The Giants did not play their 3rd round robin game until Sunday at 2:30pm, so they were faced with the challenge of playing 3 back to back games in order to win the championship. The Giants bats did get a bit of a rest in the semi-final game however, where they were held to only 4 hits by the Majors Red team. The Giants pitching and defense played strongly enough to win, and they were able to pull out the 6-0 victory to move on to the finals.
In the finals they met a Martingrove team that was undefeated. The leadoff hitter immediately lined a single to centerfield which was followed with another base hit. After an over throw, the Giants found themselves in a hole with runners on 2nd and 3rd and nobody out. Giants starter Christian Banken was able to calm down on the mound and get his off speed pitches working, allowing the Giants to escape the inning with minimal damage. A highlight play by second baseman Jeremy Receno helped them escape trouble, when he went back on a bloop hit and made an over the shoulder catch.
Down 1-0, the Giants were able to immediately answer back. The top of the order set the table with hits from both Jeremy and Dylan Connoly-Downey, and a Mitch Fiacco single allowed the Giants to take a 2-1 lead. The Giants scored 3 more in the inning, one of which was on a well executed squeeze with Sean Cochrane laying down a bunt and Banken sliding in under the tag at home.
Banken would settle in on the mound and only allow one run in the next two innings and the Giants lead 7-2 after 3. Receno would come in in relief, and pitched 3 innings only allowing 2 runs. Receno was faced with the heart of the Martingrove order in 2 of the 3 innings he pitched, but by keeping the ball down in the zone and mixing speeds he was able to tame the Express bats that had been hot all tournament.
Going into the bottom of the 6th inning, the Giants held a 7-4 lead and were in dire need of some insurance runs. The Express had put in their closer who was throwing hard and had been very effective up to that point. Banken and Daniel Nikitovic both had good at bats and recorded singles to start the inning. After the next two outs were recorded, the bottom of the order answered the call. Anastasi Grigoriou drew an important walk, and Austin Kean followed it up with a clutch 2-rbi single. With Austin stealing on the pitch, Aidan Morris hit a single to right field that advanced Kean to third base, and on an over throw he was able to score.
Now leading 11-4, the Giants turned to Braden Wojcik to close the door and seal the tournament victory. After inducing fly-outs to centerfield for the first 2 outs of the inning, Wojcik allowed a single. He then picked the Martingrove player off first base to end the game.
The most enjoyable part of this tournament win is the fact that a true team effort was delivered from the Giants squad. I can honestly say that if the coaches were forced to pick an MVP for the tournament, there would be endless debate and a consensus would not be reached. Every player 1-12 on the Giants squad had significant contributions that helped lead to victory.
The coaching staff is optimistic that the play displayed in this tournament will carry over into the remainder of the regular season and through the playoffs. The talented teams we have now faced from Martingrove and Melrose will likely be in the provincials gunning for us, and the players must bring focus and intensity to every game and practice the rest of the way to prepare for these challenges.
This is a very enjoyable tournament win, but this is merely another step in what we hope will be a successful season. Our goal all along has been a city and provincial championship and these tournaments have helped show the team what it takes to win.
Below is a copy of the scoresheet from the final game.
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