Eastern Ontario Fastball Blog

A blog dedicated to news about the Greater Ottawa Fastball League and other happenings in the world of fastball / fastpitch softball in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, with occasional stories featuring Mrs Fitzroy Fastball, Fitzroy Fastball Junior and the Caveman. If you have info to send on, send me an email at fastball[at]fitzroyharbour.com. Follow @fitzroyfastball on Twitter.

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Sunday, September 30, 2007

Fastball Article from the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

It's a g'day for fastball; Martell heading Down Under for Masters tournament
Posted By Todd Hambleton

Softball legend Jim Martell came across an article in the archives that described him as a "veteran''. He also noticed that the article had been printed 24 years ago, in 1983.

"I thought that was pretty funny,'' Martell said on Friday, on the eve of his departure for the Australian-Asian Masters Games in Adelaide.

That article was about the 32-year-old veteran Martell. This one is about the 56-year-old veteran Martell, who will in a few days be competing in his sixth international masters tournament. That's an impressive number considering Martell retired from the game 16 years ago, but was lured back to the field when the opportunity to play baseball arose.

He's been around (the world) a while. Martell toured with the California Cuties in the late Seventies, he was the "Clown Prince of Softball'' when he had his four-man touring softball show called The Prince and His Knights in the Eighties. Then came all of the trips Down Under, and elsewhere.

He's looking ahead to more travel, too. Martell said a handful of players from the Cornwall fastball league have each earmarked $500 for a trip in 2009 to the World Masters Games in Sydney, Australia. "That'll be the next one . . . it might be the last one,'' Martell said with a laugh.

Seriously, will it be his final international event, when he's 58? Perhaps. Martell, in a perfect world, will reach his goal of competing internationally when he hits the age of 60. But, he also wants to be a difference-maker on the field, not a passenger in the dugout. "The minute when I'm not contributing to a team getting wins, I'll get out,'' Martell said.

It'll be a goal worth keeping an eye on. Martell's team in Adelaide, the Redback club based in Sydney, is competing in a Masters Division for 35-44-year-olds. Every time Martell steps into the batters' box, he's giving away at least 12 years to his opponents.

Natural ability will only take a player so far when Father Time starts interceding, so what are the other secrets to Martell's diamond longevity?

"I don't know, I don't do much (training-wise),'' said Martell, owner of Cornwall Cruising. "I don't work out, but I'm going all the time, which helps.''

Martell again in the summer of 2007 stayed busy on the fields, playing twice a week in Cornwall, and one or two more times each week in an American league, playing for Winthrop, N.Y.

"That keeps you in decent shape,'' he said.

Martell lately has also stayed away from the injury bug. His last major setback was in 2005 when he suffered torn ligaments in his right knee, requiring surgery in Winchester. Add this to the softball legend's resum‚: when the surgery was completed, Martell was able to walk out of the recovery room, sans crutches.

"(The repair job) was amazing,'' Martell said. "I couldn't believe it.''

And so he's set to go again, with his wife Angela, and with a three-day rest-and-relaxation layover in Fiji. Then it's on to Adelaide for what will be a 10-day tournament, and Martell will follow that up with some deep-sea fishing trips and golf as part of a month-long excursion.
"(Australia is) where I caught my first shark (in 1994),'' said Martell, who's also known as Salmon Jim.

It was a teacher exchange program that Angela participated in that opened the door years ago to Martell's Australian adventures. The last time Martell went over was in 2003, and it was a memorable occasion: at Canberra, Martell suited up for a Team Canada squad that finished first at the six-team Australian Masters Games. Martell, then 52, was Canada's go-to guy, batting cleanup, and his infield hit led to the winning run in a championship-game 3-0 victory against the Sydney Storm.

Martell, inducted into the Cornwall Sports Hall of Fame earlier this decade, has made a lot of contacts in the sport during his career, and he's played against the Redback team on four different occasions. About five months ago, Redback team officials contacted Martell about joining them for the 2007 tournament.

"I've just gotten to know so many people through fastball,'' Martell said. "There's a social aspect to it. You play against (your opponents), then you have a beer with them. . . of course, if Canada had a team there (in Adelaide), I'd want to play with Canada.''

Martell with Redback will play his usual first-base position. "I said I'd play anywhere they ask me too, and that I'd be happy to do that,'' Martell recounted.

Indeed, there are a number of positions on the field that Martell has familiarized himself with over the years.

He's a veteran at this, you know.

GOFL in the Citizen

Martin Cleary at the Citizen put in a little blurb about the GOFL finals in this Sunday's paper:

Online here.

- Randy Peck hit a home run and drove in three runs and Dan Konkle struck out 14 batters on the way to his seventh playoff victory as Team Easton defeated West Carleton Electric 5-2 to win its fifth consecutive Greater Ottawa Fastball League title. Easton swept the best-of-five final.

hat tip to TC on this.

GeeGees final home stand

from Scott Searle

Come watch the Gee-Gees take on last years silver medalists, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

After a 7-0 win over Carleton last night, the team hopes to carry their momentum into a strong final weekend at home against U of T and Guelph.

We are playing at Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville.

Games are 2 and 4 on Saturday and 10 and 12 on Sunday.

See you at the Grove!

for more information:
613-837-0787
www.eteamz.com/ottawaufastpitch

Blackburn League finals tied

The final and deciding Game 3 of the Blackburn league goes tonight (Sunday at 6pm) with the Knights facing the A's.

More at TC's blog.

Glen Cairn league finals

Word on the street is that Medaglia Auto Imports with pitching by Trevor Wood, beat Neil Cooke's team, Amsted, 2 games to nothing in the Glen finals Wednesday night.

Congrats to the Glen on another good season.

2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions dates confirmed

2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions dates confirmed - ISC II looking forward to return to Appleton, Wisconsin in 2008
from Al's Fastball

Note the new format and dates for the ToC next year. The "Northside Sizzle" club mentioned is actually a girls fastball organization.

Following two highly successful years in Kitchener, Ontario, the ISC II Tournament of Champions will be making a return to Memorial Park in Appleton, Wisconsin in August 2008.

“With the ISC World Tournament being played in nearby Kimberly for the record-setting 11th time, Appleton is the logical choice for ISC II with their fastball history and experience hosting international championships, including the 2003 ToC,” said ISC Executive Director Ken Hackmeister.

Appleton’s North Side Sizzle Softball Club will be the host for the ToC.

“We are excited about bringing high-level men’s fastpitch softball back to Memorial Park in Appleton,” said Reed Rudie, who will be the tournament director.

Games will start on Sunday, August 10 with the ISC II championship game slated for Wednesday, August 13. All games will be played in Appleton.

The tournament will feature 32 teams from across North America playing a three-game round robin schedule in eight pools of four teams each. All teams will then move into a single elimination playoff bracket with seeding & byes based on the round robin pool standings. The third & fourth place teams will play crossover games in the first round. Second-place teams will earn a first round bye, while first-place teams will get a bye directly into the third round.
To qualify for the ToC, teams must win or be the highest finishing ISC II team in one of the ISC’s qualifier tournaments. Team automatically become eligible for an invite berth by playing in one of the tournaments. A full list of 2008 qualifiers will be released in the next couple of months.

Gee-Gees reach out to community and say thanks

Gee-Gees reach out to community and say thanks

Free clinic displays Gee-Gees’ commitment and gratitude to the Ottawa fastball community
by Ben Myers - Fulcrum Staff (U of O newspaper)

IT TAKES A lot of friends, favours, and contacts to create a successful sports program, and every once in a while it’s good to step back and say thank you to the people who don’t step foot on the field, but are very much a part of the team.

On Sept. 22, the women’s fastball team put aside their competitive tendencies and took some time to give back to the community that supports them.

The Gee-Gees took the morning to teach some young players from Ottawa’s east end both the fundamentals and the intricacies of fastball (also known as softball). On the infield, players as young as eight years old were taught pitching, fielding, and batting. In the outfield, the Gee-Gees taught some interesting lessons to older players about how to manipulate umpires and look cool while diving to catch a fly ball.

“For the first couple years, funding was a problem. So we were really lucky to [be able to] borrow equipment, borrow diamond rentals, [and] the community associations [were] really helpful,” said Gee-Gees head coach Scott Searle.

Searle explained that all levels of fastball in Canada are attempting to draw attention to the sport and promote it to a younger audience.

“There’s a big push from all coaches and athletes to revive the sport at the young level—the grassroots level ... so we’re doing our part.”

The melancholic mid-morning weather could hardly dampen the spirits of the dedicated athletes, parents, and former players in attendance.

“It’s a free clinic, all ages ... We try to cover all the basics as quick as we can—so we do infielding, outfielding, hitting ... [and] some fun games,” said Erin Durant, the Gee-Gees fourth-year slugger.

Hartley Sommerville, an eight-year-old from the Orleans competitive youth league, took part in the free clinic and impressed much of the fastball team with his wicked underarm pitch—surprisingly technical and accurate for his age. Mary Sommerville, Hartley’s mother, stated that the Gee-Gees have a positive impact on young players like her son.

“[The Gee-Gees] put a lot of time into talking to the kids,” Ms. Sommerville said. “He’s totally focused on what they’re saying and really paying attention.”

“We get a lot out of it ... One of the best ways to learn a skill is by teaching the skill. So for our players to teach the skill ... it’s reinforcement, which is really good for them,” said Searle after the free clinic concluded.

After a quick lunch, the Gees were back on the field for their afternoon games, a double-header against the Laurier Golden Hawks.

“Laurier’s a really strong team ... I expect a really good challenge for us,” Searle said before the game.

The Gee-Gees women’s fastball program had some interesting T-shirts made for this season, stating, “At the University of Ottawa, we don’t rebuild—we reload.” This phrase has become a rallying cry for a team that lost many important players from last year’s roster and is attempting to fill the holes with rookies.

Many of the Gee-Gees rookies performed well in their team’s first game against Laurier. A strong fourth inning with six hits gave the Gee-Gees a 6-3 lead. Laurier added another run in the sixth inning to make the game close, but Ottawa’s closing pitcher, Jillian Taylor, helped the Gees hold on for the 7-6 win.

In the other weekend games, Ottawa again defeated Laurier 8-5 and then twice beat Waterloo on Sept. 23 with scores of 6-0 and 8-1.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

GOFL Stats - Pitching leaders

Some GOFL statistics with respect to pitching (minimum 30 innings pitched):

Earned Run Average
Matt Greer, Quyon, 2.24
Neil Cooke, Carp, 2.33
Dan Bradley, Stittsville, 2.56
Brad Porter, Fitzroy, 2.64
Dan Konkle, Easton, 2.77

Strikeouts
Dan Konkle, Easton, 186
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 136
Dan Bradley, Stittsville, 123
Trevor Lahey, Manotick, 98
Neil Cooke, Carp, 93

Wins
Dan Konkle, Easton, 9
Dan Bradley, Stittsville, 9
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 6
Matt Greer, Quyon, 6
Neil Cooke, Carp, 6

Opp. Batting Ave.
Joran Graham, Quyon, .190
Matt Greer, Quyon, .195
Neil Cooke, Carp, .201
Bud Hanlon, Fitzroy, .213
Dan Konkle, Easton, .215

Walks/Hits per Inning "WHIP"
Neil Cooke, Carp, 0.9
Dan Bradley, Stittsville, 1.1
Brad Porter, Fitzroy, 1.1
Budd Hanlon, Fitzroy, 1.2
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 1.2

Innings Pitched
Dan Konkle, Easton, 101.0
Dan Bradley, Stittsville, 87.2
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 84.1
Trevor Lahey, Manotick, 80.1
Matt Greer, Quyon, 68.2

Gee-Gees Strike Out Breast Cancer

from Scott Searle

On Friday September 28th at 7:30 PM the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees softball team is making a pitch to strike out Breast Cancer.

