GUELPH - After knocking off the McMaster Marauders in an early morning semifinal, the Brock Badgers men's baseball team saw their season come to an abrupt end following a 14-2 loss to the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA Regional Final.
This marks the second season in a row that the Badgers baseball team saw their season end in the qualifying round, a new format implemented last season by the OUA consisting of four regional playoffs to determine four participants for the OUA Championship.
GAME 1: Brock 10 McMaster 8
Trailing 8-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Badgers were able to take advantage of several wild pitches, walk, and timely hits to complete the comeback and advance to the regional final for the second consecutive year. Seventh and eighth inning RBI singles from
Ashton Feijo and
Reid Lunney were critical in the come-from-behind win, while
Hayden Stam delivered two shutout innings in relief to hold the Marauders at bay and secure the season prolonging victory.
GAME 2: Guelph 14 Brock 2
Challenging the Gryphons who finished the regular season with the top record in the OUA this fall, for a spot at the OUA Championship, the Badgers were in tough after falling by a large margin to Guelph just the day prior. Brock was quick to jump ahead though with a two run second inning courtesy a seeing-eye single from
Tyler Giancos. However, the visitors from St. Catharines were unable to put together any more through three more innings, finishing the contest with six runners left on base. Meanwhile, the Gryphons put an exclamation point on their qualifier win with a fifth inning grand slam from Sam Brown which brought the game to a close.
Despite the loss, the Badgers proved to be a competitive team once again in the OUA finishing regular season play with a 9-5 record, improving upon a 6-4 conference mark in 2021. With experience gained and several young players producing standout seasons, a return to the OUA Championship is a realistic possibility for the program in the coming years.
BADGERS AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 11-7
Conference Record: 9-5
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