Sports
July 24, 2008 07:05 PM
By: Mike Hayakawa
The Markham Pioneers won two of three games when they took to the ball diamond in St. Catharines last weekend at the Hap Walters Tournament.
After dropping their first game to the Burlington Brants 5-0, the Pioneers rebounded the following day to defeat the Windsor Stars 3-1 and the Ajax Spartans 6-4.
But Mother Nature intervened by drenching the playing field to end the tournament.
In the win over Windsor, the Pioneers scored a run in the first when Alex Bruce hit a double that scored Jeff Fox, who drew a walk.
After Windsor tied the score in the third, the Pioneers regained the lead for good in the fifth inning when Mark Petrou and Bruce reached base on errors. Both scored on a double by Jesse Dynes.
Pitcher Steve Horsley struck out nine batters and had to endure a one-hour rain delay to earn the win.
Against Ajax, the Pioneers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and added one in the third on a run-scoring single from Fox.
But Ajax responded with a run in the fourth inning and three in the fifth off starting pitcher Mike Lee to take a 4-3 lead.
The Pioneers showed their resolve in the sixth inning with five singles and three runs.
Anchoring the rally were hits from Petrou, Bruce and Dynes and base running by Mike Rodriguez and Shelby Nelson.
The Pioneers were one of five teams still in the hunt for the four semifinal spots before tournament organizers cancelled the remaining games and split the playoff money.