Rahnment North Bay Panthers Win Tournament
The Rahnment North Bay Panthers 9U baseball team won their first tournament of the season, made even sweeter by doing it at home. It was a nailbiter of a championship game, with the Panthers prevailing 11-9 over the Muskoka Hornets 9U squad in a back-and-forth affair.
Muskoka jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, before the Panthers added three runs of their own in the top of the second with Keiran Vlach having the key single to bring in the tying run.
The Panthers offense kept rolling adding three more runs in the top of the third, capped off by a run scoring double by Adrian Hosein which made it 6-3.
After Muskoka scored in the bottom of the third, the defense for both teams was on full display over the next two innings. Neither team could add to their score until the top of the sixth. The Panthers scored four times, including an RBI double by Jason Wrixon that put North Bay ahead 10-4.
Muskoka retaliated with three runs in the sixth, while Dallas Monette-Taylor delivered an RBI single in the top of the seventh for the Panthers to take an 11-7 lead into the last half-inning. Muskoka added two runs and had the tying run on first base with two outs, but the Panthers defense snuffed out the rally and claimed the 2025 Northern Sandlot championship.
It was an exciting finish between two well coached teams who tied 8-8 in the opening game of the tournament on Friday. On Saturday, both the Panthers and the Hornets beat the Bradford Tigers 9U and Junior Voyageurs 9U teams in tournament play, to set up the championship game.
Mason Auger drove in seven runs on three hits in the Panthers win over the Voyaguers, while Blaise Prytula and Michale Patreau each went 4-4 with three RBI in the Panthers win over Bradford.
The Rahnmet North Bay Panthers 9U Baseball team is comprised of: Adrian Hosein, Ben Laframboise, Blaise Prytula, Dallas Monette-Taylor, Elijah McCann, Jacob Wrixon, Jason Pickles Sookram, Jude Martel, Kieran Vlach, Mason Auger, Michael Patreau and William Leggett.
Next up, the Panthers host the Sudbury Shamrocks for four exhibition games in North Bay at Amelia Park. The games are on Saturday and Sunday with 10 am and 1 pm start time scheduled for both days.
Photo Credit Matt Sookram
