Richmond Hill Phoenix Minor Mosquito Rep - OBA 'A' Finalists

The Minor Mosquito Rep A team earned a Silver at the OBAs in London over the Labour Day 2018 weekend.

Facing a strong field of 12 teams, the round 1 win vs. Sarnia was a pivotal boost of confidence. The initial lead slipped away and they were down 4 in the top of the 7th. An 11-run explosion seemed to seal the game. However a nervous bottom of the 7th was finally closed out for an 18-16 win.

Happy to avoid the early game, round 2 brought a familiar foe, North Toronto, the TBA #2 seed from their interlock league. The 7-3 win behind a solid performance from two pitchers was crucial to preserve arms.

Round 3 was an intimidating matchup vs. London Tecumsehs, the LDBA champs who were undefeated to that point with an aggregate score of 39-9. A tremendous overall pitching and hitting performance was capped by a beautiful double play to end the top of the 4th. They closed it out in the bottom by mercy rule, 17-2.

They rose to the challenge of round 4 vs. Kitchener, pushing their well-rested opponent (who had a bye) in an exciting, close game. They were unable to hold a slim lead in the top of the 7th, losing 12-10.

Round 5 vs. host North London was a tense, lose and go home match up. A couple of hard hit foul balls scattered spectators and briefly brought some levity. A key 2-run double opened up the lead in the top of the 7th. They were able to hold on for a 9-7 win, redemption for the battering taken when North London eliminated them from their own tournament a month earlier.

They joyously entered the final needing back-to-back wins against undefeated Kitchener. Sadly it wasn't meant to be. Dominating pitching resulted in a 17-2 defeat.

Congratulations, it was a tremendous weekend that will be long remembered by all.

Pictured below is the Richmond Hill Rep Minor Mosquito A team after winning the YSBAs (left) and earning Silver at the OBAs (right).

 

Phoenix Peewee AAA end dream season with YSBA Championship, CNE Championship and Silver at the OBA Provincials

The Richmond Hill Phoenix AAA Peewee team enjoyed their most successful season in 2019.  A grueling offseason paid off and the boys won their first YSBA AAA championship against Aurora/King Jays after finishing second to the same team in last year’s playoffs.  The boys played 5 games in the year’s playoffs defeating Barrie Baycats 11 to 1, then the Aurora Jays 2 to 1 in a pitchers’ duel.  The third game saw the boys from Richmond Hill fall to Aurora 11 to 1, they quickly righted their ship and eliminated Barrie with a 7 to 3 score and finally captured their first YSBA with a 9 to 4 win over Aurora.  But the boys weren’t done yet.

Two weeks later they won the Phoenix their first CNE championship, defeating the Whitby Chiefs, Newmarket Hawks, West Toronto Wilcats and finally the Niagara Falls Falcons.  This prepared them for the Labour day OBA Championships, two days later.

The boys had a tough draw, their first game saw them play the Mississauga Majors, the National Peewee champions.  The boys won a walk off win defeating the Majors 3 to 2.  They then then moved on to play the home town Vaughan Vikings and defeated them 4 to 2.   Their next games saw them fall to the Kitchener Panthers 12 to 9, but the boys rallied and defeated the Mississauga North Tigers in a late-night game 18 to 10, and then defeated the Niagara Falls Falcons to 4 to reach their goal the OBA finals.  Alas it wasn’t to be Richmond Hill’s year.  Our team fell to the Kitchener Panthers for the second time in the tournament losing 12 to 5, and the Panthers were OBA Provincial Champions.

What made this season so special was the overall comradery and teamwork that the boys exhibited.  Hard work in the gym paid off and the boys had their most successful season yet.  Even more special was the fact that this was Head Coach Jeffrey Albaum’s last year with the team.   Over the past six years Jeff has been instrumental in turning a group of single A ball players into one of Ontario’s Top AAA baseball teams.   Jeff spent this season gently handing the reins of the team over to new Head Coach Fred DiGiacinto, who will continue to steers these young men’s baseball lives, in their Bantam Junior year.

