Warmoth propels Canadians to NWL title

September 13th, 2017

Logan Warmoth's fifth-inning single put Vancouver ahead and the bullpen didn't allow a hit the rest of the way as the Canadians defeated Eugene, 4-2, on Tuesday to win the Class A Short Season Northwest League championship.
It was Vancouver's first NWL title since 2013 and the club's fourth in the past seven years.

Eugene starter Jose Albertos kept the Canadians out of the hit column until the fifth inning, when Reggie Pruitt followed Deiferson Barreto's one-out walk with an infield single. A groundout to right side allowed both runners to advance, setting the stage for the 2017 first-rounder Warmoth, Toronto's No. 4 prospect, to deliver a go-ahead, two-run single on the first pitch of his at-bat.
Justin Dillon was dominant in his first playoff start for the Canadians as he recorded seven strikeouts and two ground-ball outs over three scoreless innings. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed one hit and two walks in the outing, throwing 32 of his 48 pitches for strikes.
Left-hander Zach Logue replaced Dillon in the fourth and immediately surrendered a solo home run to Michael Cruz before completing three innings with four strikeouts. Brayden Bouchey took over in the seventh and fired two perfect innings with three strikeouts.
Orlando Pascual began the ninth on the mound for Vancouver and retired both batters he faced before turning the ball over to William Ouellette, who struck out pinch-hitter Will Remillard to end the game. Altogether, the Canadians' bullpen retired 13 of the final 14 batters they faced.
The Canadians out hit Eugene to win Game 1 of the series, with four players collecting multiple hits in the 7-5 victory. Among that group was first baseman Kacy Clemens, who delivered a go-ahead single in the top of the fifth inning to finish 2-for-5.
Vancouver's offense was held check in Game 2, however, as the team mustered just three hits en route to a 4-2 loss. They collected three hits once again, but still took the third game of the series by a score of 2-1, thanks largely to the four strong innings of one-run ball thrown by starter and Blue Jays No. 8 prospect Nate Pearson, the club's other first-round Draft pick this year.
Vancouver posted a 21-17 record to take the first-half title in Northwest League North division and secure a spot in the postseason. The second half saw the Canadians finish one game back of Spokane, at 22-16, only to then sweep them in back-to-back games in the opening round of the playoffs.