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F 20 -The Canadian Champion, Tueaday, May 4,1999 - oN Estabiiaied Since 1989 I 3006 DerryRd W >Suite203 .... (across t ran the Hospîtal) I Weird MD rally stili means victory By STEVE LeBLANO The Champion Milton District Higb Scbool's boys base- ball teais is not yet in a position to worry about the artistry or authority bebind their wins. So Saturday ast Brian Best Park there was no criticizing tise rebuilding Mustangs' 6-5 comeback triumph - courtesy of careless defence - agaînst favoured crosstown rivais E.C. Drury. Up by two runs and just a couple of outs from victory, tise Spartans dropped a rou- tine pop-up to sballow right field by veter- an sisortstop Bud Hall. From there, Dmury's infield unit apparently forgot that tbere was only one away with the bases loaded. As a result, a baphazard throw to first afforded Jeif McLeod enough time to dasb home and complete MD's bizarre rally. Reese Davies and Brett McClure bad scored previous nins on tie multiple mis- cue. Tbis salvaged the opening day of league action for tise 'Stangs, wbo earlier on lost a tougis 6-4 battle to Loyola. Missing for both games was beavy hitter Nathan Perrott, wiso was at provincial tesi tryouts at tbe time. Meanwhile, Drury outdistanced St. Thomas Aquinas 8-5 in their 1999 debut. Wbile gond fortune essentiaily banded MD tise win, staying witbin striking dis- tance was largely their own doing. Adamn Finkbeiner delivered effective pitcbing tbrougb the opeming four fraises - strik- ing out eight batters and sunfendering just one mun - wbile Hall and McClure pro- vided key bits for scores in the tbird and fiftis respectively. Reliever Michael Volpe worked the last three inninga to pick up tise save. Chris Hunt, Chris Holmes and Ryan Harper aplit the mound work for Dnsry. With tise exception of the final inning, tise trio enjoyed solid defence - particularly front catcher Mike Austen and fsrst base- man Jack Turner. The Spartans were led offensively by newcomer Evan Jeans, who reacbed base tbuce times and belted a two-run double in tbe sixlh to put bis teain aisead. Austen bad a pair of bits on the after- noon wbile Jed Cosby managed a fine bit of base running in the second for their ini- tial mun. Reding romps by Raiders Conan O'Brien and Mike Eicisstedt, both in grade nine, bad remasicable bigb school debuts at Brian Best Saturday. The Bishop Reding lgoyals' pitcbing duo, part of a very young squad, gave up just three bits combined to blank Oakville's St. Tisomas Aquinas Raiders 10-0. 'Me blowout - wbicb was miercied afier five inninga - saw the rookie hurlera eacb employ a nifty mixture of fastbails and off- speed stuif to keep batters guessing. They also enjoyed exceptional defence, particularly fromt an infield unit that looked awfully seasonied despite its youtb and inexperience. se McBRIDE on page 22 Photos by GRAHAM PAINE E.C. Drury baserunner Mils Austen complotes hie alida Into second to break up a double play attempt (top) after g.ttlng tagged out (above) by Milton Dlstrlct's Rosse Devise Saturday. MD scored thres tUrnes In the final InnIng to site out a 6-5 comeback win. By STEVE L.BLANC The Champion Pat Lynch has leamed justice isn't blind - that sometimes it just takes a little longer to focus. The Milton pitcher, who feit worthy of advancement in the Blue Jays' farmn sys- temn last season and was disappointed when that didn't occur, recently made the ail-important leap up the ranks. After two years at tbe rookie level in Medicine Hat, Alberta the former Milton District Higb Scbool star is now toiling with the single A club in Hagerstown, Maryland. This boost - Up two spots in the organi- zation's pecking order, past the single A short season teamn in St. Catharines - fol- lowed another splendid spring training performance. For the first timne ever he headed down to Florida with some solid professional league credentials, from a 1998 campaign in wbich be dominated the Pioneer League However, the idea that advancement was in the bag neyer once entered bis mind. "At this level, it doesn't matter how well you performed the year before. You've got to keep provimg yourself every timne out:" said the 20-year-old. Wednesday marked bis second start and fourtht appearance of thse season. In front of 452 hometown fans, he worked six innings of five-bit bail - surrendering a pair of earned runs while striking out a handful of batters. Tbese efforts didn't quite translate into bis second victory of the year, as the Suns' 7-6 decision over Augusta only came in tbe lOtis fraise. It was tbe teanl's 13tb win in 20 outings this spring and kept them - see EARNED on page 21