Ontario Black crowned Tournament 12 champ

TORONTO — Tournament 12, presented by New Era, saw a different winner for the fourth time in its four-year history when Ontario Black was crowned champion on Monday night after a 6-3 victory over BC Orange at Rogers Centre.

The Black squad didn’t allow an earned run, showing some depth from the pitching staff. Ontario had contributions up and down the lineup, with second baseman Leo Markotic and right fielder Adam Plouffe each notching two RBIs in the championship and Tournament 12 Most Valuable Player Adam Hall driving in one.

“It’s a great opportunity for all these young men to be seen, and on top of that, it’s a good opportunity to play at Rogers Centre,” said Pete Orr, former big leaguer and coach with Ontario Black. “I remember getting the opportunity to do it when I was 17 years old, and it was one of the greatest things I did, being out here and being a Blue Jays fan, it’s great.”

Added Corey Eckstein, BC Orange coach and scout for the Royals: “It’s a great experience. It keeps getting better each year. We didn’t swing the bats the way we were capable of the last couple games, defensively we had a couple blunders that cost us in big situations, but the pitchers gave us a chance all weekend. It would have been nice to get the monkey off our backs, but it was a good all-around tournament.”

Hosted by the Blue Jays Baseball Academy and named for tournament commissioner Roberto Alomar — who presented each player with an autographed Alomar bat during a tour of the Blue Jays’ clubhouse — the fourth annual showcase was an even bigger success than in previous years.

“The competition was better than ever,” Tournament operations manager T.J. Burton said. “All the teams competed. I don’t think there was one team that was far and away better than everybody else. The Ontario team and the BC team were the two best teams, and they faced in the finals, so it was a great tournament all around and the kids did a great job.”

Black middle infielder Hall — also Canada’s top high school prospect heading into next year’s Draft — was named the MVP of the event after impressing in all of his six games. The Bermuda-born native of London, Ont., went 8-for-18 with a triple, three walks, eight stolen bases, seven runs scored and six driven in.

“Obviously, that’s pretty special,” Hall said. “I’m going to have to give [last year’s winner and …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com