts and one walk.

Reliever Zach Duke (Burlington, Ont.) of the Ontario Royals came in for Ham and gave up three runs, all un-earned with two errors, and two walks over two innings. He struck out two.

By Michael Vavaroutsos

TORONTO – Connor Simpson’s (Victoria, B.C.) solo bomb to left field in the top of the fifth helped lead Team Black to a 4-1 victory against Team Royal on day two of the Blue Jays Canadian Futures Tournament, Wednesday at the Rogers Centre.

The Victoria Premier Eagles catcher was named player of the game, finishing with a hit, two runs, and an RBI. He was the first player to put one over the fence in the wood bat tournament.

“To hit a home run at the Rogers Centre feels amazing,” Simpson said, after the game. “I don’t hit many home runs, so hitting one here is a great place to do it.”

Simpson smashed this one 368 feet into what is normally the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen, with an exit velocity of 97.9 miles per hour. He says that this was the longest home run of his career.

“He was throwing his fastball pretty out, so I had a feeling he was gonna go in on me because he was doing that to others before,” said the catcher, of Royal hurler Mitchell Rauckman (Saskatoon, who plays for the Going Yard Academy). “I was just sitting on a fastball, and then I got my pitch.”

Christian Iriotakis (Toronto, Ont.) got the scoring started for Team Black in the top of the third, hitting a single to bring in Simpson who reached base on a lead-off walk.

Team Royal quickly tied things up in the bottom-half, following an errant throw by Simpson to first base. Quinn Lightfoot (Caledon, Ont.), who was busy all day in right field and made two spectacular throws, went on to score from second on the play.

After Team Black regained the lead in the top of the fifth, Madden Peters (Lantzville, B.C.) drove in another run, singling on a line drive to right field which scored Austin Blair (Victoria, B.C.). Team Black was now up 3-1.

Rhys Whiteford (Duncan, B.C.) added another insurance run for Team Black, stealing home on a delay, after University of Miami commit Easton Kitura (Vauxhall, Alta.) broke for second base.

Team Black starting pitcher Cole Dorland (Langley, B.C.) was solid through three innings, walking four and striking out two on one hit. Logan Forgie (Ottawa, Ont.) earned the win in this one, while Aidan MacLellan (Milton, Ont.) picked up the save.

On the other side, starting pitcher Desmond Tregaskis (Tsawwassen B.C.) allowed two hits and three walks through three innings. He struck out three.

His team's bullpen, which consisted of Rauckman, and Connor Brown (Oakville, Ont), which would go on to allow three earned runs, four hits, and five walks.

First baseman Zach Macdonald (Lacombe, Alta.), pitched in the final inning, putting away all three batters that he faced.

By Ethan Gabor

TORONTO -- Mathis Duranleau’s three-run shot headlined a five-run sixth inning as Team Red defeated Team Navy 11-5 in the 2025 Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre on Wednesday.

The right-fielder from Montreal, Que., smashed a fastball 358 feet with an exit velocity of 99 miles per hour that landed in the left-field bullpen, scoring third-baseman Caine Fahrni (Vancouver) and second-baseman Jack Ward (Paris, Ont.), earning him player of the game honours.

“It feels amazing, for real,” said Duranleau. “I can say to everybody I got a home run at a big-league stadium. It’s a really good feeling.”

That was the only hit of the day for the 17-year-old, who has yet to announce a college commitment, leaving him with a slash line of 1-for-3 with three RBIs.

“I was just looking forward to getting a base hit, putting the ball in play, and getting a good barrel,” said Duranleau of his approach at the plate. “I didn’t think of going deep like that, but I just had a great feeling.”

Shortstop Elliot Lascelles (Toronto), left-fielder Daniel Dykema (North Vancouver, B.C.), and Fahrni also had big days for Team Red. They each recorded two hits and an RBI in the high-scoring victory.

Raphael Besançon’s (Boucherville, Que.) two-run single was the biggest moment of the day for Team Navy. The line drive down the right-field line brought home left fielder Theo Lima (Whitby, Ont.) and shortstop Lincoln Rose (Peterborough, Ont.), who both reached base on back-to-back RBI doubles earlier in the inning.

Rose and first baseman Ben Laughlin (Ottawa, Ont.) picked up one RBI each in the defeat for Team Navy.