The team has dedicated their game to raising awareness of the fatal disease that afflicts 22,300 Canadian women every year. 1 in 9 women in Canada will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in their lifetime and 1 in 27 will die from this disease.

Women who are physically active, maintain a healthy diet, and have a healthy body weight are less likely to be afflicted with this disease. The athletes from the Gee-Gees are hoping to raise awareness of these facts and help minor softball athletes in Ottawa reduce the risk.

The team will wear special pink uniforms for the game on Friday night and will be passing out information packages on self-examinations and early detection for their fans. We will also have donor cards on hand for those interested in contributing financially.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 on Friday night at the RA Center on Riverside Drive.

Come out and support the fight against Breast Cancer!

Admission is free.

Monday, September 24, 2007

More GOFL stats - batting

Congrats to Joel Langford, the midget-aged second baseman for the Orleans Gators. Joel won the GOFL batting title this year with an impressive .469 average. Joel of course has good genes as his family is originally from Fitzroy Harbour.

Here are the BA numbers plus other assorted offensive stats. Details on pitching stats to follow.

Offensive Leaders, minimum 14 games
Batting Average
Joel Langford, Orleans, 0.469
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, 0.449
Joe McCleary, Quyon, 0.431
Randy Peck, Easton, 0.412
Cory Morrison, Easton 0.407

Runs
Dave Tubman, Easton, 25
Dan Jessiman, Stittsville, 21
Cory Morrison, Easton, 19
Joran Graham, Quyon, 18
Dennis McCleary, Quyon, 17

Hits
Joran Graham, Quyon, 23
Joel Langford, Orleans, 23
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, 22
Cory Morrison, Easton, 22
Joe McCleary, Quyon, 22

Doubles
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, 9
Joe McCleary, Quyon, 6
John Craig, Stittsville, 5
Nick Armitage, Quyon, 5
Cory Morrison, Easton, 4
Neil Murphy, Fitzroy, 4
Joe Allan, Manotick, 4
Kevin McGuire, Carp, 4

Triples
Dennis McCleary, Quyon, 4
Luke Young, Quyon, 3
Darron Barr, Blitz, 3
Darren Featherstone, Stittsville, 2
Cory Morrison, Easton, 2
Joel Langford, Orleans, 2
Will Mood, Blitz, 2
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 2
Jason Armstrong, Fitzroy, 2
Steve Edgerton, Manotick, 2
Gary Sancartier, Blitz, 2

Home Runs
Dan Jessiman, Stittsville, 6
Ryan Bond, Stittsville, 6
Dave Tubman, Easton, 5
Randy Peck, Easton, 5
Joran Graham, Quyon, 4
Matt Greer, Quyon, 4
Joe McCleary, Quyon, 4
Mike Money, Carp, 4
Matt McNish, Carp, 4

RBI
Randy Peck, Easton, 24
Dan Jessiman, Stittsville, 21
Joe McCleary, Quyon, 20
Joran Graham, Quyon, 18
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, 17

On Base %
Randy Peck, Easton, .551
Joel Langford, Orleans, .519
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, .517
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, .489
Joe McCleary, Quyon, .482

Slugging %
Joe McCleary, Quyon, .824
Ryan Bond, Stittsville, .814
Dan Jessiman, Stittsville, .796
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, .796
Randy Peck, Easton, .784

On Base + Slugging %
Randy Peck, Easton, 1.335
Sam Oliver, Stittsville, 1.313
Joe McCleary, Quyon, 1.306
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 1.261
Ryan Bond, Stittsville, 1.243

Walks
Randy Peck, Easton, 15
Dan Konkle, Easton, 11
Dave Tubman, Easton, 11
Chad Hargrove, Orleans, 11
Jordan Kearns, Quyon, 11

Loughborough League update

Adam Lake reports that Enterprise is facing North Fred in the Loughborough League Finals.

Enterprise beat North Fred 6-1 in the first game.

Joran Graham on the Junior National try out list

Congrats to Joran Graham, the Micksburg native who plays with the Quyon Flyers in the GOFL.

Joran has been asked to the try-outs for the Canadian team which will compete in the 2008 ISF World Juniors in Whitehorse, Yukon. The try-outs will be held in May 2008 in Victoria, BC.

See the news release here.

BMFL Finals are set

As per TC's blog

#1 Knights and the #3 A's will play in the final.

All games of the championship series will be played at the Blackburn Arena fastball diamond. The schedule of the championship series is as follows:
Game 1: Tuesday, September 25 at 7:00 PM
Game 2: Thursday, September 27 at 7:00 PM
Game 3: Sunday, September 30 at 6:00 PM (If necessary)

Friday, September 21, 2007

GOFL regular season stats are updated

Be sure to check the GOFL regular season stats which are now fully updated.

Thanks to Sam Oliver for his hard work in getting this off the ground, and the data entered. As well, thanks to Cory Morrison who helped out too.

Some very interesting info that will help the team captains with the GOFL All-star voting for the 2007 campaign.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't hit my weight this year, so next season I either have to shed 10lbs or get a couple more hits.

Check out your stats here: http://www.allprosoftware.net/GOFL2007/

I'll be featuring more selected stats on the blog in the near future....but here are two sets of team stats to ponder:

Team Batting Average:

Stittsville .291
Easton .289
Carp .264
Manotick .260
Quyon .253
Blitz .247
Fitzroy .245
Orleans .203

Team Earned Run Average:

Quyon 2.87
Stittsville 2.89
Fitzroy 3.37
Easton 3.38
Carp 3.46
Manotick 3.90
Blitz 5.44
Orleans 6.62

Glen Cairn League Finals

from Eric Rosenquist

The finals for the Glen Cairn Men’s Fastball League are set, and there will be a new champion in 2007.

Amsted defeated Local Heroes two games to one, with the last game going scoreless through 6 complete innings. Amsted then scored 3 in the top of the seventh, including two runs on a two-out single by Amsted pitcher Neil Cooke that deflected off Local Heroes pitcher Billy Gerber's foot and into left field for some needed insurance. Local Heroes answered back by scoring a run in the bottom of the 7th, and had the tying run at the plate with only one out, but Neil Cooke struck out the next two batters to preserve the win and take the series.

In the other semi-final, Medaglia upset the defending champions from Murray’s Refrigeration in dramatic fashion, scoring 7 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning of game 2 to overcome an 8-2 deficit and win the series two games to none. With the score 4-2 for Murray’s after 6 innings, starter Trevor Wood twisted his ankle and was unsure if he should continue to pitch. Pete Pettit came in to pitch so that Trevor could rest the ankle in anticipation of a deciding game the following night. With two out in the top of the 7th, Murray’s scored 4 runs to extend the lead to 8-2, and it seemed all but certain the teams would be going at it again in game #3. In the bottom of the 7th however, Medaglia got 8 hits from their first 9 batters to narrow the lead. They completed the comeback when Jeff Rawson singled with two out to drive in the 6th and 7th runs of the inning, giving Medaglia a 9-8 win and a spot in the finals.

Amsted is the home team by virtue of their better regular season record. In their two meetings this season, Amsted defeated Medaglia 7-2 in the regular season and 3-1 in the June league tournament. Amsted were playoff champions in 2005, with Medaglia (then K-Deck) last winning in 2002.

The best of three final series begins on Monday September 24th at 8PM, with game two going Wednesday the 26th at 6:30PM. Game three (if necessary) will be on Thursday the 27th at 8:30PM. All games are at the A.Y. Jackson high school diamond on Abbeyhill Road in Kanata.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Gee-Gees Give Back to the Community

from Scott Searle

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Women's Softball team is following through on its goal of being role models in the community this weekend with a pair of activities designed to repay the local community who has shown tremendous support for the team over its 6 year history.
On Friday September 21 the team has dedicated their game against Carleton University to Canadian Troops currently fighting in Afghanistan as well as at home. 70 Canadians have died in Afghanistan and this game marks the second time the two teams have worked together to make this tribute. Both teams will be wearing special red uniforms to support the initiative started in Petawawa by two wives of soldiers fighting overseas. The Gee-Gees are making a trip to the Canadian War Museum tonight to learn about the history of the war, and how Canada has worked to support Afghanistan.

The game will take place at 7:30 at the Kars RA Center in the south-end of Ottawa. Directions are available on our website. All fans are encouraged to wear red.

On Saturday the team will continue to give back by running a clinic for minor softball players in the Ottawa area. The clinic will take place from 9:00-11:30 on Saturday morning at Pierre Rocque Park in Orleans. The Gee-Gees are piggybacking on the success of the very popular “Bridge to the Future” clinics run by the ISC at their World Tournaments. All athletes are welcome.

The team gets back to business at 2:00 and 4:00 PM as they take on the Laurier Golden Hawks who jumped to a 3-2 start last weekend.

More GOFL info to come....

For those of you that visit for GOFL information, don't wait until April to visit again. Be sure to come back and visit the blog in the next few days, as we will be announcing:

- GOFL All-stars for 2007

- GOFL statistics (Sam tells me he is almost done entering all the stats)

- Plus news/rumours from the GOFL and other leagues as the season finishes off and teams make plans for 2008

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Team Easton wins fifth consecutive GOFL championship

Ottawa Team Easton won their fifth consecutive Greater Ottawa Fastball League championship, sweeping the best-of-five final series with a 5-2 win Wednesday night in Stittsville.

Easton finished third of eight teams in the regular season, but ran the table with 8 consecutive playoff victories to win the title.

West Carleton Electric were the playoff finalists, losing in the finals for the second time in four years to Team Easton.

Dan Konkle had the win for Easton, his seventh of the playoffs, while Brad Porter took the loss for Fitzroy.

Easton took a commanding 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Dave Tubman lead off the game with a single. He moved to second on a wild pitch, then advanced to third when the Electric tried to get him out on a Kevin Chevrier fielder's choice. A walk to Todd Fraser loaded the bases for Randy Peck, who stroked a two RBI single. After a ground out put runners on second and third, Chad Milne slashed an 0-2 pitch to left field for a 2 RBI triple and the 4-0 lead.

After the first Porter settled in, allowing only a bunt single in then next four innings.

Konkle meanwhile was throwing hard, allowing only one base runner (a walk) in the first five innings. At one point, Konkle struck out 8 consecutive 'Trics batters.

