Peterborough 8U Tigers Comeback Bid Successful to Earn Provincial Championship

The Peterborough 8U Tigers kept the Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) AAA championship at home as they came back to defeat the Scarborough Stingers, 11-8, in the championship game at the George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl on Sunday afternoon.

(From left to right) Top row: Bill Mercer, Matt Pyke, Keegan Pyke, Andrew Mercer, Mike Nelson, Joseph Curry, Scott Perrin Middle row: Weston Perrin, Lucas Nelson, Easton Condon, Louis Curry, Reed Tivy, Chase Massie, Camden Raftis, Declan Manol Front row: Asher Young, Reign Mercer, Henry Helleman, Jackson Pyke. Photo courtesy of Peterborough 8U Tigers.

Peterborough’s four-day tournament began, defeating East York 14-10 at Bowers Park on Thursday afternoon. They finished day one with a 17-9 win over the Riverside Royals (Windsor) at Bowers to move to a 2-0 record.

Day two saw Peterborough beat the Guelph Royals in a close game, 6-4 at Bowers Park. Day three was a nail-biter but the Tigers pulled through with a 4-3 win against the Hamilton Cardinals at East City Bowl on Saturday. The win gave Peterborough a bye into the playoffs and had a rematch against the Cardinals on Sunday. The hometown Tigers punched their ticket to the finals with a 12-6 win at East City Bowl to take on Scarborough.

If the Tigers could beat Scarborough, it would cap off an undefeated tournament for Peterborough and an OBA title. However, they suffered their first defeat to the Stingers after a late seventh-inning rally in a 9-8 loss. This set up a rematch as both teams had suffered one loss each in the double-elimination tournament, resulting in a winner-take-all game just one hour later.

This time, the Tigers were trailing late in the game until the Tigers rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take the lead. Peterborough clamped down defensively and finished the game without allowing another score for the OBA Championship.

“I'm really proud of this team. They overcame some adversity in the final day to win the championship,” said Scott Perrin, U8 Tigers head coach. “Playing three games in one day isn't easy for seven and eight-year-olds. The friendships they developed over the whole baseball season is what got them through in the final game. Watching them support each other and the love they developed for each other was amazing. That's what this team is all about.”

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