AROUND OUA: Badgers open regular season with sweep of Queen's

Badgers open regular season with sweep of Queen's

The Brock University baseball team opened the 2016 OUA regular season with two victories over the Queen's Gaels Saturday afternoon at George Taylor Field. The Badgers won Game won by the score of 8-4 and Game Two 10-2.

Senior Southpaw Jeff Baggaley (Whitby, ON) got the call to start game one on the mound for Brock.

The Badgers got some early runs thanks to an RBI single by Blake Stepien (Guelph, ON) to score Matthew Legg (Vancouver, BC). That was followed a run scoring on a Queen's fielding error and another RBI single for Josh Wray (Burnaby, BC). The Badgers led 3-0 after one inning.

Queen's would rally back scoring a couple of runs in the third and adding one in the top of the 6th to tie the game at 3-3.

That would end Baggaleys' day, who allowed three runs, all earned, on seven hits, one walk and three strikeouts.

Brock answered back in the bottom of the 6th with a single by Legg scoring both Michael Enns Ward (Mississauga, ON) and Dawson Veeneman (Delta, BC) to give Brock a 5-3 lead. By the time the Badgers got around to bat in the 8th, Queen's had added another run to make it 5-4.

In need of some insurance runs to put the game out of reach, Brock broke through in the 8th with an RBI single by Legg and a 2 RBI single for Dennon Koziol (Hamilton, ON). The Badgers tacked on those three runs while also sending all 9 batters to the plate and firmly put the game away 8-4.

Jake Near (Stratford, ON) came in the 9th and threw a perfect inning to close out the ballgame.

The key performer for Game One was Legg who went 4 for 5 with a run and 3 RBIs.

Game two had Derek Zwolinski (Burlington, ON) get the start for the Badgers. He had a rough start, allowing the first three Queen's batters to reach base, however he was able to escape this bases loaded no out jam by striking out two and only allowing one just run.

The Badgers wouldn't be down for long however as the bats came alive in the bottom of the first. After Justin Gideon (Pickering, ON) and Legg reached on a walk and an error respectively, three straight singles by Koziol, Stepien and Noah Koffman (Richmond Hill, ON) had the bases loaded with no one out and two runs already home for the Badgers. Tyler Nakamura (Concord, ON) broke it open with a two run double and later scored on a Veeneman triple. The Badgers managed to put up 6 in the 1st and took the lead 6-1.

When Queen's scored in the top of the 4th, Brock answered back with an RBI single for Stepien. The Badgers added three more in the fifth on RBIs by Veeneman and Legg.

Zwolinski was stellar in the win allowing only four hits and two runs, one earned, in five innings while striking out six. The relief corps of Adrian Yuen (Ottawa, ON) and Nathan Laird (Kitchener, ON) were great too with a shutout inning by each.

Great batting performances by Koziol who went 2 for 3 with a run, a walk and a RBI, Stepien 3 for 4 with a run and a RBI and Veeneman 2 for 3, a run, a double, a triple and 2 RBIs.

The Badgers return to action Sunday afternnon when they host the Waterloo Warriors at 12 and 3:30 pm at George Taylor Field.

Source: Brock Badgers

Brock splits season series with Waterloo

ST. CATHARINES, ON - The Brock University baseball team (3-1 OUA) continued it's season with a double header against the Waterloo Warriors.

After a two hour game delay due to field conditions, the Badgers lost the first game in a high scoring affair 14-7 and rebounded in Game Two with an 8-2 victory.

In Game One, things got off to a quick start with Waterloo scoring five runs in the second inning.

The Badgers were able to cut into the lead with an RBI triple from Tyler Nakamura and a groundout from Matthew Casburn, which allowed Nakamura to run home making the score 5-2 after two innings.

The Warriors would score another run in the fourth inning forcing Brock starter Chase Porter to be pulled going four innings allowing six runs on six hits. Porter also allowed five walks with no strikeouts. Reliever Nick Subramaniam struggled in his Badgers debut going 0.1 inning allowing three runs on three hits with one strikeout and one walk.

The Badgers did answer back with two runs scoring off of walks and RBI's by Noah Koffman and Michael Enns Ward making the score 9-6 after five innings.

That was as close as Brock would come, as Waterloo ran away with it scoring four more runs in the sixth inning.

In Game Two, things went much better for the Badgers.

This game was very tight with only one run being scored through the first three innings by the Warriors. However the gates burst open in the fourth inning with the Badgers scoring all eight of their runs. Noah Koffman and Spencer Gorick each had two RBI in the inning.

Brock had a strong showing from its pitchers with starter Alex Nolan going six innings, only allowing two runs on four hits, with five strikeouts and four walks. Matthew Balkwill closed things out for the Badgers pitching in the seventh inning.

With a record of 3-1, the Badgers play next September 17th on the road against the Ryerson Rams.

Source: Brock Badgers

Blues sweep Rams in season opener

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues baseball team opened their 2016 regular season campaign with 4-1 and 16-1 victories over the Ryerson Rams on Saturday, September 10 at Dan Lang Field.
 
Josh Graham was the winning pitcher in Toronto's 4-1 victory, while Colin Edwards earned the win on the mound in the second game of the day.
 
The Varsity Blues return to action tomorrow as they head to Aurora to take on the York Lions at Stuart Burnett Park. Game times are set for 12 and 3:30 p.m.
 
The University of Toronto is the proud host of the 2016 OUA baseball championship, October 14-16, at Pan Am Ballpark.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

Gryphons sweep Marauders to open 2016 season

GUELPH, ON – Saturday afternoon marked opening day for the 2016 OUA baseball season with the Gryphons sweeping a doubleheader versus McMaster at Hastings Field.
 
