D-backs strike down North Toronto

   Langstaff and Daniel, combine for a six hit, 13 strikeout outing

Sunday, June 25, 2017

By Rob J. Ross

DORCHESTER -  Colin Langstaff and Ryker Daniel had the heat and the two pitchers were burning the opposition.

Led by a six hit, 13 strikeout combined performance by Langstaff and Daniel, the Dorchester Diamondbacks defeated the North Toronto A's, 7-2, in the major mosquito final, during the Dorchester Summer Slam minor baseball tournament.

Over the seven inning game, about 60 per cent of the 21 outs came via the strikeout.

Langstaff went four innings, striking out seven batters, while Daniel sat down six batters over three innings.

"The key to most of these games is our pitching. Our two best pitchers, Colin and Daniel, came in," Dorchester head coach Jim Dos Santos said. "Their (starting) pitcher was really good. But he didn't have many pitches left. Once we got through him, we had an easier time."

In minor baseball, pitchers have a pitch count, a set number of pitches allowed per game and over the course of a tournament. This is to prevent injuries from overuse.

The A's opened the scoring using two singles and base on balls to produce two runs in the first inning.

"North Toronto, they're a good team. They dominated the other side of the pool," said Dos Santos.

 Dorchester cut the deficit in half in the third inning, before pulling ahead 3-2 in the fourth. Lucas Wilson pounded out a RBI triple before scoring the eventual game winning run, on a Langstaff fly out.

The Diamondbacks took control with a three run fifth inning, ignited by a lead-off double by Wade Devine. Dorchester tacked on a run in the seventh, thanks to a Luke Norton RBI single.

Wilson finished two-for-three, with a run scored and one stolen base. Justin Barnes was one-for-two, swiped a base and scored twice.

North Toronto pitching was stingy as well, surrendering just seven hits to Dorchester.

"Overall we played some really good defence. At this level, hitting is key, but making outs is the other thing," added Dos Santos.

Norton made a superb defensive play in left field during the seventh inning, keeping the ball in front of him using his body.

"If the ball gets by him, it changes the whole inning. A big play in the game," said Dos Santos, as the A's were threatening to score.

The Diamondbacks, most of the roster together for five years, have many big plays on their resumes.

Dorchester, a C center, won the Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) major rookie ball championship in 2015, a year after losing in the OBA A minor rookie final to Oshawa. Last year, Dorchester lost in the OBA B minor mosquito semi-finals.

This year the Diamondbacks are 18-3 overall, with all three losses to rival London Tecumsehs, including in a tournament final last month.

Dorchester went 5-0 at the Summer Slam tournament, in a division that featured select, minor and major mosquito teams. A few squads only had a few practices prior to the weekend action.

"Therefore, some of the games weren't as challenging for us, so we were getting players in and trying new positions," said Dos Santos.