Peckham: MacDonald, Zweep lead Team New Blue to win over Team Black

Webber Wildcats 1B/RHP Zach MacDonald (Lacombe, Alta.), No. 32 in this photo, went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and two stolen bases to help Team New Blue down Team Black 9-5 at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Saturday evening. Photo: Izzy Morgan, BCIT

September 19, 2026

By Noah Peckham

BCIT

Team New Blue remains undefeated in the Blue Jays Academy Canadian Futures Showcase as they took down Team Black 9-5 Saturday evening.

New Blue opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI double from Ray Zweep (North Vancouver, B.C.), scoring Will Henderson (Mississauga, Ont.), who led off and was walked by Team Black starting pitcher Gabriel Lavoie (Mascouche, Que.) and then stole second. A ground out from Zach MacDonald (Lacombe, Alta.) advanced Zweep to third, then a wild pitch from Lavoie scored him.

Team Black answered right back as Jake Andersen (Toronto, Ont.) walked and then scored on a hard-hit double to the left field warning track from Ryland Peters (Lantzville, B.C.). Theo Lima (Whitby, Ont.) advanced Peters to third on a grounder, then Daril Rodriguez (Red Deer, Alta.) hit a single just over the head of the New Blue shortstop, scoring Lima.

The first inning ended tied at two.

New Blue went scoreless in the second inning, while Black was able to take the lead. After being walked, Black’s Noah Stanley (Lakefield, Ont.) stole second and third, and was brought home on a single by Trace Pettit (Dorchester, Ont.).

Heading into the top of third down 3-2, New Blue was able to take a commanding lead. Zweep hit a single to right field scoring one run to get things started. MacDonald then hit a double along the right field foul line which scored two more. Gino De Santis (Chatham, Ont.) then followed that up with an RBI double of his own.

Heading into the bottom of third down 6-3, Team Black answered back. Andersen stole second and later advanced to third before scoring on a wild pitch from New Blue’s starting pitcher Harlan Chervatin (Pender Island, B.C.).

That was all the response Team Black had as the game headed into the fourth 6-4 for New Blue.

After a scoreless fourth, a MacDonald single got things started for New Blue in the top of fifth. He then stole both second and third before he and Will Zielinski (Victoria, B.C.) were driven home by a Will Henzi (Victoria, B.C.) single.

“Just staying on the heater once I get it and then also putting myself into the best counts I can,” said MacDonald on his performance.

Team Black was not able to gain any momentum in the bottom of the fifth as Team New Blue’s pitcher Connor Brown (Oakville, Ont.) struck out two and kept his team’s lead intact.

The two teams traded runs in the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh, then New Blue pitcher Marshall Moore (Chilliwack, B.C.) shut the door in the final half-inning, striking out two.

Team New Blue is undefeated so far and is looking ahead to the championship game on Sept. 20 at 11 a.m.

“This team’s been rolling pretty good so far, so I don’t think we really have to change a whole lot,” said MacDonald about Sunday’s final.

Team Black finished the round robin with a 2-2 record.