Red Sox defy the odds on run to ICBA semifinals

Pictured left to right, back row, Coach Matt, Nick Richardson, Coach Sarah, Kennedy Robdrup, Coach Pierre, Elijah Robinson, Coach Brad. Middle row, Landon Thompson-Clahane, Eli Forbes, Quinlin Prost, Jordan Bell, Ben Parker. Front row, Maverik Todd, Marty Thomson, Ben Turnbull, Mathias Santos, Jacob Saucier and Aria Steeves.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

The Brantford Red Sox entered the U11 Select ICBA playoffs last weekend as underdogs, but it didn’t take long for them to show they belonged among the tournament’s top teams.

As the lowest-seeded team, Brantford faced a challenging path, matching up exclusively against the league’s top two seeds throughout the weekend.

The Red Sox responded by turning some heads.

Brantford knocked off previously undefeated, top-seeded Guelph, followed it up with another upset over second-seeded Kitchener and battled its way into Sunday’s semifinals, an impressive playoff run that showcased just how far this group has come over the course of the season.

The Brantford Red Sox opened the tournament with an upset Friday, shutting out Guelph 9-0. Brantford entered the tournament with only one regular-season win, while Guelph arrived in first place and had not lost a game in two years.

The Red Sox jumped ahead in the first inning, with Jordan Bell driving in a run on a groundout before Ben Turnbull singled home two more. They added four runs in the third, using disciplined at-bats to build a commanding lead. Turnbull led the offence with three hits, while Marty Thomson, Nick Richardson and Quinlan Prost also had multi-hit games. Brantford finished with 10 hits, drew nine walks and stole seven bases.

Prost started on the mound and kept Guelph scoreless through 3 2/3 innings, striking out five, before Bell closed out the shutout with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. The Red Sox also played error-free defence to complete the tournament-opening upset.

Coach Pierre Saucier said the victory reflected just how far the team had come, particularly during the latter half of the season.

“Going into the playoffs, we were very much the underdogs, and I think a lot of teams underestimated these kids and how far they had come. But this group has developed a real belief in each other. They know they can rely on one another, they trust each other, and they’ve learned that if they stay together and play their game, they can compete with anyone. That win was a great example of the confidence they’ve built in themselves and in each other.”

The Red Sox carried that momentum into Saturday, pulling off another upset with an 11-8 victory over second-seeded Kitchener at RIM Park. After falling behind early, Brantford quickly answered in the bottom of the first, with singles from Thomson and Turnbull helping the Red Sox take a 3-2 lead. They continued to build on that advantage in the second and held on for another impressive victory over one of the tournament’s top-ranked teams.

Thomson led the offence with a perfect three-for-three performance at the plate, while he and Turnbull each drove in two runs. Mathias Santos and Prost also recorded multiple hits as Brantford collected 12 hits and seven walks. The Red Sox were particularly dangerous on the basepaths, stealing 12 bases, with Thomson, Landon Thompson-Clahane and Santos each swiping multiple bags.

Turnbull got the start on the mound, working 2 1/3 innings before Elijah Robinson, Mavrick Todd and Eli Forbes combined in relief to help Brantford secure its second straight upset of the tournament.

For Saucier, one of the most impressive parts of the playoff run was that the success wasn't coming from just one or two players.

“What has impressed me most is that every single player has stepped up in whatever way the team needed. We’ve had kids come through in some really big, clutch moments, and it’s been incredible to watch them shine when their team needed them most.”

The Red Sox entered Game 3 with a perfect 2-0 record and faced a familiar opponent in the top-seeded Guelph Royals, a team Brantford had already upset in the tournament opener.

Brantford battled early, answering four Guelph runs in the first inning to tie the game 4-4. A pair of doubles helped fuel the response, including a two-run double from Robinson. That’s when the game was called due to severe weather. It picked back up again the following morning.

The Royals pulled ahead in the third inning and eventually handed Brantford its first loss of the tournament, 17-6. Despite the setback, the Red Sox had some strong performances at the plate. Robinson and Bell each drove in two runs, while Bell went 2-for-2 to lead Brantford offensively. Turnbull and Maverik Todd also recorded a single.

The loss moved the Red Sox to 2-1 through their first three tournament games.

Brantford’s impressive tournament run came to a heartbreaking end in Sunday’s semifinal, as the Red Sox fell 11-10 to the Kitchener Panthers in a back-and-forth battle.

It was the second meeting of the tournament between the teams after Brantford upset second-seeded Kitchener in Game 2.

The Red Sox struck first in the semifinal, with Richardson driving in a run in the opening inning. After falling behind 3-2, Brantford answered in the second when Jacob Saucier doubled and Ben Parker singled, each bringing home a run to put the Red Sox back in front.

The lead continued to change hands, with Brantford scoring three more runs in the third to regain the advantage. Kitchener responded in the fourth and ultimately held on for the narrow 11-10 victory.

Brantford collected 12 hits in the loss, led by Thomson, who went 2-for-3 from the leadoff spot. Kennedy Robdrup, Saucier, Eli Forbes, Richardson, Turnbull and Prost each drove in a run, while the Red Sox were aggressive on the base paths with nine stolen bases. Thompson-Clahane had a hot bat and Aria Steeves played well defensively, holding Kitchener players to first base when they hit it into the outfield.

Although the loss brought their playoff run to an end, Saucier said the resilience the players showed throughout the weekend was something they had developed over the course of the season.

“These kids have learned resilience throughout the season, and that was on full display this weekend. They’ve learned to fight through adversity, stay positive and keep pushing, and I think that belief in each other has been a huge part of their success.”

While the semifinal loss ended their tournament, the Red Sox had plenty to be proud of. Brantford entered the weekend as an underdog and proceeded to turn some heads, defeating both of the tournament’s top two seeded teams on the way to the semifinals. In fact, the Red Sox faced only those two powerhouse opponents, top-seeded Guelph and second-seeded Kitchener, across all four of their games, finishing with a 2-2 record and proving they could compete with the tournament’s best.

For Saucier, however, the weekend was a true underdog story, and a culmination of a season in which a collection of individual players learned how to become a team.

“The biggest growth has been learning how to fight through the tough moments — when they’re tired, when things aren’t going their way, or when they’re facing a situation that earlier in the season might have caused them to give up. At the beginning of the season, we had 12 individuals playing positions on a baseball diamond. Today, we have a team in every sense of the word. They rely on each other, they pick each other up, and they understand that the two things they can always control are their effort and their attitude. Seeing them embrace that and grow into the team they are today is what makes us most proud.”