The Brock Badgers baseball team picked up an impressive 14-13 win in the semifinal over the Guelph Gryphons, before suffering a 9-3 defeat to the McMaster Marauders in the OUA West Qualifier final on Saturday (Oct. 7) in Hamilton.
Game 1: Brock 14 Guelph 13 (Semifinal)
The Badgers avenged their quarter-final loss yesterday by defeating the Guelph Gryphons in a high-scoring semifinal affair.
An Ashton Feijo solo home run got things started for the Badgers in the top of the first inning. Guelph answered with three runs in the bottom half to take a 3-1 lead.
The teams were held scoreless until Brock exploded for a six-run sixth inning, utilizing RBIs from Cole Carpenter, Bryn Sanford and Noah Polesky.
The Badgers added three more in the top of the seventh to go up 8-3. In the bottom half, Guelph took the lead after scoring seven runs as they went up 10-8.
This back-and-forth game switched leads again as the Badgers tied the game in the top half of the eighth. Sanford and Randy Phelan both knocked in two runners each to help Brock take a four-run lead at 14-10.
Guelph attempted to rally with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth, but starter Daniel Howat came in relief to close the door. Despite the Guelph pressure, the Badgers held on for the 14-13 victory.
Sanford led the way with four RBIs, but Carpenter was not far behind with three. Phelan, Sanford and Flynn Matheson each had two, while Reid Lunney, Noah Polesky and Feijo notched one RBI each. The Badgers finished with 16 hits as compared to Guelph's 14.
Evan Marks gave up nine runs (six earned) in 6.1 innings pitched, while striking out one batter. Blake Vidal came in for 0.2 innings of relief, giving up one run (none earned) and one hit. Jack Kemp also gave up an unearned run in 0.2 innings pitched and walked two batters, while striking out one. Howat pitched 1.1 innings and gave up two earned runs, two hits and two walks. The Brantford, Ont product struck out one batter in relief.
Game 2: Brock 3 McMaster 9 (Final)
The Badgers came up one game short of the OUA Championship, falling to the host McMaster Marauders by a score of 9-3.
The hosts got a bye to the finals and received the opportunity to bat last in the final. In the bottom half of the first, the Marauders knocked in a run.
Outfielder Ethan Pasco scored on a wild pitch in the top of the third to even things up.
The Badgers eventually took the lead, with Pasco scoring again, this time on a sacrifice fly from Phelan in the top half of the fifth. McMaster responded with some runs of their own, sending seven across home plate in the bottom half.
An added run in the sixth made the lead 9-2 in favour of the Marauders.
Brock scored one in the ninth but their run for the OUA championship would come to an end.
Matheson and Pasco led all hitters with two hits in the contest, while Ben Grant and Tim Sommerville also had one. The two RBIs came from Phelan and Sanford.
Sophomore pitcher Drew McArthur gave up three earned runs (six total) in 4.1 innings of work off of three hits and six walks. Noah Mitchell pitched 0.2 innings and gave up two unearned runs and two hits, while delivering a strikeout. First-year pitcher Jack Tiessen gave up one earned run, two hits and a walk in one inning pitched. Dante Cifala pitched for the second straight day and went two innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.
The Badgers had some miscues on the field, giving up a total of six errors across the two games as compared to McMaster's zero.
In the four games, Carpenter delivered a team-high nine hits in 17 at-bats, while Matheson finished with eight hits in 14 at-bats. The latter also notched eight RBIs and walked five times. Sanford led the team with nine runs batted in over the weekend.
Howat pitched a team-high eight innings across two games and led the team with eight strikeouts as well. A total of ten pitchers were used by Marc LePage in the tournament.
This concludes the season for the Badgers, who finished in the OUA regional final once again. With a bullpen full of young arms and a balanced lineup, this team is poised to make another run in the playoffs next season.
