Kitura, Laird lead Team Black to win over Team Red

Webber Wildcats left-hander Beck Button (Calgary, Alta.) pitched the sixth and seventh innings for Team Red in their 10-7 loss to Team Black at the Canadian Futures Showcase on Thursday. Photo: Faraz Hazshmi

September 18, 2025

By Braden Morrison

Centennial Sports Journalism

TORONTO – Easton Kitura (Vauxhall, Alta.) and Luke Laird (Langley, B.C.) led the Team Black offence with two hits apiece in a 10-7 victory over Team Red, to keep them in contention at the Canadian Futures Showcase, Thursday afternoon, at Rogers Centre.

Kitura earned Player of the Game honours, going 2-for-3 with a double, three runs, and an RBI. Today was the most comfortable the University of Miami commit has felt during the tournament.

“Seeing the ball better today, feeling relaxed,” said the Team Black centre fielder, who left the field with an ice pack on his right hand, the result of being hit by a pitch in the top of the seventh.

Laird got Team Black on the board in the first by ripping a line drive to right off Team Red starter Noah Powell (Toronto, Ont.) after the first two batters were walked, scoring Noah Arkell (Mississauga, Ont.) from second.

The second baseman would come around to score himself later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Christian Iriotakis (Toronto, Ont.).

Team Red answered in the bottom half of the inning off Nicholas Szabo (Whitby, Ont.), as both starting pitchers struggled to get comfortable early in this game.

Shortstop Elliot Lascelles (Toronto, Ont.) singled to right-centre followed by Cam Gerla (Calgary, Alta.) lacing a single to left.

The two Team Red stars executed a beautiful double steal that set-up catcher Lucas Wheeler (Surrey, B.C.) who would ground out. scoring Lascelles from third. Caine Fahrni (Vancouver, B.C.) singled to second scoring Gerla to cut the lead to one.

Missouri State commit Powell started for Team Red and was fighting his control for the duration of his outing. The righty pitched three innings, allowing four runs on three hits with four walks and a hit batter.

His outing was highlighted by a second inning where he escaped a bases-loaded jam by striking out the side.

Szabo started for Team Black and after a rocky first inning where he allowed two runs on three hits, he settled in pitching two more innings of scoreless ball. The Toronto Mets product would end the day picking up the win with a final line of three innings pitched allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

In the top of the fifth, Team Black would break this one open. Catcher Rhys Whiteford (Duncan, B.C.) was handed a walk by Stiaan Henning (Oakville, Ont.), with Laird singling behind him before Kitura singled to right to extend the lead to three, bringing home Whiteford.

Fast forward two batters and the bases were loaded for Ben Bradley (Oakville, Ont.) who singled to right scoring Laird and designated hitter Austin Blair (Victoria, B.C.). Kitura would come across the plate later in the inning after a Noah McIntosh (Dartmouth, N.S.) single putting Team Black up 8-2.

Team Red would not go away quietly though.

After putting up a run in the bottom of the fifth, the home team would erupt for four runs in the bottom of the sixth before it was called due to pitch count restrictions. Zij Mina (Wasaga Beach, Ont.), Maxime Blain (Repentigny, Que.), Roen Douglas (Petrolia, Ont.), and Mathis Duranleau (Montréal, Que.) would all register RBIs in the inning as Team Red would cut the lead to 8-7.

Kitura and Christian Caminero (Mississauga, Ont.) would make sure Team Red would not complete the comeback. The Player of the Game would take a pitch to the hand from Beck Button (Calgary) before some heads-up base running saw him take second on a wild pitch, then steal third where he would score on a fielding error by Mina.

“(We) trusted that we could hit, continued to hit and tack on runs,” said Kitura, a Vauxhall Baseball Academy player, post-game.