Abram, Gomm, O’Halloran, Parsons help Terriers to tourney win

The Ontario Terriers won the Continental Amateur Baseball Association World Series title beating the Premier Athletics Blues.

Eight games in five days?

Easy peasy.

It’s an easy task when you have the likes of Ben Abram, Austin Gomm, Pierce Montgomery, Ryan O’Halloran, Nick Parsons and Sebastian Santos in your dugout.

And that’s who the 18U Ontario Terriers had at their disposal as they won three games the final day to win the Continental Amateur Baseball Association World Series title at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Santos (Oakville, Ont.) worked six innings to give the Terriers a 5-2 win in the final over Premier Athletics Blue at Kent State’s Schoonover Stadium. Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) had the save as well as an earlier win. Santos allowed one earned run on four hits and fanned five. Abram -- working on zero days rest -- pitched the seventh for the save, striking out two. 

Sawan Bhatnagar (Mississauga, Ont.) hit a two-out, run-scoring double in the fifth to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead. He was 2-for-3 in the championship game. Dylan Johnson (Toronto, Ont.) had a two out single to extend the lead to 4-0.

O’Halloran (Misssissauga, Ont.) and Gomm (Mississauga, Ont.) both homered as the Terriers blanked Golden Spikes Baseball 11-0 in the semi-final. Andrew Giorno (Toronto, Ont.) pitched four innings allowing three hits, while fanning four. Gomm hit a three run triple and Parsons a two-run triple.

Montgomery (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched the Terriers to an 8-3 win over the Stallions Baseball Club working five innings and fanning four. Evan Harrison (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched two innings, striking out two. O’Halloran had two hits including a double an three RBIs. That was the first of three consecutive victories on Sunday to come away with the CABA crown.

The 18s were 3-2 to headed into the playoff as the No. 6 seed of the 18U teams to advance. 

They opened pool play with a 9-1 win over Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs Gold at Lakewood High School, edged the Mashfactory Baseball Club 6-4 at Tim Mead Field at Walsh University. And then dropped an 8-6 decision to T3 Rays Baseball. Next came a 6-4 loss to Impact Baseball at Lake Catholic High School. And to get into the playoffs Abram pitched a 10-0 win over Golden Spikes Baseball. 

O’Halloran led the Terriers with a .500 average (10-for-24) with three doubles, a triple, a homer and nine RBIs, while Gomm attacked the ball at a .470 clip (8-for-17), with three doubles, a triple, two homers, seven RBIs and four stolen bases. Next were Johnston hitting .458 (11-for-24) with two doubles and four RBIs, Parsons (Kitchener, Ont.), who led in hits, batting .444 (12-for-27) with a pair of doubles, a  triple, 13 RBIs and three stolen bases and Nolan Gallo (Hamilton, Ont.), who hit .360 (9-for-25) with a double.

On the mound, Abram pitched 11 innings in all allowing one run while walking two and fanning 15 in 11 innings as he went 2-0 with a save. Montgomery worked 10 innings and was 2-0, while Giorno was 1-1 in 9 2/3 including a shut out in the semi final and Santos pitched 8 2/3 allowing one earned run. Harrison had three scoreless relief appearances, while Zach Bayfield (Etobicoke, Ont.) pitched four innings.

Manager Dean Dicenzo (Hamilton, Ont.), despite a bad back, guided the Terriers to the three-game-in-a-day tournament championship. He had help from his staff of coaches Scott VandeValk (Georgetown, Ont.), John Milton (Caledon), Tim Gasparotto (Erindale) and Matt Stocco (Guelph, Ont.). 

The 16U Terriers competed in the CABA World Series High School age bracket with 41 other teams while the 17U Terrier squads are battling in the 18U age bracket.
 
The 16s came out of pool play with an outstanding ‎4-1 record, winning their pool. They have advanced as the No. 2. Sixteen teams advance, so they played the 50th seed.
 
The 17s were 3-1-1 out of pool play and wound up the No. 4 seed.

In Nashville, at the SANDLOTT World Series the 15U Terriers got through pool play with a 2-1 record. They advanced to the 12 team playoff championship round as the eight seed only to be eliminated by Top Gun Baseball from Alabama.
 
SANDLOTT Baseball is celebrating their 20th Anniversary Season. The Terriers have been attending the SANDLOTT World Series events for the past 13 years and have reigned victorious twice, winning the 18U championship in 2006 and the 17U championship in 2011.


 

SandlotsBob Elliott