Brock opens OUA regular season with losses to Guelph

GUELPH, Ont. - The Brock University baseball team (5-5 overall, 0-2 OUA) opened the 2015 OUA regular season with two losses to the Guelph Gryphons Sunday afternoon at Hastings Stadium. The Gryphons won Game One by a score of 6-5, and took Game Two 6-4.

In Game One, the Badgers gave up four unearned runs in the first two innings, to fall behind 4-0.

The Badgers answered with three runs back in the fifth inning as Ryan Laird (Aurora, Ont.) and Josh Wray (Burnaby, Ont.) both added RBI singles off Guelph starter Casey Howard.

In the top of the 6th, Brock would take a 5-4 after back-to-back homeruns from Ricky Ferri (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Justin Gideon (Pickering, Ont.).

In the bottom of the 7th, Guelph's Craig Walsmsley belted a two-run homerun off Brock starter Dylan Perego (Waterdown, Ont.) for the victory.

Leading the Badgers offense was Jordan Grant who went 3-for-4. Ferri, Gideon and Wray all went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Laird (1-for-5, RBI) and Marcus Beal (Brantford, Ont.) (1-for-3) rounded out the hitting.

Perego went six and 2/3 innings allowing six runs (2 earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts. In relief, Ryan Beckett (Tiny, Ont.) went 1 1/3 innings with one strikeout.

In Game Two, Guelph broke open a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning as they scored four runs off Brock reliever Phil Owen (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Brock starter Jeff Baggaley (Whitby, Ont.) went five innings allowing two runs on three hitswith three strikeouts in a no decision. Owen suffered the loss.

Gideon led the Badgers going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two stolen bases. Phil Steer (Toronto,Ont.) went 2-for-3 while Taylor McVey (Milton, Ont.) rounded out the Brock offense going 1-for-3.

Source: Brock Badgers

Golden Hawks split season opener series with Queen's

WATERLOO, Ont. (September 13, 2015) - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's baseball team opened their 2015 OUA Conference season on Saturday with a double header at Bechtel Park against the Queen's Gaels.  

Laurier was coming off a terrific pre-season where they finished with an 8-0-1 record.  Queen's was also coming off a strong pre-season where they won a tournament that they hosted.  When the dust settled on an overcast afternoon in Waterloo, each team came away with a victory.

In Game One, Laurier sent veteran pitcher Jordan Petruska to the mound.  Petruska enters his fifth and final year with the Golden Hawks after four very productive years.  Queen's capitalized on some Laurier nervousness in the first inning scoring 2 runs (1 unearned) as a throwing error by Laurier allowed the second run to score.  The Laurier hitters were struggling to figure out Queen's starter Tyler Whealy as he changed speeds very effectively all afternoon.  Laurier finally got on the board in the 5th inning when DH Adam Shaver drove in C Daniel Apostoli who had reached on an error earlier in the inning.  Queen's responded and extended its lead to 3-1 in the 8th inning.  Laurier mounted a comeback in the bottom of the 9th inning and tied the game.  With the bases loaded and 1 out, the Queen's reliever was able to induce a pop up off the bat of 3B Matt Voight for the second out.  With 2 out, and after a long at-bat, 2B Robbie Cant scorched a line drive down the first base line that appeared to have won the game for Laurier.  However the Queen's first baseman, made a great catch to end the inning and snuff out the rally.  This sent the game into extra innings.  Noah Ivanyi entered the game to pitch the 10th inning for Laurier and after a one out walk, a Queen's hitter laced a double into the LCF gap.  Laurier made a strong relay to home plate and had a chance to nail the runner at home plate, however the ball popped out of C Daniel Apostoli's glove allowing the runner to score.  Queen's tacked on an insurance run to take a 5-3 lead that would hold up.  Ivanyi takes the loss in relief.  Petruska worked 8 innings giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits with 1 walk, 2 HBP and 8 strikeouts.  Offensively Laurier was led by CF Adam Raithby who had 3 hits.  Apostoli, Shaver and 1B John King all had 2 hits apiece for Laurier.  Laurier stranded 15 base runners in the game.