Left-hander Aaron Monterroza (Brantford, Ont.) started the day on the mound for Team Red. He went three innings, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks with one hit batter and four strikeouts.

Cameron Tully (Mississauga, Ont.) threw two scoreless frames in relief, while Richard Marshall (Whitby, Ont.) allowed two runs as he closed it out for Team Red.

Team Navy starter Gabe Fink (Edmonton, Alta.) went three innings, giving up three runs on a trio of hits and three walks, with one hit batter. The 16-year-old also recorded two strikeouts.

Cason Burton (Brandon, Man.) notched three strikeouts in two frames of one-hit baseball in relief. Deven Simonovic (Victoria, B.C.) allowed eight runs on five hits and two walks to close out the game.

By Tomas Morgan

TORONTO - Sean Duncan (Port Coquitlam, B.C) lived up to his billing as the No. 1-ranked Canadian prospect for the 2026 MLB draft, leading Team Royal to a 7-0 shutout over Team New Blue in the 11th annual Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre on Wednesday.

The Vanderbilt University commit threw 20 pitches over two innings – including a seven-pitch first inning – and struck out three batters. Duncan hit 95 m.p.h. with his fastball and fooled his opponents with his fastball, slider and change-up arsenal.

“The fastball was working. I’ve never [hit 95 m.p.h.] before,” Duncan said after earning player of the game honours.

“Everything was working, change-up was good, slider was good, I was just trying to attack the zone like I always do. Get ahead of the hitters, and that’s what I did, felt really good.”

Duncan is no stranger to the bright lights at Rogers Centre.

“It’s always great, this is my fourth year in a row doing it. Every time we play here, it’s really special,” he said. “It’s one of my favourite events I do every year, and it gets better and better every year.”

Duncan’s teammate, William Henderson (Mississauga, Ont.), hit a two-RBI single in the top of the third to spark Team Royal’s offence. Henderson finished the night one-for-three with a single, two RBIs, a walk and a fly out.

“It felt amazing, great pitcher on the other side,” Henderson said after the game.

“Got up 3-1, was looking fastball, and he hung me a slider, got it off the end, but got through the third base shortstop hole. Felt awesome, got our team some points,” he said.

The Fieldhouse Pirates outfielder also had a crucial fifth inning steal that scored Quinn Lightfoot (Caledon, Ont.) on the unsuccessful pick off attempt from catcher Josue Gelinas (Trois-Rivieres, Que.) to extend the lead to 4-0.

“It’s everything to me. It’s why I’m a baseball player. I love running. Hitting is obviously great, but when I can get on the bases, it’s everything for me, it’s my game,” he said.

Henderson will look to continue his momentum into the third day of the tournament and is ready to earn his spot in the championship game.

“Ready, I want it. I wanna be here, I want it,” he said.

Team Royal pitcher Adrian Krupka (Toronto) also had an impressive two innings, going six up, six down in just 17 pitches. It took four pitches to retire three batters and turn over the fourth frame.

In the fifth frame, Kason Siguenza (Abbotsford, B.C.) continued to pile on, as he tripled into the right centre gap, scoring Kadyn Armitage (Surrey, B.C.) to make it 5-0.

Team Royal’s third pitcher, Xavier-Raphael Brault (Blainville, Que.), was also impressive in relief. Brault struck out five in his two innings and allowed two doubles, but stranded both baserunners.

The final frame saw Royal add two more runs via an RBI single, cashed by Jalen Jacob (Maple, Ont.) and a wild pitch walk to Jayden Kane (Fort McMurray, Alta.). Ramsey Chung (Mississauga, Ont.) made quick work in the seventh inning, utilising four pitches to get all three outs.

By Adam Iannetta

TORONTO - Jack Perry (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched a stellar three innings for Team Grey on Wednesday night in a 6-0 win over Team Black in the Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre.

Perry recorded four strikeouts and allowed zero runs, earning him the Player of the Game honours.

“Being able to grow up here, recognize this is where I want to be in my future, and to have it realized earlier than I expected … It feels great,” Perry said, after the game.

Team Grey’s pitching was solid throughout all seven innings. Caleb Dupuis (Georgetown, Ont.) and Dylan De Meyer (Abbotsford, B.C.) did not allow a hit, sealing the shutout.