WC Electric finally broke through in the top of the sixth. Steve Cavanagh stroked a single to break up the no-no. Adam Brown then dropped a sac bunt, which was misplayed putting runners on first and second. Jon Daley then hit an RBI single to score Cavanagh. After a strike out, Troy Wilson also hit an RBI single to get Fitzroy within two runs. However, Konkle was able to induce the next batter into an inning ending double play.

Randy Peck hit a solo HR in the bottom of the sixth to close out the scoring.

Pitching:
Dan Konkle - W - 7IP, 2R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 14K

Brad Porter - L - 6IP, 5R, 5ER, 5H, 1BB, 12K

Hitting:
Easton
Dave Tubman 1-3, R
Randy Peck 2-3, HR, 3RBI, 2R
Chad Milne 2-3, 3B, 2RBI

WC Electric
Jon Daley 1-3, RBI
Troy Wilson 1-3, RBI
Neil Murphy 1-3
Steve Cavanagh 1-3, R

Play by Play
WC Electric starters: 24 Daley cf, 15 Barton 2b, 21 Wilson dp, 25 Rebertz 3b, 16 Cavanagh M. ss, 51 Murphy 1b, 55 Johnson c, 14 Cavanagh S. rf, 7 Brown lf, 74 Porter p
Easton starters: 26 Tubman cf, 12 Chevrier 2b, 9 Fraser c, 44 Peck R. 1b, 19 Morrison rf, 7 Milne 3b, 27 Konkle p, 13 Kamps lf, 18 O'Connor ss
Top 1st:
Daley struck out swinging, one out. Barton flew out to rf, two out. Wilson struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 1st:
Tubman singled. Tubman advanced to second on wild pitch. Chevrier reached on fielder's choice. Tubmand advanced to third, Chevrier advanced to second on 3b error. Fraser walked. Peck R. singled, 2RBI. Tubman scored. Chevrier scored. Fraser advanced to third. Morrison grounded out 2b to 1b, one out. Peck R. advanced to second. Milne tripled, 2RBI. Fraser scored. Peck R. scored. Konkle struck out swinging, two out. Kamps flew out to rf, three out. 4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error.
Top 2nd:
Rebertz walked. Rebertz stole second. Cavanagh M. flew out to cf, one out. Rebertz advanced to third on wild pitch. Murphy struck out swinging, two out. Johnson struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 2nd:
O'Connor struck out swinging, one out. Tubman struck out swinging, two out. Chevrier struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Top 3rd:
Cavanagh S. struck out looking, one out. Brown struck out swinging, two out. Daley struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 3rd:
Fraser struck out swinging, one out. Peck R. flew out to lf, two out. Morrison struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Top 4th:
Barton struck out swinging, one out. Wilson struck out swinging, two out. Rebertz struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 4th:
Milne singled. Milne advanced to second on wild pitch. Konkle struck out swinging, one out. Kamps struck out looking, two out. 20 Peck J. to hit for O'Connor. Peck J. flew out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Top 5th:
Peck J. to 1b. Peck R. to 3b. Milne to ss. 15 Marion to 2b for Chevrier. Cavanagh M. flew out to rf, one out. Murphy grounded out 2b to 1b, two out. Johnson grounded out to 1b, unassisted, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 5th:
Tubman struck out swinging, one out. Marion struck out swinging, two out. Fraser struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Top 6th:
Cavanagh S. singled. Brown sac bunt, reached on error to p. Cavanagh S. advanced to second. Daley singled, RBI. Cavanagh S. scored. Brown advanced to third on throw to plate. Daley advanced to second on throw to plate. Barton struck out swinging, one out. Wilson singled, RBI. Brown scored. Daley advanced to third. Porter to run for Wilson. Rebertz hit into double play, ss unassisted to 1b. 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error.
Bottom 6th:
Peck R. home run, RBI. Morrison flew out to cf, one out. Milne popped out to ss, two out. Konkle struck out swinging, three out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Top 7th:
Cavanagh M. struck out swinging, one out. Murphy singled. Murphy advanced to second on wild pitch. Murphy advanced to third on wild pitch. Johnson struck out swinging, two out. Cavanagh S. struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors.

Team Easton wins game two of the finals 6-1

Team Easton won game 2 of the GOFL finals on Tuesday night with a 6-1 win in Fitzroy Harbour over West Carleton Electric. Another good crowd was on hand to witness the game, with Dan Konkle collecting his sixth win of the playoffs, throwing a four-hitter. Jim Ryan took the loss and had relief from both Brad Porter and Steve Cavanagh.

Easton used the long ball in this game, with four solo shots from John Peck, Cory Morrison, Randy Peck and Dave Tubman.

Pitching:
Easton
Dan Konkle - Win - 7IP, 1R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 16K
WC Electric
Jim Ryan - Loss - 1.1IP, 3R, 3ER, 3H, 3BB, 1K
Brad Porter - 3.2IP, 2R, 2ER, 2H, 2BB, 7K, 1HBP
Steve Cavanagh - 2IP, 1R, 1ER, 1H, 2BB, 1K

Hitting:
Easton
Dave Tubman 1-2, 2BB, 2R, HR, RBI
Todd Fraser 2-3, BB, R
Cory Morrison 1-3, BB, R, HR, RBI
Randy Peck 1-1, BB, HR, R, RBI
John Peck 1-3, HR, R, RBI

WC Electric
Shawn Rebertz 2-3, stolen base
Todd Clouthier, 0-2, BB, R
Troy Wilson 2-3, RBI

Play-by-Play
Starting lineups:
Easton: 26 Tubman cf, 12 Chevrier 2b, 9 Fraser c, 19 Morrison rf, 7 Milne 3b, 27 Konkle p, 15 Marion lf, 20 Peck J. 1b, 18 O'Connor ss
WC Electric: 24 Daley cf, 15 Barton 2b, 25 Rebertz 3b, 16 Cavanagh M. ss, 51 Murphy 1b, 11 Clouthier rf, 12 Armstrong lf, 21 Wilson dp, 55 Johnson c, 13 Ryan p
Top 1st:
Tubman walked. Chevrier flew out to lf, one out. Fraser singled, Tubman advanced to second. Morrison walked. Tubman advanced to third, Fraser advanced to second. Milne flew out to 3b, two out. Konkle walked, RBI. Tubman scored. Fraser advanced to third. Morrison advanced to second. Marion hit into fielder's choice, Morrison out 3b unassisted, three out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Bottom 1st:
Daley struck out swinging, one out. Barton struck out looking, two out. Rebertz singled. Cavanagh M. hit into fielder's choice, Rebertz out ss to 2b, three out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Top 2nd:
Peck J. home run, RBI. O'Connor struck out swinging, one out. Tubman home run, RBI. 74 Porter into p. Chevrier ground out 3b to 1b, two out. Fraser ground out ss to 1b, three out. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 2nd:
Murphy ground out ss to 1b, one out. Clouthier walked. Clouthier advanced to second on wild pitch. Armstrong struck out swinging, two out. Wilson singled, RBI. Clouthier scored. Johnson grounded out p to 1b, three out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Top 3rd:
Morrison home run, RBI. Milne struck out swinging, one out. Konkle struck out swinging, two out. Marion struck out swinging, three out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Bottom 3rd:
Daley struck out swinging, one out. Barton grounded out p to 1b, two out. Rebertz struck out, advanced to first on wild pitch. Cavanagh M. struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Top 4th:
Peck J. struck out looking, one out. O'Connor struck out swinging, two out. Tubman struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 4th:
Murphy struck out, put out c to 1b, one out. Clouthier struck out swinging, two out. Armstrong struck out looking, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Top 5th:
13 Kamps to hit for Chevrier. Kamps struck out swinging, one out. Fraser singled. Morrison grounded out 3b to 1b, two out. Fraser advanced to second. Morrison to run for Fraser, two out catcher rule. 44 Peck R. to hit for Milne. Morrison advanced to third on wild pitch. Morrison scored on wild pitch. Peck R. walked. Konkle hit by pitch. Peck R. advanced to second. Marion walked. Peck R. advanced to third. Konkle advanced to second. Peck J. hit into fielder's choice, Marion out ss unassisted, three out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Bottom 5th:
Kamps to lf. Marion to 2b. Peck R. to 3b. Wilson lined out to ss, one out. Johnson struck out swinging, two out. Daley grounded out p to 1b, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Top 6th:
14 Cavanagh S. to p. O'Connor grounded out p to 1b, one out. Tubman walked. Kamps hit into double play p to ss to 1b, three out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.
Bottom 6th:
Barton struck out swinging, one out. Rebertz singled. Rebertz stole second. Cavanagh popped out to 1b, two out. Murphy struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Top 7th:
Fraser walked. Morrison hit into double play p to ss to 1b, two out. Peck R. hit home run, RBI. Konkle struck out swinging, three out. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors.
Bottom 7th:
Clouthier struck out, advanced to first on wild pitch. 7 Brown to hit for Armstrong. Brown struck out swinging, one out. Wilson singled. Clouthier advanced to second. Johnson struck out swinging, two out. Daley struck out swinging, three out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors.

Trend-Arlington Fastball League update

The Trend-Arlington Fastball League is still going strong after 32 years, but looking for some players (especially pitchers) for the 2008 season. See below for an update from Wynn Fenwick.

Trend-Arlington Men's Fastball League Final
Congratulations to Soulard Multi-Service who defeated Lone Star 6-5 on the strength of a clutch, 1-out, walk-off single by Rick Stewart in game three of the best-of-three Trend-Arlington Men's Fastball League playoff final last night at Trend-Arlington Field. The win completed a fantastic season for the Soulard men-in-black, who lost only once in 29 starts. For the core of team it was their second championship in a row. Kevin Wilson got the win, going all 7 innings, and Art Henry took the tough-luck loss as he pitched the distance brilliantly, striking out several with the rise and changeup working well. Benoit Boivin backstopped a solid game and threw out two Lone Star baserunners in the victory.

Rick's Really Leaving
After 3 good solid years at the helm, Rick Stewart is stepping down as League Convenor. Thanks so much to Rick Stewart for his dedication to a friendly league with a great atmosphere. Rick's contributions will be distributed among a committee of five with Wynn Fenwick chairing the committee for the 2008 season.

Early Bird Registration
While we're still in summer mode, we though we'd offer an early bird registration. Registrations for next year are being accepted by cheque at or before the banquet for $120. Please make them payable to Trend-Arlington Men's Fastball along with your attached registration form. After that the fee will go up to something closer to the usual rates. We are looking for some pitching for next season so we may return to a six-team league if registration permits.

For more information visit http://tafastball.ca or wfenwick [at] fhlsim.com

Pugger's new contact info

Fastball afficianado Shawn "Pugger" Williams has some new contact info. If you are trying to get a hold of him, you can email him at shawn_e_williams[at]yahoo.ca or use his cell phone at (613) 302-5019. His new work number is (613) 729-6245, Ext. 113.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Fitzroy Harbour House League fastball wrapped up

The Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League wrapped up last week. The four team house league finished of playoffs with "Team Ash", captained by Mark D'Arcy taking the playoff championship in an upset 9-7 victory of "Team Green". "Team Green" captained by Mitch Taylor, won the regular season pennant with a 13-1 record.

