HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-08-21, Page 8SportsPAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008.
It’s been a busy August, with
varied results for the Blyth Barons
men’s fastball team.
The month kicked off with an
Aug. 1 home game against Atwood.
Scott Bromley was on the hill for the
hosts and after giving up a lead-off
walk inb the first, sat the side.
The visitors shut down Blyth, then
put a scare in them, by ripping three
singles. The Barons demonstrated
cool under pressure, however, and
successfully got the outs without
allowing a run.
Blyth took a 1-0 lead in the bottom
of the inning after a single by Shawn
Bromley and a triple by Jeff Elliott
for the RBI.
Not to be outdone,Atwood opened
the third with three runs on two
singles and a double.
No one crossed the plate until the
fifth, when Atwood’s lead-off batter
tripled, then scored.
Despite threatening in the sixth,
when Trevor Seip and Bromley
reached on errors and Elliott stroked
a single, the locals managed no more
runs, giving Atwood the victory.
The next week, Brussels Tigers
came to town.
Blyth scored the first run on a
walk to Dean Wheeler and a single,
for the RBI to Mike McDonald to
take a 1-0 after the opening inning.
A triple threatened to bring the
game to a tie in the second, but
pitcher Bromley stayed cool on the
mound to get the outs.
The Barons added to their lead in
the bottom of the inning. Bromley
singled, then stole second. He was
brought home by Elliott’s single.
The Brussels bats came alive in
the fourth with players getting three
singles and a walk off relief pitcher
Seip, to take a one-run lead.
It was short-lived however, as
triple by Justin Peters and a single by
Ryan Clancy to bring him home tied
it in the Baron’s half of the inning.
The game ended in a 3-3 tie.
Two days later Exeter Braves
came to town.
The Barons took a 2-0 lead in the
bottom of the second. Darryl
Wheeler doubled, then a triple by
Bromley brought him home.
Bromley crossed the plate courtesy
of a sac fly by Cole Stewart.
This seemed to inspire the Braves
as they came roaring back to take the
lead with three runs on four hits.
Exeter added another run on two
hits in the seventh to go up 5-2, then
shut down the hosts in the bottom of
the inning to nail the victory.
Aug. 11 the team went to
Goderich to play the Gators.
The hosts jumped out to an early
lead scoring two runs on three hits
off pitcher Darcey Cook in the
bottom of the first.
Blyth waited until the third to get
on the scoreboard, but cashed in two
to tie it. Cook and Clancy waited out
walks, then came home on a
McDonald triple.
The Gators jumped ahead again in
the fifth with two runners crossing
the plate on two hits and a Baron
error.
A solid sixth gave the hosts a
commanding lead in the bottom of
the sixth. Three Gators scored on
two doubles and a single brining the
tally to 6-2.
The Barons have shown time and
again this season that they thrive on
pressure and this game was no
exception as they opened the seventh
with four runs on singles by Cook,
McDonald, Stewart and Peters.
The eighth was a blowout as the
Barons hot bats resulted in seven
runs. Stewart and Peters singles,
then Clancy got on with a triple. The
highlight was a homerun by Chad
Haggitt to give Blyth a 13-6 lead.
The Gators managed two runs on
two singles in the bottom of the
inning, but it was not enough and the
Barons came home victorious.
It was off to neighbouring Walton to
face the Brewers Aug. 12. Bromley
was back on the mound for the Barons.
Blyth was first on the board with a
run in the second off a walk to Mike
Bromley and a sacrifice bunt from Pat
Cronin.
The Barons added two more in the
third off singles by Cook and Clancy.
Walton got those back in the bottom
half from two singles, two walks and
an error.
Cook came in to pitch in the fourth
and gave up seven runs on six hits and
an error to put the Brewers up 9-3.
The score held until the bottom of
the sixth when Walton added another
to mercy the Barons 10-3.
The Brussels Bantams finished
their season on Aug. 15 and 16 with
a year-end tournament held in
Benmiller.
