By Larry Moko
After 27 years of hard-fought efforts, the Newman high school baseball team celebrated a historic moment on Thursday at Mohawk Sports Park. The Cardinals of St. John Henry Newman won the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic Athletic Association's baseball championship trophy for the first time in league history.
The third-place Cardinals took the title with a 3-2 victory over the fourth-place St. Thomas More Knights.
"It feels great to finally get a championship," Cardinals coach Matt Pritchard said. "This is my fourth year at Newman and I've been with a lot of these kids since they were in Grade 9.
"It's been a long journey with ups and downs."
Newman scored two first-inning runs and carried that lead into the seventh when Grady Aussem's solid single drove in Jaxon Marshall and Adam Poole to tie it. In the bottom of the seventh, however, the deciding run scored on Jacob Sgro's bases loaded ground ball to the first baseman.
"We had the infield drawn in for a force out at the plate," St. Thomas More coach Nick Memme said.
Newman's seventh began when Mark Lees was hit by a pitch, Ethan Blackborrow singled and Lucas Seebrook received the free pass.
It was actually the second intentional walk of the game issued by More. In the first inning, after leadoff batter Nick Tomasin stroked a fly ball triple to right-centre field, the Knights opted to give the next batter -- Baeden Agnew -- the base without pitching to him.
"It may have backfired a bit," Memme said of the first-inning decision. "Or maybe not. I don't know."
Lees' infield ground ball and a sacrifice fly by Blackborrow plated those two opening scores.
When the Knights eventually did pitch to Agnew, he belted a double, a single and flew out to left field.
"It was only the second time in my life I've been intentionally walked," Agnew said (the first was during Newman's 6-5 semifinal victory over St. Jean de Brebeuf). "It's not an experience I'm used to. It's kind of a good feeling, though, knowing that they really don't want to pitch to me."
In addition to his prowess at the plate, Agnew went the distance on the mound for Newman. He scattered six hits, walked two and struck out 12.
"(Agnew) is a great pitcher," the Knights coach said. "His stuff was on. We really couldn't hit until the last inning. We had a couple of opportunities but we couldn't capitalize."
Newman managed a combined six hits off More pitchers Marshall Schwoob and Aussem, who worked the final three innings. The Knights duo struck out 12.
"I'm honestly speechless," Grade 12 student Agnew said. "Since Grade 9 we've worked so hard and got knocked out by Tonnos every single time. To finally get here and win it all is amazing."
Agnew is also the starting shortstop and a pitcher for Bullettproof Elite Baseball, a club team based in Welland.
Other members of the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals squad are Ben Black, Will Lawrence, Dimarco Castellani, Ryan Bartlett, Nic De Bellis, Charlie Franklin, Evan Reeves and Nathan Vooys.
Photos by Richard Andoga
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