On Friday, September 20, Canada’s first-ever coast-to-coast amateur showcase, Tournament 12, hit the diamond at Roger’s Centre in Toronto.
Among the top of the talent pool was Sooke’s own Kurt Horne (featured on April 10, 2013 in the Sooke News Mirror, “A field of dreams for Sooke’s southpaw”). Horne played on team Orange, which represented British Columbia. When at home, Horne wears number 13 when he’s playing with Victoria Eagles, in the BC Premiere, and number 31 when he’s with Team Canada, in the Jr National League.
According to the Major League Baseball’s website (MLB.com), Saturday’s most anticipated game was between Ontario and BC, with Zach Pop pitching against Kurt Horne. “Both threw well, but Pop got the better of Horne and led Ontario to a 4-2 win,” reads a game summary by Chris Toman, special to MLB.com. Pop was pitching at speeds ranging from the high 80s and maxing out at 92 mph, whereas Horn threw in the 84 – 86 mph range. An impressive second.
Tournament 12 is a Blue Jays hosted scouting event, with this year’s tournament being its first. It ran from September 20 – 24, beginning with an evaluation day and followed by an 18-game tournament, with six games played daily for three days. CBC Sports reported a total of 220 players attended the event.