The Fitzroy Men's League has been going for over 25 years. At one point back in the mid-nineties it had 10 teams, but is now down to four.

GOFL Game 2 tonight

Fitzroy Harbour will be the site for Game 2 of the GOFL finals tonight (Sept 18), as Team Easton visits West Carleton Electric at 8:30PM. Easton leads the best-of-five series 1 game to 0 after a 3-1 win last week.

Inconsistent Start for Gee-Gees Women's Fastball

from Scott Searle

The University of Ottawa Softball Gee-Gees started the 2007 campaign at home this weekend. They finished with a 2-2 record behind 2 wins against Windsor on Saturday and a pair of tough losses against the defending champion Mustangs from the University of Western Ontario . The inconsistent play is to be expected from a very young Gee-Gee squad who are still growing accustomed to the pace of a University schedule.

The team started slow and fell behind 1-0 to the University of Windsor Lancers after an error and a pair of hits allowed the first batter of the game to score. A strong start from Jillian Taylor kept the Lancers at bay for 5 innings before they added 2 more runs in the top of the 6th inning. The Gee-Gees revealed their inexperience in a few key situations leaving the bases loaded once, and runners in scoring position on 2 other occasions. Marea Modutlwa and Lauren Dufort in their Gee-Gees debut played well as Marea ignited 2 rallies and Lauren delivered the crushing blow in the 6th inning with a 3 RBI double. The Lancers did well keeping the Gee-Gees off the score-sheet until the 6th inning when the Garnet and Grey turned a 4-3 lead into a 12-3 win. An RBI double from Lauren Dufort and an RBI triple from Sam Pantalone were icing on the Gee-Gees cake in the 6th inning in a game that was stopped early.

The Gee-Gees sent Emily Ernst to the circle for her first start in the OIWFA. She was very impressive behind a strong Gee-Gee defense, Emily had 9 strikeouts in a complete game 3 hit performance. She helped her own cause driving in the games first run, after Sam Pantalone led off the 2nd inning with a triple to left field. Marea Modutlwa continued her strong start with an RBI triple in the 6th inning to lead the Gee-Gees to a 4-0 win.

Ashley Sands took the start in the 3rd game against the University of Western Ontario who showed why they are the defending champions with a convincing 9-0 win behind a 1-hitter from Kristina Lemon. Elissa Sivel relieved Ashley in the 3rd and pitched very well for 4 innings keeping the potent Mustang offense to 2 runs. The Gee-Gees struggled with their offense while Lindsey McLaughlin showed why she was the back-to-back University of Ottawa CSC Female Athlete of the Year with a pair of hits and a walk in only her second day in a Mustang uniform. Seeing Lindsey across the diamond reminded the Gee-Gees about the work they must to in order to re-build their program to compete once again in the OIWFA.

The Gee-Gees started the 2nd game with a bang as they jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning behind a 2 RBI single from Lauren Dufort as she drove in Allie Rutherford who had a great weekend at the plate with 5 hits and Vanessa Homiak who had singled. Kristina Lemon, who took the ball again for the Mustangs settled down and kept the Gee-Gees to only 4 hits the rest of the way as Western cruised to a 8-2 win. Jillian Taylor relieved Elissa in the 3rd inning and pitched very well, allowing 2 runs in 4 innings.

A fair start for a team who is looking to re-build after losing 60% of its RBI’s from 2006. The team will look to learn from 2007, and look to compete again in 2008.

The Gee-Gees are at home again September 22 and 23 as they host the Waterloo Warriors and the Laurier Golden Hawks. The team is proud to announce that once again their have dedicated their game on Friday, September 21 against Carleton to Canadian Troops fighting overseas and at home. The Gee-Gees will wear special red shirts to show support for the men and women of the Canadian military. We are also hosting a Bridge to the Future Clinic from 9:00-11:30 on Saturday September 22 for all minor softball players in the Ottawa area. Admission is free and instruction will be given by Gee-Gee athletes and coaches.

Friday September 21 - Support our Troops Night vs. Carleton Kars RA Center
Saturday September 22 - Bridge to the Future 9:00-11:30 Pierre Rocque Park
Saturday September 22 - VS Laurier 2:00 and 4:00 Pierre Rocque Park
Sunday September 22 - VS Waterloo 12:00 and 2:00 Pierre Rocque Park

BMFL 2nd Round Playoff Preview

from Shannon Borho
Just one upset in the first round of this year's Blackburn Men’s Fastball League playoffs, as the Blues swept the Guzzlers. The other series' went as expected with the top three seeds advancing to the 2nd round although Stan's Diner put a scare into the 2006 champion Good Ol' Boys taking the first game. Both the A's and Knights swept their first round series' over the Rogues and Ball Bangers respectively. Here is the 2nd round preview, all series' are best-of-three, all games played at the Blackburn Hamlet arena diamond:

#1 Knights vs. #5 Blues
Key Pitchers
Blues: Shannon Borho
Knights: Jamie Blakely

Key Batters
Blues: Steve Walman, Norm Manns, Shannon Borho, Gary Larocque, Bill Blad
Knights: Gerry Sancartier, Stefan Sklepowicz, Tyler and Ryan Cox, Brett Dugan

Pitching and defence will determine this series that is expected to be a low scoring one. A rested Blues squad who swept the Guzzlers in the first round will look to win two tight games against the high-powered Knights squad. After sweeping the Ball Bangers, Jamie Blakely and the Knights look to continue their dominance against the Blues as they swept the season series 3-0.

#2 Good Ol' Boys vs. #3 Wally's A's
Key Pitchers
Wally's A's: Will Lowe
Good Ol' Boys: Gilles Roy, Andy Dunn

Key Batters
Wally's A's: Eric 'Pedro' Sanchez, Terry Jones, Will Mood, Denis McNicoll, Noel Hayes, Dave Millette
Good Ol' Boys: Steve Corry, Serge and Luc Potvin, John Tremblay, Rej Doiron, Norm Gascon

After getting a scare by losing their first game of the playoffs, the Good Ol' Boys returned to form scoring 21 runs in the final two games of their first round win against Stan's Diner. In contrast with the other semi-final series, this one looks to be a high-scoring affair as the top two scoring teams in the regular season faceoff. The two team's finished the regular season with 32 points but the Good Ol' Boys will have home field advantage due to their 3-0 record against the A's although all three games were close. The A's advanced to the second round with a two-game sweep of the Rogues.

Williamsburg Final Results

from Eric Rosenquist

Local Heroes Kanata defeated the Williamsburg Cigars 1-0 in the championship game on Sunday. Billy Gerber went the distance for Local Heroes, allowing only one base runner on a single to left field. Jason Smith pitched equally well for Williamsburg, surrendering two walks and one hit, but the difference was the hit – a solo home run by Cory Alkerton in the third inning that stood up as the game winner.

In the consolation final for third place and $100 in prize money, Sydenham got the nod over Manotick. Manotick had stretched Williamsburg to extra innings in their semi-final before losing 2-1 in the 8th, though they only had seven players and had to round out their roster with some local pickups at game time. After the game, Manotick didn’t have enough bodies to field a team, so Sydenham took 3rd place by default.

9 AM: Pool A 2nd Quyon vs. Pool B 3rd Sydenham

Sydenham wins 2-1 after scoring 2 runs in the first inning. Neither team hit a ball to the outfield in this game.

11 AM: Pool B 2nd Manotick vs. Pool A 3rd North Augusta

North Augusta jumps out to a 3-0 lead early in the game, but Manotick hangs in there and gradually takes over the game. Final was 6-3 for Manotick. Shannon Borho did the pitching for Manotick..

1 PM: Winner of 9 AM (Sydenham) game vs. Pool B 1st (Kanata)

Local Heroes Kanata wins 5-0. Billy Gerber pitches 6 shutout innings and Cory Alkerton closes the top of the 7th with a 3-up, 3-down inning. Scott Nichols threw for Sydenham.

3 PM: Winner of 11 AM game (Manotick) vs. Pool A 1st (Williamsburg)

Williamsburg goes ahead 1-0 early, only to see Manotick tie the game off a John Lindsey solo home run. The game went to extra innings, with Williamsburg winning 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th. The runner on 2nd base scored when the first batter bunted, and the throw to first went wide of the bag and rolled into right field. Jason Smith went the distance for Williamsburg as did Trevor Lahey for Manotick. Of note: Manotick only had 7 regulars left healthy / available by the time the game started, so they made due with 2 local pickups and gave Williamsburg a real battle.

Consolation 5 PM: Loser of 1 PM game (Sydenham) vs. Loser of 3 PM game (Manotick)

Sydenham wins by default to claim 3rd place and the $100 prize money. Manotick didn’t have enough healthy / available players to field a team.

Final 5:30 PM: Winner of 1 PM game (Local Heroes) vs. Winner of 3 PM game (Williamsburg)

Local Heroes Kanata wins 1-0 in a game that saw just 4 base runners. Billy Gerber was a single to left-field away from having a perfect game for Local Heroes. Jason Smith pitched equally well for Williamsburg, surrendering just two walks and one hit, but the difference was the hit – a solo home run by Cory Alkerton in the third inning that stood up as the game winner. Local Heroes takes home $800 and Williamsburg gets $600 for 2nd place.

Awards:

Top pitcher: Billy Gerber – Local Heroes Kanata
Top hitter: Cory Morrison – Local Heroes Kanata (avg over .400, two home runs)
Tourney MVP: Cory Alkerton – Local Heroes Kanata (avg over .300, two home runs including the tournament winner).
HR Derby: Brad Marion – North Augusta def Cory Alkerton in the 2nd tie-breaker round.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Williamsburg Saturday results

from Eric Rosenquist

Friday
7 PM: North Augusta 2 Williamsburg 4
Lyle Schell for Williamsburg

Saturday
10 AM: Manotick 3 vs. Sydenham 4
Scotty Nichol & Jamie Blakely for Syd, Shannon Borho for Manotick

12 PM: North Augusta 6 vs. Quyon 15
Matt Greer & Joe McCleary for Quyon

2 PM: Sydenham 4 vs. Local Heroes Kanata 9
Billy Gerber for Kanata

4 PM: Williamsburg 3 vs. Quyon 1
Jason Smith for Williamsburg , Matt Greer for Quyon
Williamsburg wins the “A” pool

6 PM: Manotick 4 vs. Local Heroes Kanata 3 Manotick (walk off 2 run HR by Trevor Lahey)
Trevor Wood & Trevor Lahey for Manotick, Billy Gerber and Cory Alkerton for Local Heroes Manotick needed to win by at least 3 to get the tie-breaker over Kanata, so Kanata still won the “B” pool.