Lefty Mathis McKenna (Rigaud, Que.) started for Team Black, going three innings on a trio of hits, two earned runs and three strikeouts. Hayden Robbins (Comox, B.C.) contributed two strong innings in relief, with a strikeout and walk, and Ryler Staarup (Medicine Hat, Alta.) finished up with two innings.

Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer, Alta.) was Team Grey’s biggest offensive threat, contributing two RBIs, including a double in the sixth that extended the lead to 5-0.

Team Grey recorded the first hit of the contest in the top of the second when Quinn Carson (Oakville, Ont.) singled to left field. Carson went on to steal second base.

Shortly after, Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, a wild throw allowed him to advance to second and Carson to third. Team Grey were unable to take advantage as Sean Bradley (Toronto, Ont.) popped out in foul territory with two down, leaving runners stranded on base.

Team Black’s Luke Laird (Langley, B.C.) tripled to right field with two outs. Connor Simpson (Victoria, B.C.) then lined out to end the inning.

Joey Khananisho (Kleinburg, Ont.) and Carter Bestebroer (Chilliwack, B.C.) recorded back-to-back singles for Team Grey to start the third inning. A wild pitch resulted in Khananisho coming home to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Later in the third frame, Team Grey made it 2-0 when on Bestebroer’s attempt to steal third base, a throwing error by catcher Kyle Duda (Keene, Ont.) allowed Bestebroer to score.

Team Black looked to respond in the bottom of the third. With Christian Caminero (Mississauga, Ont.) on second, Christian Iriotakis (Toronto, Ont.) singled to right field but Caminero was ruled out at home plate.

Team Grey found its offence again in the sixth inning. A fielding error by Sam Ellis (La Pêche, Que.) allowed Aidan Vivaldi (Oakville, Ont.) to score from first and extend the lead to 3-0.

Later in the sixth, Rodriguez hit an RBI double, bringing in Jamie Moore (Komoka, Ont.) and Drazic Charbonneau (Montreal, Que.). Rodriguez was called out at third which ended the inning. Team Grey had a commanding 5-0 lead after six frames.

Team Grey would add a final run in the seventh inning after four walks.

By Michael Coyle

TORONTO - Quinn Lightfoot (Caledon, Ont.) delivered an impressive four-hit performance Thursday to lead Team Royal to a 6-1 win over Team Navy, to open day three of the 11th annual Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase, at Rogers Centre.

Lightfoot, who was named player of the game, drove in four runs and scored two, capping off his day with a three-run, 375-foot home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh. The outfielder finished a triple shy of the cycle in the victory.

“Hitting a home run at a big-league park is a feeling you can’t even describe,” said Lightfoot after the game. “You always dream about it the night before.”

The speedy Lightfoot continued to wreak havoc on the base paths, stealing two more bases to bring his tournament total to four.

“Picking up their tendencies, what they tend to throw in different counts and using that to your advantage,” said the Caledon native.

Graham Thiessen (Stanley, Man.) started for Team Royal and picked up the win, throwing three perfect innings while striking out seven. The right-hander needed only 33 pitches to get through his three frames.

“I just wanted to get ahead and throw strikes early,” said Thiessen, post-game.

Relievers Evan Wallace (Oakville, Ont.) and Matthew McAdam (North Vancouver B.C.) picked up where Thiessen left off, combining to throw four innings of one run ball, allowing a hit, a walk, and striking out three.

First baseman Zach MacDonald (Lacombe, Alta.) recorded two hits and drove in one run in the win, opening the game’s scoring with a single to right field in the second inning, scoring Connor Comeau (Austin, Texas).

Korbin Greaves (Ajax, Ont.) started for Team Navy and was charged with the loss going three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits. The left-hander walked one and struck out five.

Reliever Cooper Doan (St. Thomas, Ont.) followed Greaves, throwing two shutout innings, fanning a pair.

Tyson Dyck (Calgary, Alta.) finished off the final two innings for Team Navy and was charged with four runs, three earned on three hits and four walks. Dyck recorded three strikeouts over his two frames.

By Alessandro De Capua

TORONTO - Luke Laird’s dominant performance helped Team Black to beat Team Red 10-7 in Game 9 of the 2025 Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase, at Rogers Centre on Thursday.

The 16-year-old shortstop from Langley, B.C. put together a spectacular day, going 2 for 4 at the plate, drawing a walk, driving in a run, and coming home twice.

“Honestly, it’s amazing,” Laird said, post-game, of the experience at the dome. “It's just not something you get to do often. I'm just thankful I got to do it, and I've been here three times.”

