The University of Toronto Varsity Blues baseball team defeated the Waterloo Warriors 7-3 in semi-final action at the 2017 OUA Championship on Saturday evening (Oct. 14) in Ajax, Ont.
 
With the win, the Blues advance to their first OUA final since 2012 and will face the Laurier Golden Hawks, who defeated the Queen's Gaels 5-4 in the other semifinal of the day, tomorrow at noon.
 
Varsity Blues catcher, Tanner Young-Schultz, one of the best talents in the OUA, put on an offensive show against the Warriors.  With the game tied in the bottom of the fifth, he hit an opposite field two-run double against Warriors starter Austin Coles.  In the seventh he would add a mammoth solo home run to right centre against Waterloo reliever Varun Krishnammagaru. 
 
"They (Coles) threw me outside all game and I was ready for an outside pitch and took it to left field," said Young-Schultz about his two run double.  During the at bat where he hit the home run, he had the same mindset.  However, in Young-Schultz's words, "I took the outside pitch and made it an inside pitch and pulled it".
 
Toronto would open the scoring in the second.  Graham Tebbit, the quarter-final winning pitcher against Guelph, hit a two out single to drive in a couple and give the Varsity Blues a 2-0 lead. 
 
In the top of the fourth Waterloo would start to chip away against Toronto starter Mateos Kekatos.  A two out single by second baseman Josh Sabino would put the Warriors on the board.  Another clutch two out hit in the fifth, by Stephen Whalen, would tie the game at two.  
 
However, the Toronto lineup is one of the deepest and most talented in the league.  They would respond with three runs, thanks in large part to the Young-Schultz double, in the bottom of the fifth.  This would give the Varsity Blues a lead they would not relinquish and make a winner out of Kekatos.  His final line would be five innings pitched surrendering two runs on three hits with two strikeouts.
 
Toronto relievers Grant Shantz and Andrew Greig would combine to pitch the last four innings surrendering one run on four hits.  After the game head coach Mike Didier spoke about how pleased he was about the performance of his pitching staff.
 
"Mateos has been one of our horses all year and threw five," said Didier.  "We came in with Shantz, who has been one of our top relievers all year.  He came and shoved, threw strikes and his fastball was working."  Greig, who made his second appearance of the weekend, really impressed Didier.  "He came in, threw strikes and has confidence on the mound."  Greig told his head coach he wanted the ball this weekend.  He has shown why he should be given the ball by closing out both of Toronto's wins at the tournament.

Credit to Sean Addis

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