The Muskoka Hornets hosted the ninth annual Muskoka Cup on two weekends in Huntsville and Bracebridge – June 30-July 2 for PeeWee Select and July 21-23 for Rookie, Mosquito and Bantam Select teams. This year the tournament had 37 teams compete within three divisions on the second weekend of the Muskoka Cup, the largest in the history of the program, said Peter Haynes, the convener of the Muskoka Cup and the Muskoka Hornets president. This tournament has become a staple on calendars to combine a weekend away in cottage country with some competitive baseball.
The Rookie Hornets and the Bantam Hornets played in Huntsville while the Mosquito Hornets played in Bracebridge. The tournament started on Friday, July 21 with the Shaw Direct Satellite TV Rookie Hornets stepping on to the field against Waterloo. The sun was beaming down on the players but that didn’t stop the Rookies from bringing four players home. It wasn’t enough to beat Waterloo but it was great to see and hear all of the cheering from the bench and the spectators in the bleachers.
The Santa’s Village Mosquito Hornets tied their first game in Bracebridge against Warkworth, bringing 11 players across home plate.
The Little Caesars Pizza Bantam Hornets played against the Vaughan Major Bantams. The game got off to a rocky start with the other team jumping ahead with a nine-run first inning, said Head Coach Gunnar Muller, but then the boys showed great resolve and battled back to win 11 – 9. In their second game on Friday, the Bantams played against Ajax with a huge lead, winning 11-1.
Santa even made a pre-game visit to the Muskoka Cup! (supplied photo)
On Saturday, July 22, the Rookie Hornets were up early and out to play ball against Halton Hills. Their opponents were a hard-hitting team and had the Hornets running outfield during most of the game, but the Rookies had their smiles on and were learning more and more about the game as they played. The Rookies lost but brought five players home this game.
The Mosquito Hornets met Richmond Hill on the diamond. The Hornets played hard against the strong team but fell short with a loss of 16-4. The Mosquito Hornets’ second game of the day was a close one against Stoney Creek but their opponents stole the win, 12-9.
The Bantam Hornets had two games against North Bay and Agincourt on Saturday. Coach Muller described both games as being won comfortably, with aggressive hitting including a few home runs and a grand slam to boot!
Sunday, July 23 was playoff day for the Muskoka Cup. Only the Bantam Hornets made it into the semi-finals. “We were looking very strong as we advanced to the semi-finals and were paired against a rep team from London,” said Coach Muller. “London’s ace pitcher proved too crafty for the Muskoka boys and we struggled with the bats eventually losing out and being eliminated from a shot to play in the championship game.”
The Bantams went into the Muskoka Cup tournament with 15 wins and 3 losses recorded including the championship trophy from the Richmond Hill GTA Tournament in early June. The Little Caesars Pizza Bantam Hornets are currently 10 and 0 in their home league playing against teams from all over the York Simcoe Region.
Coach Muller says, “We have three weeks left to prepare for the Regional playoffs in Orangeville and are working hard to be in top form by then.”
Overall, the weekend was a huge success and everyone who attended the baseball diamonds appeared to enjoy each and every game played. Congratulations to all the ball players for their great efforts and determination during the tournament.
Peter Haynes sends out a special thanks to all of the volunteers and town officials that helped to make the tournament such a success!
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