Etobicoke Baseball Association (EBA)

The Etobicoke Titans minor bantam baseball team emerged victorious from last weekend's provincial championships at Centennial Park for the first time in the club's history.

As tournament hosts, the Titans played eight games throughout the course of the annual Labour Day weekend double elimination tournament - losing just one game to the defending champs from Hamilton, said head coach Mike Simmons.

"It was very exciting baseball. A lot of people from the community came out to cheer us on, and I know the entire team really appreciated the support from the entire Etobicoke baseball community," he said of the tournament, which boasted 18 teams from across the province.

The Titans breezed through their first three games, easily defeating Walker Homesites from Windsor 6-1 on Friday night, Whitby with a score of 7-3 on Saturday and the Oakville A's 14-11, also on Saturday. But Hamilton broke the Titans' winning streak later that evening, defeating Simmons's 14-member team 6-4.

The Etobicoke boys rallied on Sunday, trouncing Kitchener 6-2, then reaping some revenge on a rival Mississauga team, the North Tigers, later in the day. Last year at the biannual elimination tournament (the winners of which advance to the national championships) the Tigers broke the Titans' 5-0 winning streak, beating them twice on the last day of the tournament in a crushing defeat.

"But this year we took care of them on Sunday, beating them 10-0," Simmons said proudly.

Going into Monday, the Titans were faced with the challenge of having to pull off a double-dip against the undefeated Hamilton team.

"It was over the top. We really had to stick with them," Simmons said. "The Hamilton guys were defending champs, so to beat them twice was tough."

But they did just that - winning the first game 7-6 and the second 6-5, to walk home with the championship trophy.

"I believe that this win is the result of true teamwork on and off the field by the coaches, players and family members, including parents and siblings, all of whom contributed throughout the entire season to achieving this championship win," said team manager Diane Bowers. "We are very lucky to have such a talented group of young men and such a supportive group of families. It was a pleasure to manage this team and I am so proud of all of them."

While the Nationals won't be held till next year, Simmons said the Titans' win puts his team in good standing for next year's elimination tournament to qualify for the Canadian championships.

Etobicoke Titans Baseball has six clubs for age groups 9 to 15, playing at the AAA level. Competitive players are urged to check the Titans website for September tryout information.