Mustangs defeat Badgers 6-3 to repeat as OUA Baseball champions

AJAX, Ont. - As the rain clouds cleared the Western Mustangs captured their second consecutive OUA championship banner and fifth since the OUA championships inception in 2001 defeating the Brock Badgers 6-3 Sunday afternoon (Oct. 16) at the Ajax Sportsplex.

In the three day championship Western produced an undefeated record while outscoring opponents 45-11.

Mustangs centre fielder Andrew Warner was named the Wilson OUA championship MVP registering an RBI in every game of the three-day tournament while leading in batting average (.571), runs (8), and RBI (10).

In the championship game both Mustangs pitcher Dustin Godden and Badgers pitcher Derek Zwolinski came out on fire delivering two innings of one hit ball each.

However, in the bottom of the third the Western offence put together a rally to jump ahead 6-0 sparked by a two run double from first baseman Jeff Martin forcing the Badgers to their bullpen after just 2.1 innings.

The single explosive inning was all Mustangs starting pitcher Dustin Godden would require to secure the banner winning victory delivering six strikeouts and allowing just two earned runs in eight innings of work.

Full Tournament Recap

Game 1: Western 15, Waterloo 5

Even through two innings the Mustangs and Warriors looked to go hit-for-hit until Mustangs centre fielder Andrew Warner delivered a huge two run home run in the bottom of the third. Western followed that up with another four RBI inning in the fourth and carried the lead until the end. 

Mustangs pitcher Leo Labine picked up eight strikeouts in the strong performance while Warner finished the afternoon with an astounding seven RBI. 

Game 2: Brock 7, Guelph 6 

A three RBI home run by first baseman Blake Stepien in the bottom of the 8th secured the Brock Badgers comeback defeating the Guelph Gryphons 7-6 in an exciting contest at the Ajax Sportsplex. Stepien finished the game with 4 RBI as the Badgers fought back from a 6-1 deficit. 

Game 3: Laurier 11, Toronto 5 

Offence came fast in this one as the Blues opened the game scoring four runs in the first three innings while the Golden Hawks stayed right with them bringing home three. 

However, the bottom of the fourth the Laurier bats could not be stopped as they jumped ahead 10-4 and led the remainder of the way. 

Laurier catcher Connor Patterson recorded three RBI going 3-for-4 at the plate. 

Game 4: Western 12, Brock 3 

Following a quick two run first inning Brock Badgers pitcher Alexander Scothchko-Nolan went into cruise control holding the Western Mustangs to just one run in five innings. 

However, taking advantage of Brock fielding errors the Mustangs put together a six run sixth inning to take the lead and never looked back. 

Western pitcher Ryan Beckett earned nine strikeouts pitching 8.1 innings while Matt Bowden, Eric Beauchesne, and Damon Crumplen all recorded two RBI. 

Game 5: Waterloo 10, Laurier 9 

A tightly contested battle of Waterloo quickly changed as the Warriors put together a seven run fourth inning including a three run home run from Kyle Thalheimer to jump ahead of the No. 1 Laurier Golden Hawks 8-0 entering the bottom of the fifth. 

That's when Laurier finally solved Warriors starting pitcher Stephen Gade with Golden Hawks Jeff Hunt nailing a three run home run of his own to spark a Laurier comeback tying the game 8-8 in the sixth. 

The comeback was ended though by Thalheimer who hit his second home run of the game to restore the Warriors lead and secured the round 2 upset. 

Game 6: Guelph 13, Toronto 5 

Opening Day 2, the Varsity Blues utilized a four run first inning to jump ahead of the Guelph Gryphons early, however, Guelph responded utilizing a two run home run from Matthew Forer to tie things up 4-4 in the fourth. 

From there Guelph continued to rally with six different players posting an RBI in what turned into a decisive round 2 victory. 

Game 7: Guelph 11, Laurier 8 

Winning their second game of the day, the Guelph Gryphons were lifted by three straight innings of offence beginning with a first pitch solo home run by first baseman Gordon Walmsley in the second inning. Walmsley finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI.

Laurier threatened late when Cal Murphy and Adam Shaver put up back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh and a nice string of hits brought in two more in the eighth to close to within one, but it wouldn't be enough to save the top-seeded Golden Hawks who were eliminated from the tournament with their second loss of Day 2.

Game 8: Brock 11, Waterloo 1 

Scoring runs in the first three innings, Brock Badgers pitcher Rhys Tapper was provided with all the room he needed to deliver a seven inning victory. Tapper struck out two, allowing seven hits and one earned run. 

Badgers second baseman Matthew Legg helped put an end to the Warriors OUA championship run scoring five RBI including two in the final four run seventh.

Game 9: Western 15, Guelph 0 

Taking advantage of a worn down Gryphons squad, the Western Mustangs stringed together several strong innings of offence finding holes all over the field while exploiting Guelph defensive miscues. 

First baseman Jeff Martin and right fielder Hayden Woodley led all Mustangs batters with Martin going 2-for-2 with two RBI and Woodley 2-for-2 with three RBI. 

Meanwhile, Western pitching remained stellar as Alex Lamont delivered a shutout in seven innings of work allowing one hit while striking out eight. 

Full Schedule 

Friday, October 14
Game 1 – Western 15, Waterloo 5
Game 2 – Brock 7, Guelph 6
Game 3 – Laurier 11, Toronto 5
Game 4 – Western 9, Brock 3
 
Saturday, October 15
Game 5 – Waterloo 10, Laurier 9
Game 6 – Guelph 13, Toronto 5
Game 7 – Guelph 11, Laurier 8
Game 8 – Brock 11, Waterloo 1
Game 9 – Western 15, Guelph 0
 
Sunday, October 16
Game 10 – Western 6, Brock 3