With a change this year from an all-star game on the final day, to a championship tilt featuring the top-two sides in the week, there is more on the line. Team Black improved to 2-1, one game to play.

“Me and my team are playing to win,” said the shortstop “We want to be in the championship game and we want to beat all the teams.”

Team Black jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first.

Noah Arkell (Mississauga, Ont.) scored on Laird’s RBI single, then a throwing error by third baseman Zij Mina (Wasaga Beach, Ont.) allowed Kyle Duda (Keene, Ont) to cross the plate and move the runners up.

Laird later came home on a sacrifice fly from Christian Iriotakis (Toronto), giving Black a 3-0 advantage.

Team Red’s reaction came in the bottom of the first, when Caine Fahrni (Vancouver) followed with an RBI single that brought home Cam Gerla, to cut Team Black’s lead to 3-2.

In the top of the fifth, Team Black’s Easton Kitura (Vauxhall, Alta.) knocked in Rhys Whiteford (Duncan, B.C.) with an RBI single, then Ben Bradley (Oakville, Ont.) followed with a two-run single to score Laird and Kitura, for a 4-2 lead.

Noah McIntosh (Dartmouth, N.S.) added another RBI base hit, bringing home Austin Blair (Victoria, B.C.) to push Black’s lead to 8-3.

Team Red tried a huge comeback in the bottom of the sixth. Lucas Wheeler (Surrey, B.C.) reached on a throwing error, and pinch-hitter Daniel Dykema (North Vancouver) doubled.

Mina’s single and Maxim Blain’s (Repentigny, Que.) sac fly brought in two more runs, followed by Roen Douglas (Petrolia, Ont.) and Mathis Duranleau (Montreal) each driving in a run, cutting Black’s lead to 8–7.

Team Black responded quickly. Kitura was hit by a pitch and later scored on a combination of a wild pitch and a throwing error, while Christian Caminero (Mississauga) also advanced and scored on a sac fly by McIntosh, closing the game.

By Michael Vavaroutsos

TORONTO – Team Navy shocked the undefeated Team Grey with a 2-2 tie in their final game of the 2025 Canadian Futures Showcase Thursday at Rogers Centre.

This was the young squad’s closest game in the entire tournament, having lost their first three games by a total of 19 runs. Unlike the other teams, Team Navy’s roster is mainly filled with players born from 2009 to 2010, while the other teams consist of players born from 2007 to 2008.

It was the pitching that starred for Team Navy in this game, as starting pitcher Josh Mills (Leduc, Alta.) led the way with six strikeouts across three innings, allowing two hits and a walk.

“I know all these guys are good, I knew I had to come out and compete, and that’s what I did,” Mills said after the game. “I tried to get ahead in counts, and the strikeouts came with battling through it.”

The bullpen also stepped up, with reliever Brydon White (Surrey, B.C.) allowing no hits through two innings, and closer Brett Crowley (Peterborough, Ont.) picking up a strikeout, two earned runs, and two hits in the final two innings. However, this was not enough to help pick up the win.

“Obviously we didn’t have the best outing, but everyone here wanted to win,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s not what we did, but looking into next year, I want to come here and I want to win.”

Despite not picking up the win, Team Grey remains undefeated heading into their last game against Team Red with two wins and a tie.

The scoring got started in the bottom of the third, with Team Navy taking their first lead of the entire tournament after Mattias Jimenez (London, Ont.) grounded into a double play, scoring Lincoln Rose (Peterborough, Ont.), who reached base on a double then advanced to third.

Just one inning later, their lead advanced to two as Korbin Greaves (Ajax, Ont.) stole home after catching Missouri State commit and catcher Sean Bradley (Toronto, Ont.) sleeping on the play.

Team Grey would tie the game at two apiece after Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer, Alta.) brought in two runners off a single to centre field, scoring Evan Walker (Ajax, Ont.) and Jamie Moore (Komoka, Ont.) to tie the game at two apiece.

The pitching from Team Grey helped keep the game tied, with key performances from Matthew Tran (Regina, Sask.) and Zachary Landreville (Montreal, Que.), who combined for nine strikeouts, three hits and one earned run across four innings of play.

Starting pitcher Wes O’Connor (Oakville, Ont.) finished the game allowing one earned run and two hits, striking out two.

