While the PNE Playland’s tallest attractions loom noisily along the outfield skyline of Hastings Community Park, none of those rides could match the thrills dished out by the Hastings Major All-Stars this week.
A near-spotless performance framed the All Stars’ 1-0 victory over Whalley on Saturday to claim the Canadian Little League national baseball title before a packed crowd at the idyllic Hastings street ballpark.
The hometown squad, made up of players from west Burnaby and east Vancouver, silenced Whalley’s bats with a combined no-hitter from two pitchers, catapulting Hastings to the Little League World Series this week in Williamsport, Pa.
The game’s lone run was scored in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Nicola Barba drove a 3-2 pitch into left field to plate Matteo Ripoli. The hit came with the bases loaded, after Whalley had called in their ace thrower, Haiden Letzing, to face Barba.
Burnaby’s Loreto Siniscalchi anchored the All-Stars’ no-hitter, hurling five innings and the maximum allowed 85 pitches, before reliever Stefano Dal Sasso, also of Burnaby, wrapped it up in the sixth. Siniscalchi struck out 13 and walked four in what could only be described as a dominating performance before a jam-packed crowd of 4,000 people.
“I just tried to find my groove, my preferable spot with the ball and once I found it, I found my groove (and) I was more into the game,” said Siniscalchi in an interview on the ball diamond moments after the final out. “I was going to do as much as I can.
“It took a team effort and everyone did their best, the best job they could do. We won as a team.”
Truer words couldn’t be said, as Hastings’ 11-to-13 year olds out-lasted its competition and posted a brilliant 8-0 record over the 10-day tournament, which brought seven teams together from as far away as Sydney, NS.
Hastings’ biggest test came on the second day, a 5-4 triumph over provincial champion Whalley that set the table for the eventual rematch.
They outscored the competition 74-9 during the tourney.
In that final, the two teams brought their best to the diamond. After walking three batters in the first three innings, Siniscalchi settled down and limited the Surrey side to just one base runner over the next two. At the other side, Whalley’s Colton Frick was nearly as sharp, limiting Hastings to a double in the third before the fateful fifth inning.
Scoreless after four-and-a-half innings, Hastings launched an impressive rally, with a pair of one-out singles and an error to load the bases. It put Barba, who tied Siniscalchi with 17 RBI in the tourney, on the hot seat against the opposition’s top player.
“I was just thinking put the ball in play, see what I can do,” said Barba, who attends Alpha secondary. “I just battled… This team is so good, it’s unbelievable.”
Ripoli crossed home plate but Antonio Cusati was tagged out in a close play at home, leaving it 1-0 with three outs to go.
Dal Sasso got the first two outs before Whalley sent in Leitzing to pinch hit. Hastings manager Vito Bordignon chose to intentionally walk the slugger, who led all batters during the nine-day series with a .667 batting average and 14 RBI in 18 at bats.
The next batter popped out, kicking off an on-field celebration complete with bear-hugs and tears.
“I think we just kept playing our game,” said an exhausted Siniscalchi. While the competition will be of a totally different calibre in Williamsport, beginning Friday against Japan, the righthander felt confident that his manager would have them ready.
“Knowing (Bordingnon) has been there I can trust him in everything. I just try to listen to him and do my best and execute what he says.”
To get to the final, the host squad blanked Lethbridge 9-0 on Friday, while Whalley doubled up on Quebec’s Diamond Baseball Academy 8-4.
Hastings, which has existed as a Little League club for 62 years, is making its third appearance at the Williamsport, Pa World Series – with Bordignon managing all three teams. The past two appearances, in 2009 and 2013, resulted in identical 1-2 records.
The baseball lineage will see Cusati, the team’s catcher, follow a path travelled by cousins Anthony Cusati and Steven Moretto, who were members of the Hastings teams in 2009 and 2013, respectively.
Liam Lewis, meanwhile, is related to Chicago White Sox and one-time American League MVP Justin Morneau.
The Hastings lineup includes Burnaby’s Nicola Barba, Nathan Clegg, Sean Coventry, Antonio Cusati, Stefano Dal Sasso, Liam Lewis, Aaron Mak, Matteo Ripoli, Cristian Santarelli and Loreto Siniscalchi, and Vancouver’s Liam Maclean, Anthony Porcellato and Lucas Sorace.