The Brussels squad finished third
overall during the season behind
Kirkton and Ripley. The tournament
was set up as a round-robin with six
teams playing the A division and
four playing the B division.
Brussels was grouped with
Benmiller and Ripley with the top-
placing team after the round-robin
playing the winning team from the
second pool in the A division.
Brussels played its first game
against Benmiller. Ty Sebastian was
on the mound and finished with a
total of 11 strikeouts.
In the first Brussels loaded the
bases on walks to Marissa Pipe,
Jeremy Ross and Sebastian. A
double by Adam Cousins scored
three.
Brussels, in the third, scored four
when Ross waited the walk, Andrew
Lindsay singled, Sebastian tripled
and Zach Watson doubled.
Benmiller was on the scoreboard
in the fourth scoring two on two
walks and a single. They added two
more in the final inning on a
homerun and two singles.
Brussels added one more in their
final at-bat when Watson doubled
and was able to steal his way home.
Brussels then went on to play
Ripley. Sebastian racked up another
six strikeouts during the game.
Brussels came out swinging in the
first scoring four on a walk to Ross.
Lindsay singled, Sebastian doubled
and Cousins tripled.
Ripley answered back with four to
tie the game on two singles, one
double and four errors.
Brussels scored a single run in the
second on singles by Sebastian and
Lindsay.
Ripley scored another four runs in
Season ends for Bantams
The nine-and-seven Brussels
Mites A went into the playoff
tournament in Lucknow on Aug. 16
with hopes of winning the B
division, or at least competing in the
A side.
After an opening game win over
Wingham 1 the team found
themselves on the A side of the
tournament. The highlight of the 16-
7 win over the Wingham team was
the pitching of Ashley Stevenson
and Mitchel Ward, who split the
duties all weekend.
Waiting for Brussels with the bye
was the first-place Lucknow 3, who
had been a challenge for all the
teams this season. This would also
mean that Brussels would need to
win three games to be in the finals,
while everyone else needed two.
The team came ready to play and
completely dismantled Lucknow
19-4.
The defence allowed only one run
and seven hits after the first inning.
The offence was led by Jamie
Perrault, Ashley Stevenson, Jenessa
Neill, and Katrina Huiser, who
scored enough on their own to win.
Game three was against Lucknow
2, a team Brussels had not beaten
this season. The team got off to a
slow start allowing seven runs in
Lucknow’s first at bat.
Again the infield of Wyatt
Machan, Carlie Ducharme, Austin
Johnston, Gregory Ward and
Jennesa Neill closed the door
allowing just two more runs on eight
hits. The offence chipped away at
the lead and in the bottom of the
fifth Gregory Ward led off with a
double, and was driven home with
the game’s final run by Machan.
This would send the them to the A
division championships against
Lucknow 1.
The championship game was an
offensive battle with several big hits
by both teams, as well as some big
plays by Johanna Blake and Daniel
Fritz in the outfield. The Lucknow
team took advantage of a couple of
mental errors and took the game in
their last at bat, 25-24.
Congratulations to Machan, G.
Ward, Ducharme, Blake, Johnston
and Fritz for their multiple homerun
weekend and Dylan McNeil for
driving one of his to the opposite
field fence.
The toss
The Blyth Squirt pitcher tosses it across the plate as his
team took on Brussels A in the year-end tournament in
Brussels on Friday night. Blyth won 12-8. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Snagged
The Brussels PeeWee infielder makes the grab as his team
went on to trounce their Fordwich opponents 20-6 Aug. 13.
(Vicky Bremner photo)
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RReeggiissttrraattiioonn
SSaattuurrddaayy,,
AAuugguusstt 3300
9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Blyth Arena
(late registration fee)
Ages 9-19 Boys & Girls
Any questions call
Linda Pease 519-523-9558 or
Tracy Cook 519-523-9592
Mixed results for Barons
Mites play for title
Continued on page 14