Any home run for a 16U competitive baseball player constitutes a pretty special experience.
Belting one out of the park at the home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish - well, that's one that is sure to not so leave the memory banks of local prospect Brett Rienguette.
His tater capped off a very good showing for the local crew that were competing at a tournament in South Bend (Indiana) a few weeks ago.
Starter Evan Ouimet set the tone with an outstanding performance on the mound in game one as the Sudbury 16U Voyageurs opened tournament play with a 13-3 win over the Indiana Bulls – North, earning a 7-7 draw in game two with the B2 Bulls.
Owen Lamothe, Luka Kosza, Evan Ouimet and Chase Taylor recorded two hits apiece, with the latter scoring twice and Brett Rienguette chipping in with a two-run triple.
Kane County Elite (Aurora, Illinois) proved to be the class of this field, bouncing the Voyageurs 12-5, with Sudbury closing things off with a 13-6 win over PK Prospects (Macomb, Michigan).
Rienguette followed up a 3/4 effort by belting a solo home run in the finale beyond the walls of Frank Eck Stadium, host venue of the Fighting Irish baseball team. Evan Ouimet boasted a stat line of 4 hits, 3 runs and 4 RBIs while Tanner Morris added three hits of his own to the scoresheet.
A little further south, the Sudbury 18U Voyageurs opted to tackle the challenge that was the Pastime Music City Freedom Classic in Nashville and came through with flying colours, facing a whole other level of baseball talent.
Posting a record of 2-1-1 in pool play, the Voyageurs found themselves seeded fifth in a gathering of 25 teams from across the southern United States heading into the playoff round.
Preliminary round highlights included a combined five-hitter by Braiden Paul and Hudson Fletcher in game one as the Voyageurs rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, earning a 3-3 tie with the Huntington Hounds (Huntington, West Virginia).
A three-run home run by Gabriel Larocque kept things close against the Marucci Prospects (Tennessee) as Sudbury dropped a 10-8 decision, with teammate Brody Mabbott also driving in three.
A complete game gem from Calum Baron featured ten strikeouts and six hits as the Voyageurs trimmed Brew State Baseball Academy (Menomenee Falls, Wisconsin) 2-1.
Ryan Spencer and Nate Parsons crossed the plate for Sudbury with Justin Dandeneau and Ethan Thompson driving in one run apiece.
The locals wrapped up the first phase of the tournament with a 6-4 win over the Miami Valley Prospects (Pleasant Hill, Ohio - just outside of Dayton) as Ryan Spencer, Gabriel Larocque and A.J. Dubeau racked up two hits each.
The pitching continued to shine in quarter final play as Chris St Germain went the distance, surrendering just a single run in a 4-1 Sudbury victory over the Canes of Kentucky before the Canadian reps were beaten 9-3 in the semis by the East Coast Sox.