Sunday’s schedule is:

9 AM: Pool A 2nd Quyon vs. Pool B 3rd Sydenham
11 AM: Pool B 2nd Manotick vs. Pool A 3rd North Augusta
1 PM: Winner of 9 AM game vs. Pool B 1st Kanata
3 PM: Winner of 11 AM game vs. Pool A 1st Williamsburg
5 PM: Loser of 1 PM game vs. Loser of 3 PM game (north diamond)
5:30: Winner of 1 PM game vs. Winner of 3 PM game

Williamsburg Tourney, update #1

from Eric Rosequist

Williamsburg defeated North Augusta 4-2 on Friday night in a game that had its share of rain, but not enough to stop play. Lyle Schell was on the mound for Williamsburg.

The pools are:

A: Williamsburg , North Augusta , Quyon
B: Manotick, Sydenham, Local Heroes Kanata

The schedule for Saturday is:

10 AM: Manotick vs. Sydenham
12 PM: North Augusta vs. Quyon
2 PM: Sydenham vs. Local Heroes Kanata
4 PM: Williamsburg vs. Quyon
6 PM: Manotick vs. Local Heroes Kanata

Sunday’s schedule is:

9 AM: Pool A 2nd vs. Pool B 3rd
11 AM: Pool B 2nd vs. Pool A 3rd
1 PM: Winner of 9 AM game vs. Pool B 1st
3 PM: Winner of 11 AM game vs. Pool A 1st
5 PM: Loser of 1 PM game vs. Loser of 3 PM game (north diamond)
5:30: Winner of 1 PM game vs. Winner of 3 PM game

Friday, September 14, 2007

Glen Cairn Semi Finals

from Eric Rosenquist

The semi-finals of the Glen Cairn Men’s Fastball League got underway Wednesday night in Kanata, with the 2006 playoff and 2007 regular season champions from Murray Refrigeration taking on Medaglia Auto Imports, and the 2007 tournament champions from Local Heroes taking on the 2005 playoff champions from Amsted. The remaining teams were the top four in the regular season standings this year.

In the regular season, Murray’s went 2-0 against Medaglia, outscoring them 22-14, though it was Medaglia that took the series lead with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night.

Local Heroes had a 2-0-1 record against Amsted in 2007, outscoring them 10-2 in the three games, including a dramatic 1-0 win in the tournament semi-final. As expected, the teams played a tight, well-pitched game where scoring opportunities were few and far between. In the end, Local Heroes prevailed 3-2 when the “Bee Gees” – Ben Gigliotti and Billy Gerber – strung together a double and a single to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 6th.

Both series continue on Monday September 17th at the A.Y. Jackson Secondary School ball diamond on Abbeyhill Road in Kanata. Amsted is home to Local Heroes at 6:30 and Medaglia is home to Murray’s at 8:30.

Team Easton takes game 1 of the GOFL finals

Ottawa Team Easton took game 1 of the best-of-five GOFL finals by a score of 3-1 in Carp on Thursday night.

Dan Konkle had the win, throwing a 2-hitter, while Brad Porter also threw well in taking the loss allowing 5 hits.

WC Electric had a chance in the top of the first when Konkle walked the first two batters, Jon Daley and Trevor Barton. Daley advanced to third on two wild pitches, and Barton stole second to put to two in scoringn position. Konkle struck out the next two batters. Then, with Neil Murphy at the plate, Barton took a big lead off second and catcher Randy Peck attempted to pick him off. When the throw went to second, Daley took off for home, and was out on a close play at the plate.

Easton scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second. Randy Peck lead off with a double, and ended up scoring on a Scott Marion RBI single.

WC Electric responded to tie the game in the top of the sixth. Trevor Barton broke up the no-hitter with a triple to right-centre with one out. Barton scored on a Shawn Rebertz RBI single to tie the game at 1.

Easton responded in the bottom of the sixth to go up 3-1. Kevin Chevrier was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Despite the excrutiating pain, Chevrier was able to stay in the game. Chad Milne then drove a pitch up the middle, but Michael Cavanagh made a diving catch to get the force out at second. However Randy Peck then spanked a double to right, scoring Milne. With Kyle Olson in to pinch run for Peck, Konkle helped his cause by driving in a run on a well hit single to put Easton up by two runs.

DK struck out the side in the top of the seventh to preserve the win.

Game 2 of the finals is scheduled for Tuesday Sept 18 at 8:30PM in Fitzroy Harbour. Game 3 should be played the following day, Sept 19 at 8:30PM in Stittsville.

Pitchers:
Easton
Dan Konkle - W - 7IP 1R 1ER 2H 4BB 14K
WC Electric
Brad Porter - L - 6IP 3R 3ER 5H 2BB 8K 1HBP

Hitters:
Easton
Kevin Chevrier 1-2, HBP
Randy Peck 2-3, 2 x 2B, RBI, R
Dan Konkle 1-3, RBI
Scott Marion 1-3, RBI
Pat O'Connor 2BB

WC Electric
Trevor Barton 1-2, 3B, R, BB, stolen base
Shawn Rebertz 1-3, RBI


Play by play
WC Electric starters: 24 Daley CF, 15 Barton 2B, 25 Rebertz 3B, 16 Cavanagh M. SS, 51 Murphy 1B, 11 Clouthier RF, 12 Armstrong LF, 55 Johnson C, 14 Cavanagh S. DP, 74 Porter P

Easton starters: 26 Tubman CF, Chevrier 2B, Milne 3B, 44 Peck R. C, 19 Morrison RF, 27 Konkle P, 15 Marion 1B, 18 O'Connor SS, 13 Kamps LF

Top 1st:
Daley walked. Daley advanced to second on wild pitch. Daley advanced to third on wild pitch. Barton walked. Barton stole second. Rebertz struck out swinging. Cavanagh M. struck out swinging. Daley out at home C-2B-C. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Bottom 1st:
Tubman struck out swinging. Chevrier flew out to LF. Milne struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Top 2nd:
Murphy struck out swinging. Clouthier struck out swinging. Armstrong popped out to 1B. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Bottom 2nd:
Peck R. doubled. Morrison struck out swinging. Konkle struck out swinging, wild pitch, out at first C-1B. Peck R. advanced to third. Marion singled, RBI. Peck scored. O'Connor walked. Marion advanced to second. Kamps grounded into fielder's choice, O'Connor out 2B unassisted. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors.

Top 3rd:
Johnson grounded out 1B unassisted. Cavanagh S. grounded out SS to 1B. Daley struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Bottom 3rd:
Tubman struck out swinging. Chevrier singled. Milne grounded into fielder's choice, Chevrier out P to SS. Peck R. grounded into fielder's choice, Milne out 2B to SS. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors.

Top 4th:
Barton struck out swinging. Rebertz struck out swinging. Cavanagh flew out to CF. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Bottom 4th:
Morrison popped out to SS. Konkle flew out to RF. Marion struck out, out C to 1B. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Top 5th:
Murphy struck out swinging. Clouthier walked. Armstrong walked, Clouthier advanced to second. Johnson struck out swinging. Cavanagh struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Bottom 5th:
O'Connor walked. Kamps sac bunt, 2B unassisted. O'Connor advanced to second. O'Connor out stealing at third C to SS. Tubman struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Top 6th:
Daley struck out swinging. Barton tripled. Rebertz singled, RBI. Barton scored. Cavanagh M. sac bunt, 3B to 2B. Rebertz advanced to second. Murphy flew out to RF. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors.

Bottom 6th:
Chevrier was hit by pitch. Milne hit into fielder's choice, Chevrier out SS to 2B. Peck R. doubled, RBI. Milne scored. Olson in to run for Peck R. Morrison grounded out P to 1B. Olson advanced to third. Konkle singled, RBI. Olson scored. Marion struck out looking. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors.

Top 7th:
Peck R. re-entered to C. Clouthier struck out swinging. Armrstrong struck out looking. Johnson struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Bad boys bad boys, whatcha ya gonna do

Some of the WC lads got into a little trouble in Elkland.....


Gee-Gees Softball Home Opener September 15

from Scott Searle

The University of Ottawa Women's Softball Gee-Gees kick off their 2007 campaign this weekend with a pair of double-headers at home against Windsor and The University of Western Ontario.

Come watch this weekend as the team squares off against Windsor at 2 and 4 on Saturday before facing the Western Mustangs at 12 and 2 on Sunday.

All games are at DuMaurier Park, directions below.

The Gee-Gees will have their hands full this year as they look to replace several key players who have graduated the program. Back-to-Back University of Ottawa Athlete of the Year, Lindsey McLaughlin has graduated, along with Nicole Dunlop who together accounted for over 60% of the teams RBI's in 2006. A new crop of rookies will seek to tame 2 of the top teams in the OIWFA this weekend as they take on the defending champions in Western and perennial favourites from Windsor.

Hope to see you at the park!

Scott Searle

Directions:
417 West
Pinecrest Exit Toward Greenbank Road-You should see an Ikea on the other side of the highway
Turn Right on Pinecrest
Left at DuMaurier Road

2007 Roster

Vanessa Homiak Allison Hibbett Ashley Sands Sarah Thompson Allie Rutherford Samantha Pantalone Jillian Taylor Erin Mulvihill Elissa Sivel Erin Durant Emily Ernst Lauren Dufort Laura Skiperis Marea Modutlwa Coaching Staff:Scott SearleDale AikenJim CowdreyAndy BrothersRadha KhoslaTim MatleyDonna PriceDr. Glen Harris

Game 1 to be played in Carp

Game 1 of the GOFL finals will be played in Carp, tonight (September 13) at 8:30PM.

Stittsville diamonds were unavailable.

Game 2 of the finals will be played in Fitzroy Harbour on Tuesday September 18 at 8:30PM.

Subsequent games in the best of five finals between WC Electric and Team Easton are to be determined.

GOFL Finals Preview

The two finalists have now been determined for the Championship Series of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League. West Carleton Electric, of Fitzroy Harbour, ON will face defending champions Team Easton from Ottawa, ON in a best-of-five series for the I4C Consulting Trophy.

Team Easton will be playing for their fifth consecutive playoff title, while West Carleton Electric will be aiming for their first ever championship. Easton and WC Electric faced off in the 2004 Championship Series, with Easton winning three games to one.

Team Easton, the #3 seed in the playoffs, knocked off 2006 playoff finalists and #2 seed Stittsville 56ers in a three game sweep in the semi-finals. West Carleton Electric finished the regular season as the #5 seed and upset regular season title winners Carp I4C Victory in the other semi-final, three games to one.

Pitchers Dan Konkle of Team Easton and Brad Porter of WC Electric both have four playoff wins to lead their teams.

Konkle's playoff numbers: 25 innings, 2 earned runs, 0.56 ERA, 9 hits, and 3 shut outs.
Porter's playoff numbers: 24.1 innings, 3 earned runs, 0.87 ERA, 17 hits, and 1 shut out.

Game 1 of the series will be played Thursday September 13 at 8:30PM in Carp, ON. Game 2 will be contested on Tuesday September 18 at 8:30PM in Fitzroy Harbour. Future dates for subsequent games to be determined shortly.

The GOFL is an eight team men's intermediate fastball league with teams from eastern Ontario and west Quebec.For more on fastball in the area, visit http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com

***********************************************
Finals Preview:
3rd Ottawa Team Easton (17-7-2) vs. 5th Fitzroy Harbour WC Electric (14-11-2)

Easton defeated Manotick Lomor Printers in the first round and Stittsville 56ers in the semis, both in sweeps. WC Electric swept the Quyon Flyers in the first round, then beat out regular season champs Carp I4C Victory three games to one in the semis.

In regular season play, Easton won two of three games against the Electric. The last time that Easton and WC Electric met in the playoffs was the 2004 Championship Series, won three games to one by Team Easton.

Here is how the teams fared against one another in the regular season:

Team Easton 9 WC Electric 0 - June 19 in Fitzroy Harbour
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/06/team-easton-pummels-wc-electric-9-0.html

WC Electric 4 Team Easton 3 - July 20 in Fitzroy Harbour
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/07/wc-electric-comes-back-to-defeat-easton.html

Team Easton 4 WC Electric 2 - July 23 in Pakenham
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/07/easton-prevails-4-2-over-wc-electric-in.html

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

WC Electric to face Team Easton in GOFL finals

West Carleton Electric won Game 4 of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League semi-final series to defeat Carp I4C Victory three games to one. Final score was 3-1 for the Fitzroy Harbour squad.

Both pitchers threw very well, giving up only 5 hits each, with Brad Porter registering the win (his third of the series) and Trevor Wood taking the loss.

Victory had a good chance to score in the second. Pete Pettit walked with one out, then Brooks Paziuk hit an off-hand double to left to put runners on second and third with two out. However Porter was able to get out of the jam by getting the next batter to strike out.

Wood retired the first eleven 'Trics batters in succession, until Shawn Rebertz legged out a two-out infield hit in the bottom of the fourth. Mike Cavanagh then reached on an infield hit of his own, putting runners on the corners. Neil Murphy then stroked a huge homerun to right field over the "grey monster" to put the home side up 3-0.

I4C looked to get back into the game in the top of the sixth, when clean-up hitter Matt McNish hit a deep home run with two out to draw the visitors within two runs. Wood then helped his own cause by hitting a double, but Porter was able to get the next batter to ground out to preserve the 3-1 lead.

Fitzroy had a chance to pad the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Jon Daley lead off with a single and was moved to second on a Trevor Barton sac bunt. After a ground out, Victory elected to intentionally walk Mike Cavanagh, bringing Murphy to the plate who had stroked the three run homer in his previous at bat. Murphy hit the ball hard, but second baseman Russ Mitchell made a nice play to get Cavanagh out at second and end the threat.

With Victory's season on the line in the bottom of the seventh, Porter was throwing as strong as ever, and finished off the game by striking out the side, earning the applause of the gathered fans on had. With the win, the Trics moved on into the finals for the first time since their inaugral season in 2004, when they also faced Team Easton in the championship series.

The Finals are slated tenatively to kick off on Thursday September 13 at 8:30PM in Stittsville, as Team Easton will be gunning for their fifth consecutive playoff title, and WC Electric will be searching for their first ever GOFL crown.

Pitching:
WC Electric
Brad Porter - W - 7IP, 1R, 1ER, 5H, 1BB, 14K, 1 HBP

I4C Victory
Trevor Wood - L - 6IP, 3R, 3ER, 5H, 1IBB, 3K

Hitting:
WC Electric
Jon Daley 1-3
Shawn Rebertz 1-3, R
Mike Cavanagh 1-2, BB, R
Neil Murphy 1-3, HR, 3RBI
Todd Clouthier 1-2

I4C Victory
Al Read 1-3
Matt McNish 1-3, HR, RBI
Trevor Wood 2-3, 2B
Brooks Paziuk 1-3, 2B

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Easton moves on to GOFL finals

with info from Cory Morrison

Ottawa Team Easton won game 3 of their semi-final series against Stittsville 56ers on Sunday night to sweep and move to the finals. Final score was 12-0.

For Easton, Kevin Chevrier had a homerun in the first. Chad Milne had a triple and single. Lukas Kamps drove in 3 runs and Johnny Peck had a 2run single.

Sam Oliver had Stittsville's only hit.

Dan Konkle had the win for Team Easton, while Dan Bradley took the loss and had relief from Darren Ladouceur.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Friday night fastball results - with updated stories

On a very windy night in Fitzroy Harbour, the results of the GOFL playoff double header were as follows:

Easton 3 Stittsville 2
(Easton leads best-of-five 2-0)
WP - Dan Konkle
LP - Dan Bradley

from Sam Oliver

Game 2 of the GOFL semi-final between Team Easton and Stittsville was played on Friday night through some very dusty and windy conditions at Fitzroy Harbour. Once again, Dan Konkle was hurling for Easton and Stittsville countered with Dan Bradley.

The game started out with a bang as 56er lead off man and 2007 GOFL homerun co-champion Ryan Bond belted a Konkle offering deep over the centerfield fence to give his team a 1 run lead. Stittsville continued to threaten in the inning as with one out Dan Jessiman drew a walk which was followed by a Sam Oliver single. The 56ers were unable to capitalize though, as Konkle retired the next two Stittsville batters in order.

The second inning started much the same as the first. This time it was Dan Bradley ripping a deep HR directly into the teeth of the wind in left field. Scott Jessiman then drew a walk and would make his way to third via wild pitches, but the 56ers were once again unable to cash the run.

Cory Morrison continued his hot hitting with a lead off single for the Easton side in the bottom half of the second. Bradley was able to get the next two hitters in order, however, with two out and two strikes, Scott Marion delivered for the Easton side. He smacked the pitch from Bradley over the right centerfield fence to tie the game at two.

For the next 4 innings, both teams traded scoring chances but were unable to cash. Easton had runners on in each of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, including a runner at third in the 4th, but didn't score.

For their part, Stittsville had the bases loaded in the 4th and a runner at third base with no one out in the top of the 7th, but failed to produce a run.

The deadlock was broken in the bottom of the seventh when Easton shortstop Pat O'Connor smacked the first Bradley offering of the inning over the centerfield fence to give his side a two game lead in the series. A stunning end to another classic fastpitch softball game.

Dan Konkle 7IP, 2R, 2ER, 5H, 6BB, 9K
Dan Bradley 7IP, 3R, 3ER, 7H, 3BB, 10K

Stittsville
Ryan Bond 1 for 2, HR, 2BB, R, RBI
Dan Bradley 2 for 3, HR, 1B, R, RBI
Scott Jessiman 1 for 2, 1B, BB
Sam Oliver 1 for 3, 1B

Easton
Scott Marion 2 for 3, HR, 1B, R, 2 RBI
Pat O'Connor 1 for 2, HR, BB, R, RBI
Cory Morrison 1 for 2, 1B, BB, R
Randy Peck 1 for 3, 1B
Chad Milne 1 for 2, 1B, BB
John Peck 1 for 3, 1B

I4C Victory 5 WC Electric 4 - (8 innings)
(WC Electric leads best-of-five 2-1)
WP - Trevor Wood
LP - Steve Cavanagh in relief of Bud Hanlon

With WC Electric looking to sweep the series and make it the GOFL finals for the first time since 2004, I4C Victory came back from a 3-1 deficit to win 5-4 in an extra inning. Trevor Wood had the win for the visitors, while Steve Cavanagh took the loss in his first appearance in GOFL play this season, in relief of starter Bud Hanlon.

WC Electric scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the third. Todd Clouthier lead off with a double slashed to left field. After a Neil Murphy sacrifice bunt putting Clouthier on third, Jon Daley hit a single for the 1-0 lead.

I4C responded immediately in the top of the fourth. Matt McNish walked, and moved to third on a Trevor Wood single. Pete Pettit then grounded out but cashed in a run, to tie the game at 1-1.

WC Electric scored a pair in the bottom of the fifth. Todd Clouthier lead off again with a hit, this time a single. Neil Murphy went to execute a sac bunt and ended up reaching base when it was misplayed. Wood got the next two batters out, but a Shawn Rebertz off-handed double to right staked a 3-1 lead for Fitzroy after five complete.

Once again, Carp responded immediately and tied the game. Al Read lead off with a single, followed by another single by Mike Money. After Read and Money advanced 60 feet on a wild pitch, the Electric elected to intentionally walk clean-up hitter McNish to load the bases, with none out. When Wood then hit a ball to shortstop, Money was called out for runner interfence and the bases were again loaded with one out. A clutch single by Pete Pettit drove in two runs to the tie the game, and chase Hanlon off the slab. Steve Cavanagh then came in to pitch for the Electric and record the next two outs.

The Electric had a chance to win in the bottom of the sixth, with runners on the corners with two out, but the 'Trics could not convert.

For the Victory top of the seventh, Cavanagh recorded three straight ground ball outs, 4-3, 5-3, 6-3 in succession, giving the hometown Electric a chance to win.

In the bottom of the seventh, things looked good for Fitzroy when Trevor Barton led off with a pop fly in a gap and Rebertz reached base on a misplayed bunt to put two on with none out, and the Electric's hottest bat Mike Cavanagh at the plate. Cavanagh drove a ball to left centre, but centre fielder Mike Money tracked the liner for the first out. After a strikeout, Beef Johnson also stroked a hard hit ball, this time to left field, and Eric Colvin made a reaching catch to preserve the tie game and send the match into an extra inning.

With Al Read on second as per the international tie breaker, Victory got to work in their half of the eighth. Steve Cavanagh got a strike out to lead things off, but gave up walks to McNish and Wood to load the bases. Pete Pettit then hit a slow roller to short, which handcuffed Mike Cavanagh who was unable to make a play, and Pettit had his fourth RBI of the night, and Victory had a one run lead. Next up was Brooks Paziuk, who stroked a sac fly to left, scoring McNish from third, on what turned out to be the game winning RBI. It looked like things might get worse for the Electric when Casey Poldevaart drove one up the middle, but a great diving play by Trevor Barton to get the force out at second base ended the inning.

WC Electric only managed a single run in the bottom of the eighth. With Steve Johnson on second base, he advanced to third on a ground out, and then was brought in on a Todd Clouthier ground out to put the Trics within one. After giving up a single to Neil Murphy, Wood then induced a game ending ground out to preserve the win.

Game 4 of the series will be Tuesday September 11 at 8:30PM in Fitzroy Harbour.

Pitching:
Victory
Trevor Wood - W - 8IP, 9H, 4R, 2ER, 1IBB, 6K
WC Electric
Bud Hanlon - 5.1IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB (1IBB), 3K
Steve Cavanagh - L - 2.2IP, 1H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 1K

Hitting:
Victory
Eric Colvin 1-4
Al Read 1-4, 2R
Mike Money 1-4
Matt McNish 0-1, 3BB, 3R
Trevor Wood 1-3, BB
Pete Pettit 3-4, 4RBI
Brooks Paziuk 0-3, sac fly GWRBI

WC Electric
Jon Daley 1-5, RBI
Shawn Rebertz 1-3, 2B, 2RBI
Mike Cavanagh 2-3, BB
Jason Armstrong 1-4
Todd Clouthier 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2R
Neil Murphy 2-2, R

Friday, September 07, 2007

Friday night fastball in Fitzroy

A bit of a change of plans for tonight's games in the GOFL playoffs.