In Game 1, the Gryphons won 12-5 over the Marauders behind 7 solid innings of work from starting pitcher Nathan Kraemer. Kramer picked up six strikeouts while allowing just 2 earned runs for his first win of the season. Leading the way offensively for the Gryphons was fourth year slugger Gordon Walmsley (Hanover, ON) with a pair of hits and 4 RBI on the day. Second year catcher Troy Lacoste chipped in as well with a clutch two-out, two-run single to help extend the Gryphons lead from 3-0 to 5-0. The Gryphons would tack on six more runs in the top of the 9^th to seal the win and improve to 1-0 on the season.
 
In Game 2, third year pitcher Sam Salemi (Toronto, ON) was dominant in his 2016 debut, pitching a complete game shutout in a Gryphons 7-0 victory. Salemi, who split time last year between the bullpen and starting rotation, is part of a U of G rotation that will feature four new arms who are either new to the team or new to a full-time starting role. For Gryphons head coach Matt Griffin, the reigning OUA Coach of the Year, it was the performance of his two starters that impressed him most on opening day. "We knew we'd be able to produce some runs this season. We lost just one everyday player from our lineup from a year ago, but we've got some new arms in the rotation this season. Both guys today were really, really good. It was a great way to start the season for our pitchers."
 
The offence for the Gryphons in Game 2 was led by another veteran slugger in Matt Forer (Brampton, ON). The 2015 OUA First Team All-Star got his 2016 season started off with a bang on Saturday by recording a pair of multi-hit games. In Game 2, Forer had three hits including a pair of doubles. The Gryphons scored five runs in the 5^th inning, with help from a Marauders two-run error in the outfield, to blow things open and seal the sweep.  Gryphons fourth year left fielder Joe Ciccia (Guelph, ON) also picked up a pair of RBI's in the win.
 
Up next for the Gryphons is a doubleheader with Laurier on Sunday at Hastings Field. Robert Wilson, the Gryphons new ace and NCAA transfer from Niagara University, will make his U of G debut in Game 1. Third year man Liam Rivard (Cambridge, ON) is slated to start Game 2 in what will be his first start as a Gryphon. First pitch versus the Golden Hawks is set for 12pm.

Source: Guelph Gryphons

Golden Hawks earn doubleheader split vs Waterloo

The Wilfrid Laurier University men's baseball team split their first two games of the season with the neighbouring Waterloo Warriors. The Golden Hawks started their season at home on Saturday, losing Game 1 by a score of 3-2 and winning Game 2 by a score of 9-4. 

Pitcher Christian Hauck started strong in Game 1, striking out 5 Warriors in the first 2 innings. He allowed a run in the third inning after a string of three consecutive singles. Laurier would tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning after 2B John King hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by CF Jonathan Brouse. Hauck would leave the game after 6 innings, with the score tied at 1. He allowed 1 run on six hits, striking out 6 and walking none. Nick Murray entered the game in the seventh inning in relief of Hauck. Murray allowed an unearned run after an error and pair of singles but was bailed out by RF Daniel Apostoli's diving catch to end the inning. Southpaw Shawn Miller would relieve Murray two thirds of the way into the eighth inning, giving up a single and notching a strikeout to end the inning. Murray pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits and striking out 1. Miller started the ninth inning but was pulled in favour of rookie Kyle Symington after giving up a double to the leadoff hitter. Miller would be credited with 1/3 of an inning, 1 strikeout, and 1 earned run after the leadoff double came around to score on a fielder's choice. Symington gave up no hits or walks in his inning of work, despite allowing his inherited runner to score. With Laurier trailing 3-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Jonathan Brouse lead off with the team's first home run of the year, and the first home run of his illustrious OUA career, cutting their deficit in half. Unfortunately for the Golden Hawks, they would fail to score another run in the inning and Game 1 would end with Waterloo leading 3-2. 

Game 2 was started by lefty AJ Padmore who earned the win in his first OUA appearance, despite a rocky start to the game. Waterloo hit a two-run homer in the top of the first but Laurier gained the lead soon after. 1B Jeff Hunt lead off the game and reached after being hit by a pitch. LF Brett Medland then followed with a single and Brouse then singled home Hunt. Next, Apostoli moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt and 3B Matthew Voight drove in Medland and Brouse with a single. Voight moved to second after DH Nic Lannutti worked a walk and then scored on a single by SS Robbie Cant, giving Laurier a 4-2 lead after one inning. The Warriors would shorten their deficit to 4-3 in the top of the third but the Golden Hawks would continue to pile on the runs in the bottom of the inning. The score became 5-3 after Cant walked with the bases loaded and then 7-3 after a two-run single off the bat of Hunt. Padmore would allow a fourth Waterloo run in the fourth inning and then leave the game after the fifth. He allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, on five hits while earning Laurier's first win of the season. He struck out 2 and walked 3. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Nic Lannutti stretched a left-field base hit into a double and was replaced by pinch runner Alex Kellerman. Cant moved Kellerman to third with a single and Kellerman later scored on a wild pitch to extend Laurier's lead to 8-4. Evan Cruickshank pitched the sixth inning in relief of Padmore, giving up a single and striking out 1. In the bottom of the inning, Medland, Brouse, and Apostoli walked in order to load the bases and Medland came home when Voight walked with one out. Christian Pandoff closed it out in the seventh. He walked two batters in a row but struck out the next one swinging to end the game, leaving the final score at 9-4 in favour of Laurier. 

The Golden Hawks will hope to start a winning streak on Sunday, when they will travel to Guelph to face the Gryphons in another doubleheader.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks