AJAX, ON - The Brock University baseball team opened the 2016 OUA Baseball Championship with an exciting 7-6 come from behind victory over the Guelph Gryphons.
Guelph opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the third and three more in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead.
Brock answered with two in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the sixth to bring it within two runs 6-4. In the bottom of the eight and two runners on,
Blake Stepien (Guelph, ON) belted a 3-run homerun to put the Badgers ahead 7-6.
Stepien led the Badgers offense going 3-for-4 with homerun and four RBI. British Columbia natives
Dawson Veeneman (Delta, BC) (2-for-2, triple, RBI, two runs scored) and
Matthew Legg (Vancouver, BC) (2-for-3, two RBI) both had big games.
Justin Gideon (Pickering, ON),
Dennon Koziol (Hamilton, ON) and
Noah Koffman (Richmond Hill, ON) all chipped in with one hit each.
Brock's
Chase Porter (Whitby, ON) got the start and allowed six runs on six hits while walking four and striking out one over 4 1/3 innings. Southpaw
Ryan Bench (Pelham, ON) was strong over 3 2/3 innings allowing just three hits while fanning four for the victory.
Jake Near (Stratford, ON) recorded the save in the final inning.
The Badgers now take on the defending OUA Champion Western Mustangs at 6pm tonight at the Pan-Am Games Field in Ajax.