Since the diamond is unavailable in Stittsville tonight (Friday Sep 7), it looks like there will be a double header in Fitzroy.

Game 2 - Stittsville 56ers vs. Ottawa Team Easton (Easton leads 1-0)
Fitzroy Harbour 7:30PM start

Game 3 - Carp I4C Victory vs. West Carleton Electric (WC leads 2-0)
Fitzroy Harbour 9:00PM start (immediately following the first game)

The bar will be open at the hall in Fitzroy for players/fans looking for refreshment.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

WC Electric takes game 2 over I4C Victory

West Carleton Electric won the second game of their semi-final series against I4C Victory on the road in Carp on Thursday night by a score of 7-0.

Once again, Brad Porter pitched very well, throwing a 4-hit shutout over the first-place Victory.

Neil Cooke took the loss for I4C.

WC Electric started things off with 2 runs in the top of the first. Lead off hitter Jon Daley stroked a single, was sacrificed to second on a Trevor Barton bunt, and was brought in on a Shawn Rebertz triple. Mike Cavanagh hit a sac fly to centre to score Rebertz on a close play at the plate, and WC was up 2-0.

I4C threatened in the bottom of the third, when Neil Cooke hit a one-out double. After a ground out, Al Read walked. However Porter got out of the jam by striking out the next batter and the 2-0 lead was preserved.

The home team again again had a chance in the fifth when Russ Mitchell lead off with a walk. After Cooke laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Mitchell to second, Eric Colvin hit a fly ball to left-centre. Mitchell tagged, but centrefielder Jon Daley made the catch on the run, and threw a bullet to third base to complete the double play.

The 'Trics broke things open in the top of the sixth. Mike Cavanagh lead off with a double. Steve Cavanagh then laid down a bunt and reached base to put runners on the corners. Steve C. then stole second with Todd Clouthier at the plate. Clouthier hit a ground ball, and Mike C. had a big lead off third. When I4C attempted to pick off Mike Cavanagh, he got safely back to the bag to load the bases with none out. It looked like Cooke might get out of the jam when the next two batters popped out and lined out in the infield, bringing Neil Murphy to the plate. However, the "MurphDog" came through with a clutch 2RBI double. Jon Daley then came to the plate, and hit a 2RBI single of his own scoring Clouthier and Murphy to make the lead 6-0 for the visitors.

A lead off triple by Trevor Barton in the top of the seventh, followed by a misplayed fly ball made the score 7-0.

In the bottom of the seventh, Pete Pettit made things interesting by leading off with a double to right field. Brooks Paziuk then hit a single, to put runners on the corners with none out. Porter struck out the next batter, then induced a game ending 4-3 double play, beautifully executed by second baseman Barton.

The win for WC Electric puts them up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, with game 3 to be played in Fitzroy Harbour at 8:30PM on Friday September 7. A good crowd is expected, as about 40 fans made the "road trip" to Carp for game 2 and they seemed keen for game 3.

Pitchers:
Brad Porter - W - 7IP, 0R, 0ER, 4H, 9K, 3BB
Neil Cooke - L - 7IP, 7R, 2ER, 7H, 9K, 2BB

Hitters:
WC Electric
Jon Daley 2-3, BB, R, 2xRBI, stolen base
Trevor Barton 1-3, 3B, R, sac bunt
Shawn Rebertz 1-4, 3B, RBI, R, stolen base
Mike Cavanagh 1-3, 2B, RBI, R, sac fly
Jason Armstrong 1-3
Neil Murphy 1-3, 2B, 2xRBI, R

I4C Victory
Al Read 0-1, 2xBB
Pete Pettit 1-3, 2B
Brooks Paziuk 2-3
Neil Cooke 1-2, 2B

Valley Wins the RA title

Some further detail available here on the Valley Raiders fifth consecutive RA League title.

Konkle outduels Bradley in Game 1 of GOFL Semi-finals

from Sam Oliver

Dan Konkle tossed a one hit shutout at the Stittsville 56ers to pace team Easton to a 3 – 0 win and a one game lead in the GOFL semi-final. In a classic pitchers duel, Dan Bradley suffered the loss despite allowing only three hits.

Easton took the lead early in the contest, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Dave Tubman earned a walk to start the game and was sacrificed into scoring position by Kevin Chevrier. After Tubman advanced to third on a Bradley wild pitch, Todd Fraser drew a walk to put runners on the corners with one out. Despite allowing Fraser to advance to second on a wild pitch, Bradley was able to strike out Randy Peck for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately for the 56ers, Cory Morrison stroked a 3 and 2 full count offering into the left centerfield gap for a double driving in two runs.

The 56ers tried to answer in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Scott Herriot and Dan Jessiman drew back to back walks to start the threat. After both runners had moved into scoring position via the wild pitch, Konkle was able to strike out Sam Oliver for the second out of the inning. However, with Dan Preston batting, Stittsville looked to have scored a run via another wild pitch. The speedy Scott Herriot raced home from third and easily arrived before Konkle who was covering on the play. Herriot was initially called safe at the plate as the toss from Easton catcher Todd Fraser had hit the batter, Preston in the back. Unfortunately for the 56ers, after conferring with the base umpire it was deemed that despite stepping back and ducking on the play, Preston had not made enough of an attempt to get out of the way. He was called out for interferance which negated the run. Stittsville would manage only one more runner on the night. Sam Oliver singled in the 4th inning to spoil the Konkle no-hit bid.

Easton added to their lead in the 5th inning. Scott Marion singled and rounded the bases on a passed ball and a pair of wild pitches. This capped the scoring and iced the win for Easton, however the story on the night was dominant pitching.

The Pitching lines on the night:
Dan Konkle – W, 7IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB, 14K
Dab Bradley – L, 7IP, 3R, 3H, 5BB, 12K

The Offensive leaders:
(Easton)
Cory Morrison – 2 for 3, 2B, 1B, 2RBI
Scott Marion – 1 for 3, 1B, R
(Stittsville)
Sam Oliver – 1 for 2, 1B

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Friday night at 8:00PM in Stittsville.

Valley wins 5th consecutive RA League Title

Ottawa Valley Raiders won their fifth consecutive Ottawa RA Fastball League title in what in essence was a single game final.

Game 1 was scheduled to be played on Labour Day Monday. The other finalists, the Shawville Snappers refused to play that night, and game one of the best-of-three was awarded to Valley.

In the game last night at the RA Centre, Valley defeated Shawville 3-0 to take the Playoff title.

Terry Flannery had the win, while Matt Greer took the loss.

More info to follow.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Cornwall Fastball League Finals wrap up

from the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder website

Yum Yum tastes championship glory
Sports - Wednesday, September 05, 2007 @ 08:00

Yum Yum Chips finished the sweep of Cornwall Cruising to win the 2007 BMO Nesbitt Burns Cornwall and District Fastball Championship.

Yum Yum scored five times in the 5th en route to a 6-3 victory and upset over the regular season champions.

Jason Woodside paced the offence by going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Troy Lalonde hit a solo home run. Lorne Taillon and Brian Dufresne each scored a run and added an RBI. John Morrison also plated once. Pete Marion picked up the series clinching pitching victory.

Henry Looyen hit a solo home run for Cruising. Myles Amelotte and Darren Stewart also scored.
Stewart was tagged with the loss. In the four years since the league's inception, the top team from the regular season has never won the championship.

Blackburn Men's Fastball League Playoff Preview

from Shannon Borho via www.bmfl.ca

Playoff Preview

It went down to the wire but the Knights are the BMFL regular season champions and will face the Ball Bangers in the first round who finished the season on a high with a 6-2 victory over the Rogues. The Good Ol' Boys will take on Stan's Diner with the A's facing off against the Rogues.

The playoffs begin Thursday night (Sept 6) at the Blackburn Arena with the Blues taking on the Guzzlers, followed by the A's and Rogues. The other two series' begin Sunday night. Check out the schedule here. Here is the BMFL first round preview, all series' are best-of-three:

#1 Knights vs. #8 Ball Bangers
Key Pitchers
Bangers: Rob Elder
Knights: Jamie Blakely
Key Batters
Bangers: Brett Watt, Anil Hayne, Luther Campbell, Derek Dumond, Terry Hyland
Knights: Gerry Sancartier, Stefan Sklepowicz, Tyler and Ryan Cox, Brett Dugan

Look for this to be a closer series than expected as the Bangers are always tough come playoff time. If the defence can hold up for the Bangers, this could be a low scoring series that could go three games. Jamie Blakely brings his league leading 10 wins to the hill and runs will be tough to come by for a Banger squad that scored a league low 57 runs and a Knights team that allowed a league low 65 runs during the regular season. The Knights swept the season series 3-0 with two shutouts in the process.

#2 Good Ol' Boys vs. #7 Stan's Diner Draughts
Key Pitchers
Draughts: Pierre Lalonde
Good Ol' Boys: Gilles Roy, Andy Dunn
Key Batters
Draughts: Andrew Bruce, Derek Bergeron, Pierre Lalonde, Stephane Vinette, Ross Campbell
Good Ol' Boys: Steve Corry, Serge and Luc Potvin, John Tremblay, Rej Doiron, Norm Gascon

The Good Ol' Boys were a tough team to gauge this season as the sprinted out of the gate with 5 straight victories but then stumbled a bit. They still had a shot at the top seed but lost a close one to the Knights in the final regular season game. The always powerful offence can explode at any time and the team can hit the longball with 7 of their 12 regulars connecting for 13 team homers this season. Similarly, the Draughts have had an up-and-down season and were hurt by the injury to Pierre Lalonde mid-season. With Pierre on the mound the vastly improved Draughts will be a tough opponent for anyone. The Good Ol' Boys took the regular season series 3-1 but the Draughts were shutout in the final two games.

#3 Wally's A's vs. #6 Rogues
Key Pitchers
Rogues: Matt Cox, Chuck Musicka
Wally's A's: Will Lowe
Key Batters
Rogues: Barry Emerson, Rob Vanden Hoven, Brad Dishaw, Nick Desjardins
Wally's A's: Eric 'Pedro' Sanchez, Terry Jones, Will Mood, Denis McNicoll, Noel Hayes, Dave Millette

The A's lost out on a chance for first with a loss in their regular season finale against the Guzzlers but wind up playing a team they fared out well against during the regular season. The A's swept the regular season series with the Rogues 3-0 and outscored them 30-6 in the process but all three games were early in the season. The expansion Rogues stumbled out of the gate, dropping their first 6 contests but have played well since. A lot will depend on the Rogues defence as their pitching isn't dominating but they use the defence behind them well keeping the ball on the infield. The A's have a potent offence, they led the league scoring 158 runs this season.

