Eli LeBlanc pitched four strong innings for the U15 Inverness Ravens on Saturday, giving up just two hits and striking out seven in a 12-2 win over the Pictou County Cubs.
-by Bill Dunphy
In a match-up between two teams who will play each other in game two of the Nova Scotia U15 provincial baseball tournament, it was all Inverness Ravens on Saturday in a doubleheader at the Ned MacDonald Memorial ball field in Inverness.
The Ravens defeated the Pictou County Cubs 12-2 in five innings in the opener and closed out the sweep 15-10 in the denouement.
In the first game, Eli LeBlanc was stellar on the mound for Inverness, pitching four innings, allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out seven.
Drew MacDonnell closed out the win, throwing a strikeout and giving up a walk that turned into a double play.
The Ravens’ offence kicked into gear early, starting with a one-out double by Alex Dan MacDonnell and scoring on a base hit by Alistair MacLeod.
Ryder MacLean then reached on an error scored on a two-run double by LeBlanc.
Danny MacDonald made it 4-0 on a single to bring home LeBlanc.
The bottom of the second saw the Ravens extend their lead to 9-0.
Both Colton MacIsaac and A.D. MacDonnell scored from third on throwing errors by the Pictou catcher.
MacLean, LeBlanc and Jack MacNeil followed that up with RBI singles to scored the maximum five runs.
It was 10-0 after three on a double by Mac MacLellan and an RBI single by MacIsaac.
Pictou capitalized on a couple of errors in the fourth to score two runs, but the Ravens restored the 10-run lead in their half of the inning on hits by LeBlanc and MacDonald for the 12-2 win.
The hits kept coming in game two with the top five of the Ravens lineup coming into score after Pictou took a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first.
Alex Dan MacDonnell tripled, Ryder MacLean doubled, and Colton MacIsaac, Alistair MacLeod, and Eli LeBlanc each had base hits.
MacIsaac hit a solo home run to deep centre field in the sixth inning, capping off a four-run game for the Ravens.
The Ravens, who were up 10-4 in the fourth, saw that lead dwindle to 10-9 in the fifth following a rally by Pictou.
MacIsaac’s home run made it 11-9 and sparked a five-run rally by the Ravens.
A.D. MacDonnell and MacLean both singled and scored, and with LeBlanc on base with a walk, MacDonald hit a two-run double up the right field line after hitting just foul up the left field line on the pitch before. MacDonald then scored the Ravens’ fifth run from third base on a throwing error by the catcher.
MacIsaac closed out the 15-10 win, pitching the final two innings, striking out three and giving up just two hits and a walk.
The last scheduled game for Inverness was yesterday (Tuesday) with a game against the Port Hood Blue Jays.
The Jays are hosting the five-team Nova Scotia U15 A provincial tournament on Aug. 21-23 at the Leo A. MacDonell ball field in Judique.