Sanford wins 21U home run derby

   Four-time reigning champion Quebec and Oshawa as Ontario One share hot seat

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

By Rob J. Ross 

ST. THOMAS -  It may not have been as thrilling as hitting baseballs into the Pacific Ocean, but Jake Sanford still took pleasure sending the stitched horsehide into the night sky at Emslie Field.

The six-foot four outfielder from Team Nova Scotia, won the home run derby at the Baseball Canada 21u men's championship, out-slugging Oshawa Legionnaire Brendon Dadson and Windsor Select's Gibson Krzeminski, in the final round.

"It felt good to swing away," said Sanford, from Cole Harbour, N.S. "I was feeling a little bit nervous. It was a big crowd and actually on a field."

Last year, Sanford won the home run derby at the senior Nationals, where contestants hit balls in to the neighbouring ocean.

"I was hitting into the wind," laughed Sanford. "It was one round and 10 outs."

The 21U derby featured 10 contestants with the top three advancing to the second round.  In the three minute round one, it was one point for a homerun hit during first two minutes and two points in the third minute. Round two was four minutes and balls clearing the fence in the first minute, counted for one point, two points in minutes two and three and any dingers in the final 60 seconds were three points .

"Until the first minute of the last round, stay relaxed and then try to hit it when it counts for more points," said Sandford, on winning a derby.

Sandford, who heads to Western Kentucky University following the tournament, says the goal for Nova Scotia is to advance from the preliminary round.

"It's definitely to make the playoff round and then see where we can go from there."

In the Nova Scotia final, Dartmouth edged the East Coast Royals, 6-5, to earn the trip to St. Thomas.

  Tournament site

Kevin Bowden represented the hometown St. Thomas Tomcats, hitting four out in the first round."

"It's pretty sweet in front of the home crowd in St. Thomas," said Bowden. It's really cool, especially to have my dad (Craig) throwing kind of ties it all together makes it even more surreal."

Four-time National champs

Quebec is one team that won't be able to sneak up on anyone. Winning the past four consecutive 21U National titles kind of takes away that element of surprise.

This year's representative from la belle province, are the Montreal Orioles, who arrive in St. Thomas on an 11-game winning streak. The Orioles qualified for Nationals, by finishing first in their 11-team league, with a 32-10 regular season record.

"It was tight in our league all summer. We had a bad first 10 games. We were 4-6. Then we twice won 10 games in a row," head coach Marc Andre Ronda said. "We're a really good balanced team. Our pitchers throw really good and we have a good two to five in the line-up that can produce a lot of runs. We are playing good defence too."

At the 2016 tournament, in Regina, Saskatchewan, the Orioles won Quebec gold, beating the host team in the gold medal game. Ronda recalls the game of their tournament being the semi-final, when Quebec trailed 2-0, but rallied to win 3-2, in their final at bat.

Returnees from that 2016 team are second baseman Alexandre Guay, catcher Xavier Langlois, pitcher David Gauthier and pitcher- right fielder Jonathan Martin, who led their league with 60 RBI. Martin represented Quebec in the home run derby.

Oshawa is Ontario One

It took them two weekends due to weather, but the Oshawa Legionnaires prevailed as Ontario champions, edging Mississauga North, in eight innings, in the final of the provincial elimination tournament, August 11th, in Oshawa. The 22-team tournament started the weekend earlier.

"It was a tough tournament. We played some great teams. We fought back and I think that was our big thing. We came back in three or four games," said Oshawa first baseman Brendon Dadson. "We had that rain delay that pushed it into (the following) Saturday. It was tough to get that intensity again and that same flow. We were behind but we grinded it out."

Pitcher Alec Brown got the win in the title game, with Chase Porter earning the save. Connor May delivered the game winning single in the top half of the eighth.  

"We're scrappy. We'll do anything we can to win," second baseman Jesse Elliott said.  "We'll pick each other up constantly. Our talent may not be the best around, but we'll out compete teams all day. I think it showed well (at Eliminations). We did a good job."

Dadson knows the opposition will be eying the Legionnaires, but the 21-year old from Bowmanville believes in his teammates.

"We'll have to play some good ball. We'll definitely have a target on our backs being Ontario one," said Dadson. "I think we have the team to do it, if we play like we can."

The Road to Nationals

A team's road to the 21U Nationals varies depending the province.

In Ontario, there is the elimination tournament, with the winner advancing. If the province is hosting the event, such the case this year, a second or third entry qualifies.

The Montreal Orioles finished first in their league, making them Team Quebec. Their playoffs actually after Nationals.

To represent New Brunswick, the Metro Mudcats, out of Moncton, defeated Fredricton, in the provincial final.

For Nova Scotia, Dartmouth edged the East Coast Royals, on a Jack Fader game winning hit.

The St. James A's defeated Elmwood, in the Manitoba final. As provincial champions, the team travelled to St. Albert, Alberta and won the Western Canada title, August 11-12. St. James finished first in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League, with a 20-4 record. 

On the east coast in Newfoundland - Labrador and out west in Saskatchewan, their teams are a provincial team, selected in the weeks leading up to Nationals.