Richmond Hill Phoenix House League All-Star Event - Sun August 26

Today, we held our 2nd annual House League All-Star event and I’m happy to share that our Richmond Hill Phoenix House League talent was on full display. Our Rookie and Mosquito All-Stars played 2 exciting games and competed against one another in 3 skills competitions (King of Swat, Road Runner and Flame Thrower). All around, a fantastic day of baseball.

  

Thank you to all the great volunteers that made this event a huge success.

2018 RH Phoenix Bantam Select - YSBA Finalists, heading to OBAs

Congratulations Richmond Hill Phoenix Bantam Select on making it to the finals in YSBA playoffs on August 17, 2018 and securing a spot in the OBA Provincials.

In Game 1 on Saturday morning of the YSBA playoffs in Barrie, it was a great comeback from 10-7 down to win by a walk off 11-10 against Newmarket.

In Game 2 on Saturday afternoon, we came hitting to victory over Vaughan #2, 9-5.

In Game 3 on Saturday evening, we played a high scoring game with victory over Innisfil 16-13.

In Game 4 on Sunday morning, there were only two teams left undefeated in the tournament from 14 teams in YSBA. Richmond Hill Phoenix came on top 10-8 against Barrie resulting in overall undefeated team, and we received a BYE for a spot in the top 3 teams to move on to the finals.

In Game 5 on Thursday evening, we played against Markham Navy and lost, which ended with a 3 way tie, between us, Markham and Orangeville. That day, while we would have loved to play another game to earn our spot, the baseball gods smiled on Richmond Hill, whereby we won the bye for the final spot in the YSBA playoffs.

In the Finals on Saturday afternoon, Markham Navy came in 1st place and Richmond Hill Phoenix came in 2nd place overall. Both teams will advance to the OBA tournament which takes place in Milton on August 31, 2018 to September 2, 2018.

Richmond Hill Phoenix Rep Minor Mosquito - YSBA 'A' Champions

Congratulations to the Rep Minor Mosquito 'A' team for winning the YSBA championship!

The core group successfully made the progression from Rookie Select finalists to Minor Mosquito Rep champions.

Friday vs. host Vaughan was a tight start and then a long rain delay before the game was finally suspended.

Saturday was a beautiful (and dry!) early start to resume the battle with Vaughan. A couple big double plays helped shatter the Vikings' spirit and they pulled away to prevail for the first time against that strong opponent, 17-8.

Game 2 was an epic battle vs. Thornhill. After taking a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the 1st, it was a nail-biter as the Reds chipped away while deploying three flamethrowers to escape many innings with baserunners threatening. Via strong pitching, they ultimately prevailed 5-4 after the 9th, needing two extra innings.

Game 3 Saturday night vs. Orangeville was a tired affair not helped by a delayed start while waiting for an umpire. They took it 17-6 by mercy rule after 6 innings to enter the final four as the only remaining undefeated team.

Sunday morning was another beautiful day but the spectre of a rematch against Thornhill loomed. They proved their superiority however, taking another by mercy rule, 12-2 after 5 innings.

Only Orangeville remained between the Phoenix and the title. Feeling confident since still undefeated, the Bengals immediately shattered that by taking a fast 6-0 lead in the top of the 1st, extending it to 12-2. But they only bent and did not break. While the pitching was able to hold Orangeville, they crept back into the game. The exciting comeback fell short though, 14-12.

The pressure of the comeback likely contributed to Orangeville making a mistake. They used an ineligible pitcher, handing the title to the Phoenix. It was a bittersweet way to win the Championship but they had all the momentum and many strong and eligible pitchers available for the rematch if necessary.

Best wishes at the OBAs and congrats to the team for a memorable YSBA season.