After the disappointment of the close loss in game two, Laurier turned to veteran starter Andrew Ziedins in game two of the double header.  Ziedins was in control from the first inning on and completely shut down the Queen's hitters.  Laurier chipped away with single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings and although they couldn't break the game open, they had some good at bats that generated some runs.  Ziedins picked up the complete game shutout giving up 5 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.  Offensively, Laurier only managed 4 hits (Apostoli, Alex Kupchak, Raithby and Voight) but ran the bases well and took advantage of a couple of sacrifice bunts and a sacrifice fly off the bat of 2B Christian Hauck.

"Queen's is a much improved team" commented Head Coach Scott Ballantyne. "I give full credit to their players and coaches as they are not an easy opponent to play against.  We had plenty of chances in the first game but just struggled to get the 2 out base hit that is so important at this level.  They capitalized on 2 mistakes that we made and that was the difference in the ball game.  I liked the way we showed some grit in the 9th inning of game one, but it certainly wasn't out best effort.  I give our guys full marks for bouncing back in game 2 and Ziedins was dominant for us on the mound.  We have a strong starting rotation and if we can play defense and get some clutch 2 out hits, we should have a successful season."

Laurier was rained out on Sunday as they were scheduled to travel to Toronto to take on the Varsity Blues.  The Golden Hawks will return to action on Wednesday against Toronto in a non-conference game at Bechtel Park at 7pm.  The next conference games for the Golden Hawks will be on Sat. Sept. 19th vs. Waterloo at Jack Couch Park.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

Wild opening weekend sees Warriors split games with Toronto and Western

The Waterloo Warriors had a roller coaster of an opening weekend in OUA baseball action splitting their double header games with Toronto and Western scoring 38 run while allowing 47 over the four games.  Third baseman, Michael Clouthier (Guelph) had himself a weekend going 7-for-16 from the plate, good for a batting average of .438 while adding 10 RBI's and 6 runs scored and was named the Waterloo athlete of the week and OUA Peak Performer.

In their season opening game against Toronto at Jack Couch Park, Ryne Weppler (Walkerton) got off to a rough start allowing seven runs in the first two innings but the Warrior bats salvaged the game for the starting pitcher scoring 13 runs over three innings to put the Warriors up 13-7.  Reliever Jonathan Gbedemah (Guelph) would get roughed up in the top of the eighth allowing four Varsity Blue runs but the Warriors would hold on for the 13-11 win.

Kyle Thalheimer (Richmond Hill) and Haydon Friesen (Altona) had strong games at the play with three hits each while Clouthier, Kyle Balzereit (Brantford), Alexandre Lojko (Barrie), and Mike Gatchene (Kitchener) each had two.  Weppler was given the win and rookie closer Austin Coles (Ancaster) picked up his first save of the season. 

Waterloo's pitching got beat up once again in the second game, but this time the Warrior bats went cold as they dropped the game 14-1.  Brandon Semus (Windsor) was credited with the loss allowing nine runs over four and a third innings of work.  Varsity Blues pitcher David Pham was solid over his five innings of work allowing just three hits.

The Warriors were back at it on Sunday in London against the always stingy Western Mustangs and came away with the 13-10 win in game one.  Clouthier's towering grand slam in the eighth capped of a six run inning and Scott Robbins (Oakville) closed it off in the ninth to give Waterloo their second win of the weekend.  Clouthier finished with five RBI's while Balzereit and Donald Smith (Waterloo ) each had two.  Mike Gatchene (Kitchener) went 2-for-3 with a walk and three run's scored in the contest. 

Waterloo's final game of the weekend proved to be a marathon as the Mustangs and Warriors went back and forth all game long with several multiple run innings coming from both sides. 

The Mustangs opened up a 6-0 lead before Waterloo responded with nine runs in the middle innings as the two hot-hitting teams went into extra's tied at 9-apiece.

The Warriors put up two runs in their top half of the 10^th but Western came back with three runs capped off by a walk-off single by Adrian Monk to give Western the win 12-11.

Cody Engel (Waterloo ) was a beast at the plate for the black and gold with four hits, three runs and one RBI while Clouthier and Chris Bombino (Guelph) each had two runs scored as well. 

The Warriors will be back at the diamond on Saturday as they host the Laurier Golden Hawks at Jack Couch Park (12pm/4pm) before heading to Kingston on Sunday to battle the Queen's Gaels.

Source: Waterloo Warriors