After going 0-2 the day before, the Brock Badgers baseball team advanced to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship with a resilient showing.
The Badgers first bested the Marauders in 10 innings by a score of 8-6 in the semifinal before conquering the Gryphons 7-5 in the final on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Welland Stadium.
"It feels better than I thought it would. I have been here since 2018 and this is the first time we have made it out of the group," pitching coach Fabio Del Rio said. "We've taken some tough losses before at this tournament and couldn't come through. There was quite a few alumni here that had some hard times with some losses, and we shared some hugs and some tears so this means a lot."
Brock advances to the provincial championship for the first time since the regional format was started in 2021.
Game 1: Brock 11 - McMaster 17
In the first game of the regional tournament, the Badgers and Gryphons got the bats to work to combine for 28 runs.
Liam Riley in his first OUA Regional Qualifier delivered for the hosts with a two-hit and five-run batted in (RBI) performance. Teammate Gavin Taylor notched two RBI of his own off of a double.
The Marauders got out to an early 8-0 lead after two innings, seizing the momentum.
Not willing to go away, the Badgers put up nine unanswered runs to bring the game as close as 11-9 after five innings of play.
From there, McMaster's hitting prowess continued as they outscored Brock 6-2 to take the game.
Five pitchers in total appeared for the Badgers, with Drew McArthur eating up the bulk of the innings, going four and one third. McArthur gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks. The Badgers did not notch a strikeout from their pitchers.
In the hits category, McMaster led with 15 while Brock had 12. The Marauders also led with errors in the field, giving up four compared to one from the Badgers.
Game 2: Brock 16 - Guelph 20
Looking to rebound from their first loss, the Badgers found themselves in an offensive showcase as the two teams combined for an even larger amount than the first. With 36 runs total, there was no shortage of action on the base paths.
Brayden Sowrey had a game-high five hits, coming off all singles as he also tied for a contest-high four RBI as the Badgers combined for 16 hits. The Gryphons' Thomas Cullen notched four of his own as his team led with 18 hits.
Brock got out to an early 5-2 lead after one inning of play. After putting up four runs in the top of the fifth, the Badgers held what looked like a comfortable 11-6 advantage.
This did not last as the Gryphons piled up 10 runs in the bottom of that same frame.
A five-run effort in the sixth wasn't enough for the Badgers as the Gryphons scored in six of their eight innings at bat to claim the win.
In the field, Brock had three miscues while Guelph had a flawless game defensively.
Game 3 (Semifinal): Brock 8 - McMaster 6 (10)
The Badgers showed their fight throughout the contest, battling back after being down for most of it.
Riley and Brady Campbell led with two RBI each for the Badgers, with Riley's triple bringing in go-ahead run in the top of the 10th that ultimately propelled them over the Marauders.
The Marauders struck first, scoring the game's first two runs. Their lead grew as large as 5-2 after six innings of play before the Badgers scored in each of the next four innings, including a two-run eighth that was powered by Campbell's single and Riley's ground out.
After going up for the first time in the contest at 6-5 at the top of the ninth inning, the Badgers saw their lead evaporate in the bottom of the same frame as the Marauders saw a clutch single from Jackson McQuade to tie the score at 6-6.
In addition to his RBI-triple, Riley scored on a wild pitch in the top of the tenth that gave the Badgers a two-run lead, which was enough to book a ticket to the finals of the OUA West Regional.
After starting pitcher Jack Tiessen delivered 5.2 innings of work, it was Evan Marks who shined for the Badgers in relief, keeping the team in it by going 4.1 innings with only three hits surrendered and one run (none earned).
The Marauders controlled the hits category, finishing with 10 compared to the Badgers' six. However, they had five errors in the field whereas Brock had just one.
Game 4 (Final): Brock 7 - Guelph 5
Knowing what was on the line, the Badgers top three hitters in the lineup delivered as they combined for eight of the team's 14 hits.
Riley and Ethan Pasco had three each while Nolan Phelan added two of his own. Tyson Gomm led all hitters in the contest with four RBI.
The Badgers came out to an early 2-0 lead in the first as they looked to build on their momentum from their semifinal win. Not backing down, the Gryphons kept pushing back, reducing the Badgers' lead multiple times including bringing it as close to 5-4 after seven innings of play.
A single from Gomm gave the Badgers a two-run top of the eighth as they extended their lead to 7-4.
Fighting for their championship lives, the Gryphons attempted to come back again, scoring one run off Jack Gillis' sacrifice fly to reduce the lead to two. This is as close as they would get as Noah Chang popped out to give the Badgers the victory and a ticket to the provincial championship.
The Badgers outhit the Gryphons by a total of 14-8 but also gave up more errors (3) compared to Guelph's two.
Charlie Hughes delivered six sensational innings for the Badgers, giving up two runs (zero earned) and only four hits for the win.
Up next, the Badgers will head to the Ajax Sportsplex in Ajax, ON for the OUA Championship on Friday, Oct. 11. The Badgers will take on the winner of the Far West regional in the semifinal round.
