16u Knights go 2-2 at Midwest Championships in Indiana

2009-06-27

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 27, 2009  – The 16U Ottawa Knights kicked off their two-week road trip through the mid-U.S.A by splitting four games at the Midwest Wood Bat Baseball Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Knights opened with an 8-0 loss to the Indiana Mizuno Braves; rebounded to crush Indianapolis Pirate Baseball 11-1, lost 8-0 to the powerhouse Indiana Bulls and won their finale 4-3 over Southern Illinois Copperheads.

The tournament features 23 teams from several central U.S., states, including several teams ranked among the top-50 in N. America. The Bulls are one of those teams. The tourney was based at Butler University and the University of  Indianapolis.

In Saturday’s concluding game, the Knights staged a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the seventh after pitcher Landen Moore held them in with a complete game, five-hitter.

Moore then started the rally with a leadoff walk. With one out, Rizz Mendoza singled and Jake Marko smacked an RBI single. Pat Derouin walked to load the bases and Ryan Atkinson drew a walk to score the second run. Jamie Wilcox hit a hard groundout to score the tying run and Derouin then scored from third on a passed ball for the winning run.

Defensive gems during the game came from Ryan Atkinson in left, Moore’s stab on a hard grounder right back to the mound, Derouin snaring a line drive at third and Steve Milks calmly handling a hot shot at first for the final Copperheads out in the top of the seventh.

Earlier, the Knights opened with a poor outing against the Mizuno Braves in muggy, 98F conditions. The Braves scored three runs in the third and pulled away helped by five Knights errors. For Ottawa, Dillon James made two outstanding diving catches in centre field, while Pat Medeiros and James had the only two hits. Dom Heallis took the loss.

On Friday morning, the Knights took out their frustration on the Pirates, scoring eight in the fourth to end the game on the mercy rule. Medeiros and Derouin each drove in two runs on two hits, while Milks also had a pair of hits. Wilcox, James and Pat Hill were all on base three times. Pitcher Medeiros went the distance, allowing just two hits.

Against the Bulls, ranked one of the top teams in the U.S., the Knights surrendered five runs in the second inning and could not recover. Dave Bell took the loss, lasting just over an inning. Offensively, the Knights were no-hit by a strong Bulls starting pitcher. The highlights for Ottawa were two double plays turned by right fielder Wilcox, who made difficult catches after long runs and then doubled-off runners at second base.

The Knights now move on to Akron, Ohio. They will play an exhibition game on Tuesday, then compete in the 16-team Freedom Classic Thursday-Sunday. The team’s overall record is 22-10.