Remember these names, their future is bright. Aaron A, Aidan N, Christian R, Evan P, Jacob H, Jayden Q, Josh D, Matthew B, Noah A, Noah F, Noah S and Sebastian R.

Thanks to all the wonderful parents for such dedication to their sons. For all their hard work and countless hours of service, thanks to coaches Etienne, Allan, Jerry, Joe and the rest of their staff - David, Diana, Raymond & Vincy.

Photo galleries have been added to our web site

Photos of Phoenix day and the Awards ceremony have been uploaded to the News > Photo Gallery

2018 Minor Bantam A, YSBA Champions (YSBA #1)

Congratulations are extended to the 2018 Minor Bantam "A" Phoenix for winning their YSBA regular season title, finishing first in the ten-team league with a record of 14-4-1. It was an impressive feat by the team, yet they were determined to build on their regular season success by putting forward a strong showing in the YSBA Playoff Qualifier (August 10-12), seeking to secure a spot in the OBA Provincials. 

In Game #1 of the YSBA Playoffs, the team earned a win over the Vaughan Vikings, thanks to the combination of their biggest offensive output of the season with strong pitching and fielding.

In Game #2, the lumber company was in full force once again and the Phoenix emerged victorious over the Markham Mariners. The third game of the tournament would bring together the only remaining undefeated teams, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

In Game #3, the Richmond Hill squad moved out to an early lead, but the Hawks tied it up late in the game. In the bottom of the seventh, with the score still tied, the Phoenix fans erupted as the team earned the walk-off win with a clutch hit up the middle. Heading into the last day of the tournament, the Phoenix were the only undefeated team of the four teams remaining.

In Game #4, the team took on the Innisfil Cardinals. It was a back and forth affair before Richmond Hill was able to take control late in the game, earning the victory and the York-Simcoe Playoff Title.

The Phoenix will now prep for the OBA Provincials (held August 31 to September 2) as the #1-seed from York-Simcoe.

Congratulations to the team on the season and best of luck in the OBA Provincials!

2018 Minor Peewee A, YSBA Finalists (YSBA #2)

Knowing the stakes at hand, the team played with discipline throughout the tournament coming together with strong defence and solid hitting. After being mercied on Saturday, their perseverance and tenacity on Sunday was rewarded as they are now off to the OBAs in London! Congrats to the team and coaches!

2018 Minor Peewee AA, Champions at Vaughan Tournament

On the weekend of June 15 th , the Richmond Hill Phoenix MinorPeewee team defeated the Vaughan Vikings at their home tournament, this was not an easy feat. 

The weekend did not start out well as Phoenix was defeated by their TBA rivals Annette with a final score of 7-14. This was a disappointment and left the team with the difficult task of winning all their remaining games to stay alive in the tournament. 

The first game on Saturday morning was against Vaughan Viking 2 team which Phoenix defeated by a score of 11-3.TBA rivals Annette with a final score of 7-14. This was a disappointment and left the team with the difficult task of winning all their remaining games to stay alive in the tournament.

Game 2 on Saturday afternoon in the blistering heat was against the Halton Hills Eagles in which Phoenix easily defeated 19-8, advancing Phoenix into the quarter finals. The quarter final game on Saturday evening was against Aurora King Jays who also fell to Phoenix by a score of 12-2. This moved Phoenix into the semi finals on Sunday morning.

The Sunday morning semi final game was against the Oakville A’s. This was to be a hard fought game which saw Phoenix taking an early 8 run lead. However, Oakville battled back with Richmond Hill Phoenix prevailing to win 9-8. With the semi final victory, Phoenix secured a spot in the Championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday afternoon’s Championship game against arched rivals Vaughan Vikings was held under scorching conditions. Both teams battled hard for 7 innings with Phoenix winning the championship game with the final score of 6-3. 

After a disappointing first game lost the Richmond Hill Phoenix Minor Peewee team remained focused on their task and won their next five games to win the Vaughan Vikings tournament, a total team effort. 

Congratulations Phoenix. Well done!