By Braden Morrison

TORONTO, ON – Charlie Firth (Ottawa, Ont.) dominated in Team New Blue’s 8-4 win over Team Black in the Canadian Futures Showcase Thursday at Rogers Centre.

The Bryant University commit threw three scoreless innings, stranding two hits and two walks while striking out seven. The New Blue starter was somewhat critical of his performance after the game but highlighted the versatility of his pitching arsenal.

“The velo wasn’t there from where I usually am, but all my off-speed pitches were really working today,” Firth said after the game. “[I] really worked the sweeper, which I’ve really been working on this off-season, the change-up as well, and the cutter to freeze guys.”

Team Black’s pitchers struggled to hit the strike zone, giving up 16 free passes in the contest. Starter Austin Blair (Victoria, B.C.) had the brunt of them, issuing half the team’s walks. The Victoria Eagles product ended the night allowing two hits, four earned runs and issuing eight walks over three innings. He would rack up one strikeout and managed to get out of a no outs bases-loaded jam in the second inning to hang his hat on.

Hits were at a premium for Team New Blue as the two they registered in the first inning were their only hits of the night. Team Black had seven more hits yet still lost the game.

Team New Blue got off to a hot start with Lucas St-Laurent (Ascot Corner, Que.) hitting a leadoff single to centre. The Academy Baseball Canada product would advance to third on back-to-back wild pitches by Blair.

Ben Paul (Ottawa, Ont.) then walked before Alex Kuypers (Bethany, Ont.) smashed a double to left to score both St-Laurent and Paul.

Blair issued three straight free passes to start the second but managed to escape unscathed, retiring the next three batters in order without conceding a run.

The walks piled up again for Blair in the third, as he once again loaded the bases. This time he wouldn’t be let off the hook as Broady McCready (Brantford, Ont.) hit a sacrifice fly to cash in Kuypers.

A wild pitch from Blair would bring home his fourth charged run as Louis-Charles Larouche (Okotoks, Alta.) made it 4-0 for Team New Blue. The inning would end on a walk that pushed Blair over his pitch limit restriction, as the righty eclipsed 80 pitches.

Infielder Madden Peters (Lantzville, B.C.) would knock in Team Black’s first run, scoring Luke Laird (Langley, B.C.) on a single through the right side. They would add another run in the inning to cut the lead in half going into the sixth.

Team New Blue put things out of reach in the sixth, loading the bases twice and bringing home two runs to extend the lead to 6-2 before the inning was ended after Team Black pitcher Matthew Neufeld (Kingsville, Ont.) reached the pitch limit restriction.

Team Black hung around and scored two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth, courtesy a pair of RBI singles from Sam Ellis (La Pêche, Que.) and Laird.

Laird was the main driver on offence for Team Black as he went 3-for-3 on the evening with a run and an RBI, boosting his tournament batting average to .714.

Team New Blue would push two more runs across in the top of the seventh to extend their lead back to four as the inning ended after another pitch limit restriction.

The loss knocked Team Black out of championship contention and left both teams with two wins and two losses.

By Faraz Hashmi

TORONTO - A two-run homer from Rogan Rivard (Bonnyville, Alta.) helped Team Red defeat Team Grey 6-1 in the final round-robin game at the Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase, on Thursday night at the Rogers Centre.

The player of the game, Rivard hit a 358-foot home run with an exit velocity of 97.1 miles per hour. He finished the night 2 for 2 at the plate, one hit and two RBIs.

“I was thinking of catching a ball out front, kind of seeing it deep because he (Will Steinman) has that good curveball.” said Rivard, in a post game interview. “I have seen that fastball, caught it out front and kind of just left my bat, and I was hoping for the best.”

Steinman (Toronto), the starting pitcher for Grey, battled through his appearance, striking out two, allowing four runs on three hits, including a home run in three innings.

On the other hand, Xander Guedes (North Vancouver), the starting pitcher for Red, had a better outing as he struck out four, allowed a walk, and gave a run on a solo hit.

The reliever for Red, Charles Bernatchez (Quebec City), shone as well after striking out four batters over two innings without giving up a run or getting hit.

Jack Ward (Paris, Ont.), Matthew Kolodziej (Oakville, Ont.) and Cam Gerla (Calgary, Alta.) each had an RBI single to their name for Red.

Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, Ont.) tripled one early in the top first to centre field, a few pitches later Gerla’s ground out provided him an RBI as Lascelles ran home to score and give Red an early 1-0 lead.

In the top second, Caine Fahrni (Vancouver, B.C.) of the Red stole one off an error from the Grey catcher, Evan York (Waterloo, Ont.), and extended their lead to 2-0.

On the very next pitch, Rivard, the centre fielder, hit a two-run homer, scoring Roen Douglas (Petrolia, Ont.) ahead of him, for 4-0 Red.

In the bottom second, York singled one to centre field as Carter Bestebroer (Chilliwack, B.C.) ran home to score for team Grey to make the score 4-1.

With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, Red’s Ward was hit by from Grey closer Jérôme Lucas (Montreal). This helped Douglas to score and get the lead up to 5-1. Daniel Dykema (North Vancouver, B.C.) took second and Rivard went to third.

A couple of pitches later, with the bases loaded again, Kolodziej singled one to right field as Rivard ran home to score and stretch the lead to 6-1.

Despite the loss, Team Grey advanced to the championship game and will face Team Royal on Friday.

By Michael Coyle

TORONTO – Xavier-Raphaël Brault’s (Blainville, Que.) clutch two-out RBI single in the fifth lifted Team Royal to a 4-3 win over Team Grey on Friday in the Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase championship game, to close out the 11th annual tournament at Rogers Centre.

Brault stepped to the plate with two-out in the bottom of the fifth after back-to-back hits by second baseman Kason Siguenza (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Jalen Jacob (Maple, Ont.). After getting ahead in the count 2-1, Brault drove a Caleb Dupuis (Georgetown, Ont.) fastball on a line to centre field to give Team Royal a 4-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“I saw two guys on the bases and knew I had to bring them in,” said Brault, post-game. “I was aggressive on the fastball all week, just saw one and hit it.”

Brault had a very strong week at the tournament raising his average to .375 after going 2 for 2 with a run scored and two RBIs in the championship game.

Ramsey Chung (Mississauga, Ont.) ran into some trouble in the top of the seventh after two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Chung battled back to strike out Drazic Charbonneau (Montréal) and coaxed a pop-out to short off the bat of Aidan Vivaldi (Oakville, Ont.) to escape the jam and record the save.

“I trust myself and I trust my catcher to execute pitches in big moments,” said the Mississauga Tigers member. “I have the ability to perform, I know I do.”

Team Grey opened the scoring in the first inning when Home Run Derby champion Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer, Alta.) singled to right to bring home Joey Khananisho (Kleinburg, Ont.).

Team Royal struck back in a hurry when they stepped up in the bottom of the first. Second baseman Kason Siguenza (Abbotsford, B.C.) drove a double to the right centre gap bringing home speedster William Henderson (Mississauga, Ont.).

In the top of the third, Khananisho doubled and Dayne Liske (Drayton Valley, Alta.) singled in back-to-back at bats to bring home a run each to push the Team Gray lead to 3-1.

The bottom of the fourth brought the game back to even when a Charbonneau throwing error allowed both Brault and Gabriel Larocque (Azilda, Ont.) who was hit by a pitch, to come around to score, knotting the game up at three.

Damarcus Rideout-Carter (Brampton, Ont.) started for Team Royal and went one inning, giving up one run on two hits and a strikeout. Rideout-Carter threw four innings in the tournament striking out four.

Team Royal followed with Zach MacDonald (Lacombe Alta.), Alex Jackson (Cambridge, Ont.), Adrian Krupka (Toronto), Desmond Tregaskis (Tsawwassen B.C.) who picked up the win, Connor Comeau (Austin, Texas.) and Chung. Each of the Team Royal relievers threw one inning in the victory.

Jack Perry (Mississauga, Ont.) started for Team Grey and lasted two innings in the loss, giving up one run on a hit, walking three and striking out five. Perry threw the most innings of anyone in the tournament with five, striking out nine over his two appearances and leaving with a 1.80 earned run average.

Team Grey used Logan Cummins (Mississauga, Ont.), A.J. Rogers (Cole Harbour, N.S.), Dupuis, Ryland Peters (Lantzville, B.C.) for relief in the defeat. Rogers was charged with a blown save and Dupuis recorded the loss.

Quinn Lightfoot (Caledon, Ont.) who batted .667 with one home run and five steals on the week, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player in. a pre-game ceremony.