By Bob Ellliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Both Canadian teams in the Arizona Sophomore Fall Classic opened with victories.

With LHP Justin Thorsteinson on the mound, the Dbacks Team Canada edged Big Sky Baseball 3-2 at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Az.

Thorsteinson (Richmond, BC) pitched four innings, while RHP Ryan Blight (Port Moody, BC) pitched three for the victory. The winner was knocked in by Thorsteinson.

Meanwhile, the Dbacks Team BC walked off MBA Utah 3-2 as Tristan Vargas (Montreal, Que.) pitched five innings while Joseph Roy-Leclerc (Pierrefonds, Que.) drove a couple of balls to the fence.

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DBacks Team BC fell 16-0 to Baseball Northwest.

Next Team BC was blanked 4-0 by Quakes Academy.

And in the final game, DBacks Team BC knocked off Team Saskatchewan 7-4. In other games Saskatchewan tied Baseball Factory Navy 4-4, lost 4-2 to MBA Idaho and were edged 8-7 GBG Marucci Navy 2019

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Dbacks Canada lost its second game 5-4 to Underarmour Baseball Factory Grey as Evan Elliot (Toronto, Ont.) pitched five innings. Jake Rogers (Bowmanville, Ont.) finished up. Elliot was clocked at 83 MPH.

Next Dbacks Canada battled Arizona Sandlot Baseball to a 4-4 tie thanks to five solid innings from Ryan Beitel (Cloverdale, BC). Carson Chorpita (Surrey, BC) hit a two-run double.

Russel Young (Cloverdale, BC) squatting against Arizona 18U ...

And in the consolation playoff game, Dbacks Canada fell 6-3 to the Southern Cal Bombers as Thorsteinson worked two scoreless innings in his start. Daniel Martin (Langley, BC) and Russel Young (Cloverdale, BC) each doubled. Ryan Blight (Port Moody, BC) and Elliot finished up.

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The two teams plays a pair of exhibitions the day before the tournament began, playing one of the better 18U teams in Arizona in the second game.

Callum Borden (Coquitlam, BC) catching against the Southern Cal Bombers ...

Thorsteinson hit an opposite-field run-scoring double in the first exhibition game and Martin hit a run-scoring double down the right-field line. In the second they managed three hits which snuck through holes facing guys all throwing 85+ up to 94.

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Other standout throughout the tournament included Brandon Nicoll (Coombs, BC), who hit multiple balls to the fence not all for base hits but he showed great power. Curtis McCully (Toronto, Ont.) ripped a couple of solid base hits against team Saskatchewan and the SoCal Bombers.

Thorsteinson made an impression on the mound and with the bat standing out as a 14-year-old, an age some college recruiters could not believe. At shortstop, Beitel showed plus skills defensively and Penticton-native Martin showed excellent bat speed and drew interest from school.

Two additional standouts Vargas and Leclerc maybe the best with Dbacks Team BC. Elliot might have the best upside on the mound big strong kid good easy arm is a little raw. Rogers was great in the outfield and showed off a strong arm throwing out three guys out attempting to stretch singles into doubles.

Jacob Bonzon (Markham, Ont.) from the Toronto Mets organization was a top player for Dbacks BC with great defence and pitched well for them as well.

Connor Hall (Campbell River, BC) played a great CF for Dbacks Canada and had hit well, including a long triple in the first game of the tournament.

Hayden Letzing (Surrey, BC) who turned 13 a month before the event and one of the youngest in the event showed very well all weekend for Dbacks BC playing more like a 16yr old.

Nolan Austin (Kamloops BC), 14, showed well swing the bat well scattering a few hits throughout the weekend, also pitching seven innings over the course of the tournament giving up only two earned runs.

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Doug Mathieson of the Langley Blaze put the two teams together with Ryan Klenmann and Troy Pennock coaching the DBacks Team BC. Jeff Young, Jeremy Filipek and Mathieson coached the DBacks Team Canada squad.

And Mathieson will be taking his DBacks Langley Blaze team to Jupiter, Fla for the World Wood Bat Perfect Game championship.

Included on the roster are pitchers William Sierra (Montreal, Que.), LHP Kyle Prather (Langley, BC), Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.), RHP Matt Mancino (Larchmont, NY), Duncan Hall (Miamisburg, Ohio), Jackson Wolf (Gahanna, Ohio) and Bryce Swofford (Juneau, AK),

Catchers Jayden Wakeham (Victoria, BC) and Brandon Boxer (Miamisburg, Ohio),

Infielders Adam Hall (London, Ont.), Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge, BC), Rhys Cratty (Langley, BC), Mitchell Rennie (West Kelowna, BC), Tyler Wardwell (Cincinnati), Tommy Bell (Kettering, Ohio) and Jonny Homza (Anchorage, AK)

Outfielders Jayden Knight (Langley, BC), Clayton Keyes (Calgary, Alta.), Danny Berg (Saskatoon, Sask.), Cole Cantelon (Surrey, BC), Jack Hodgson (Guilford, Conn.) and Hunter Lonigro (Connellsvillle, Penn.),

Beitel, Martin, Thorsteinson, Vargas impress in AZ for DBacks teams