The Canadian Futures Showcase presents the 2024 Prospects Game. Team Bautista and Team Encarnaci¨®n faced off on September 21 at Rogers Centre.

By Christian Larsen

TORONTO - Robert Omidi (Oakville, Ont.) drove in three runs on two hits as Team Encarnacion defeated Team Bautista, 7-2, at the 10th annual Canadian Futures Tournament all-star game in the Rogers Centre, on Saturday.

It was the final contest of the five day tournament that brings the top young prospects from across the country to show off their skills in front of Major League, and college scouts.

Omidi drove in a pair on a screaming double ¨C off the bat at 100.1 mph ¨C that hopped off the centre field wall. That swing caught the eye of three-time All Star and coach Edwin Encarnacion.

¡°He told me my swing was nice, that was a nice compliment,¡± Omidi said, happily. ¡°I just try to stay fluid through the ball.¡±

Tim Piasentin¡¯s (Coquitlam, B.C.) RBI single in the third capped off a three-run inning for Team Encarnacion. The University of Miami commit¡¯s stellar day at the plate began by winning the Home Run Derby in overtime swings, then going 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Left-hander Sean Duncan (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) opened for Team Encarnacion and pitched a clean inning. Grimsby, Ont. native Aiden Taggart struck out two hitters on 10 pitches, and 6-foot-7 right-hander Keegan Russell (Whitby, Ont.) struck out three and walked two on 22 pitches.

Left-hander Mathis McKenna (Riguad, Que.) started for Team Bautista and retired all three batters he faced.

Team Encarnacion¡¯s Piasentin hit a lead-off double to left in bottom half of the second, before scoring on a Dom Morgan (Sherwood Park, Alta.) single to give them an early 1-0 lead.

In the third, Logan Booth (Chilliwack, B.C.) reached on a lead-off walk and Maxime Boies singled on a perfectly executed hit-and-run. Booth later scored on a wild pitch from Team Bautista right-hander Walter Kokotailo (Surrey, B.C.), extending their lead to 2-0.

Ben Goodacre (Ancaster, Ont.), in the bottom of the fourth, fought out of a jam after walking the first two batters. The right-hander, who verbally committed to the University of West Virginia, recorded the fastest pitch in tournament history ¨C 95.6 mph ¨C on Wednesday.

With runners in scoring position in the fifth, Ryan Stalony (Mississauga, Ont.) put Team Bautista on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly and pinch-hitter Cohen Miller (Calgary, Alta.) followed with an RBI double to score the only two runs for the team.

In the sixth, Omidi and Quinn Lightfoot (Caledon, Ont.) drove in a pair of runs in the sixth, both on sacrifice flies, to give Team Encarnacion a commanding 6-2 lead.

For Team Bautista, right-handers Merek Yeager (Muenster, Sask.), Noah Powell (Toronto), and left-hander Logan Forgie (Ottawa, Ont.) combined for three scoreless innings in relief.

As for his Home Run Derby experience, that saw him put 13 dingers in total over the Rogers Centre wall, Tim Piasentin said he went in with a plan.

¡°I was just trying to keep the ball to my pull side and not take it the other way,¡± said the left-handed hitter. ¡°I just wanted to hit the ball as hard as I could.¡±

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