#4 Guzzlers vs. #5 Blues
Key Pitchers
Blues: Shannon Borho
Guzzlers: Stew Shonfield, Jason Smith
Key Batters
Blues: Steve Walman, Norm Manns, Shannon Borho, Gary Larocque, Bill Blad
Guzzlers: Joe Allan, Steve Tsonos, Kevin Shonfield, Cliff Ells, Mike Napper, Rick Thompson

The Guzzlers swept the season series 3-0 over the Blues but two of the contests were close one-run games (with Steve Walman pitching the other game). Injuries really hurt the Blues team as Rob Searle, Andrew Branch and Tom Burchill all spent significant time on the DL with Burchill, the Blues other pitcher out for the season. The Guzzlers will be tough again in the playoffs as they are strong down the middle with Keith Bray and Kevin Shonfield in the middle infield and Joe Allan patrolling centrefield. Offensively they are led by Allan at the top of the order and Steve Tsonos in the middle who tied for the league lead (with Shannon Borho) with 5 homeruns this season.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

CTV Ottawa story on GOFL

For those of you that were unable to see the original airing of the feature on the Greater Ottawa Fastball League on CTV Ottawa news, here is the footage.

Great stuff, thanks to Shawn "Pugger" Williams for arranging for this feature, Terry Marcotte of CTV news for doing the feature and to Eric Rosenquist and Mike Money for getting it on YouTube.

Memories of Elkland

Some memories of Elkland, although some are a tad fuzzy:

- The atmosphere at the stadium is really something. The grandstand with the ageing bleachers, the scoreboard, the squawking annoucer, fans chugging beer in the stands, eating hamburgers with nacho cheese sauce. Three well kept fields with old time advertiser boards in the outfield. Every complex should be like this.

- Great crowds at the main diamond. Lots of locals look forward to the weekend.

- The chicken BBQ pit is a sight to behold. I'm pretty sure they are breaking several health codes, but my god the chicken is good eatin'.

- The local beer, Genessee ($1.50 a can), is cheaper than water ($2.00 a bottle). I think that says something about local priorities. And you can't really argue with them.

- For a while they were taking Canadian at par at the bar. Give them a Canadian $20 bill, get a beer and $18 US in change. As Rebz said, "that's like paying me to drink".

- The skill level of teams is quite varied. Amongst the 16 there, you see teams with elite level senior players, good intermediate teams, and squads that would have to be classified as thumber squads.

- The Shaggy Dog from Erie, PA or Fuzzy Poodle as some were referring to them, had a star studded line up with players like Frankie Perez, Nottie Perez, Steve Price, Tom Berube, and Jeremy Manley. They won the whole thing.

- Some of the thumber squads were interesting to watch, with their cut off shorts, muscle shirts and mix matched jerseys. Lots of them don't wear batting helmets, as apparently it is optional down there - yikes. I give them credit, they were giving it their best. And hey, if I had a thumber team (no comments please) and lived close the Elkland, I'd probably enter too.

- The draw schedule was probably the most disappointing thing. Five Ontario teams there, and four of us played each other in the first draw. Then, for our third game, WC Electric played I4C Victory - all that way to play a team in your league. BOOOOO to that. Though there was lots of time allotted between games to enjoy the atmosphere.

- The Elkland Moose Lodge lived up to expectations. Think Legion, but only in a time warp. $2 ryes, available in pitcher format, smoking allowed inside, and plenty of local beauties looking for a ball player to dance with.

- We stayed across the NY state line in Erwin about 25 minutes north. Cheap rooms and the lovely "Erwinna Tavern" next door. Overheard the next morning, local babe on a cell phone: "Sorry honey, I've made a mistake and I seem to have lost the car. Can you come and pick me up?" (100% true, no exaggeration.) Combine that with the 8.5 month pregnant bartender who was smoking a Camel, and you have an indication of the sophistification of the locals.

- Some of the guys camped on site at the ball park in a 1977 camper van. That's a good way to go, unless the campers next door have a dog that won't stop barking. Thankfully JR didn't have a hammer with him or he'd likely be up on cruelty to animal charges.

- The umpiring was interesting at times. One crew had a guy named Butch that had to be 6'7" with a little partner that was about 5'3". We had another guy that was using the old time pad that the umps used to hold on to outside their chest. "Hello, 1960 called. They want their chest protector back". And there was the one ump that when he heard we were from Canada said "Oh, well, must be getting too cold to play ball up there at this time of year." Yeah, that's right, we took our skidoos to the border, and took time off from ice-fishing to come play ball at this tourney.

All in all a great way to spend a weekend. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and relatively cheap road trip.

If you have any comments / questions about Elkland, send them on.

Labels: ,

WC Electric at Elkland

WC Electric team photo, taken out in centre field of the Diamond #2, in front of our unofficial home during the tourney, the Moose Lodge. Far left is Jesse, and adopted 'Trix batboy for the weekend.


Cobourg Wins OASA Men's B tournament

The Cobourg Force won the OASA Men's B title this year, in an 8 team event hosted by the Lake Simcoe Lightning.

More at http://eteamz.active.com/omf/

GOFL Second Round Playoff Preview

A bit late, but here is a quick preview on the second round semi-final best-of-five series in the GOFL. All first round series were 2-0 sweeps.

D: 1st Carp I4C Victory (15-6-2) vs. 5th Fitzroy Harbour WC Electric (11-10-2)
Carp defeated the Ottawa Blitz in the first round of the playoffs, while WC Electric defeated cross-border rival Quyon Flyers. I4C Victory won the season series 2 games to 1. I4C and WC Electric have never met in the playoffs before. Here is how the teams fared against one another in the regular season:

I4C Victory 5 WC Electric 0 – May 25 – in Fitzroy Harbour
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/05/carp-cruises-to-5-0-victory-over.html
WC Electric 5 I4C Victory 4 - June 12 - in Fitzroy Harbour
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/06/wc-electric-i4c-victory-game-story.html
I4C Victory 3 WC Electric 1 - July 12 - in Carp
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/07/carp-over-wc-electric-3-1.html (This game is best remembered by Dan Konkle’s appearance during the third inning on a mini-bike.)

E: 2nd Stittsville 56ers (14-6-3) vs. 3rd Ottawa Team Easton (14-7-2)
Stittsville defeated the Orleans Gators in the first round of the playoffs, while Team Easton Electric swept Manotick Lomor Printers. As both teams play out of the Grove, all games will be in Stittsville. The 56ers won the season series 2 games to 1 in a set of games that ended up getting played over the same week. These two teams played in the finals last year, with Easton winning 3 games to 1, which was the same result when the two teams met in the 2005 final:

Stittsville 6 Team Easton 3 – July 8 – at Fitzroy "Harbour Days”
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/07/stittsville-6-team-easton-3.html
Team Easton 8 Stittsville 3 – July 10 – in Stittsville
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/07/team-easton-7-stittsville-3.html
Stittsville 5 Team Easton 1 - July 12 - in Carp
http://fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com/2007/07/stittsville-beats-easton-5-1-on.html

RA League Playoffs

With info from TC

Valley Raiders hammered the Orleans Rebels in Game 5 at 7PM on Monday night. Final score was 14-0. Terry Flannery had a no-hitter until Rebel Jason Naylor stroked a two-strike, two-out double in the seventh inning. Terry struck out the next batter, finishing with a one-hitter. Credit the Rebels left-handed pitcher Cory Alkerton. He never gave up.

Shawville Snappers had previously beaten Ed Taylor's team in the other semi-final.

Game 1 of the finals was scheduled to start immediately after the 7 PM game. However, the first-place Shawville Snappers did not agree to the schedule and did not show up. Valley won Game 1 by default, 7-0. Shawville had asked for the game to be rescheduled, but their modest request was rejected by the league convener. Shawville Fair and the long weekend likely had something to do with their absence.

Games 2 and 3 are supposed to be a double header on Wednesday. The finals originally were supposed to be best-of-five, but have been shortened to best-of three.

Scores and thoughts from Elkland on Monday

from Terry McCann (Greenbush Generals)

Terry is an Elkland veteran - I think this year was his 26th at the Labour Day Tourney in Elkland, PA. Here are his comments at 4pm on Labour Day Monday.

Beautiful sunny day at the park, lost my voice as usual but still sipping a few cold ones.

After Mike Cavanagh pulled out early on Sunday it was nice to see the real man of the family (dad - Delmer) still at the park until about 3pm Monday and still going strong.

Nice to see Jimmy Ryan again, Jim and I first played against each other in a Pakenham hosted midget tourney about 1973. I figure, that is what you guys would call back in the day!

Also nice to have the boys from the Valley attend Annual Elkand Tourney, hope some or all able to attend again.

Monday Scores:
The Rise 7 Wyevale 0
Knoxville defeated ESA Thunderbellies
Shaggy Dog 9 Elkland 1
The Rise 7 Knoxville 5 ( Knoxville led 5-0 after the 5th, Grand slam won it in the 7th)
The Rise 13 Elkland 12 (The Rise led 9-3 after 3 Elkland tied game at 9, Rise back on top 13-9 in 7th, Elkland back to 13-12 with 2 on and 2 out, great catch near the wall to end the game)
Shaggy Dog 14 The Rise 1 end of tourney

WC Electric / I4C Victory game postponed tonight

The Umpire shortage strikes again - the game tonight (Tuesday) in Fitzroy Harbour between WC Electric and I4C Victory has been postponed.

The teams will instead play:

Game 2 in Carp, Thurs Sep 6
Game 3 in Fitzroy, Fri Sep 7
Game 4 in Fitzroy, Tues Sep 11 (if necessary)
Game 5 in Carp, Thur Sep 13 (if necessary)

The Stittsville/Easton series starts up tomorrow (Sep 5) at 8:30 in Stittsville, with game two same time same place on Friday.

Carp finishes 2-2 at Elkland

I4C Victory finished in Elkland with a 2-2 record, dropping their final game 5-0 to Knoxville/Ontario. Craig Hollingsworth had the win, while Neil Cooke took the loss.

Shaggy Dog from Erie, PA won the tournament defeating the Perkasie, PA Rise in the final.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Elkland update

West Carleton Electric went 1-2 at the Elkland Labour Day tournament in Pennsylvania.

The 'Trics lost their first game to Shedden Mission from southwestern Ontario. WC was up briefly in the game 1-0, then fell behind 2-1, until the wheels fell off in what Beef Johnson says was the worst inning of the year for the Fitzroy team, and the final was 7-1 for the Mission. Brad Porter took the loss and had relief from Jim Ryan. Mike Joseph had the win for Shedden.

Next up was a game against a team from Keeneyville, Pennsylvannia which WC Electric won 10-0. Bud Hanlon had the win, with relief from Jim Ryan. Some dude named Marv with a cut off shirt and cleats from the 70's took the loss, and had relief from a guy with a different coloured shirt straining against belly that must have prevented the sun from seeing his...er....feet for quite while. The guy playing third was wearing a nice pair of cutoff Levis.

The draw then took an interesting turn, as the next opponent was Carp I4C Victory. Six and half hour drive to shake Pugger's hand a plate meeting in Pennsylvania. Anyway, Victory won the game 4-1, with Trevor Wood getting the complete game win. Jim Ryan took the loss and had relief from Brad Porter. Shawn Houle had a two run homer for Victory and also did a very impressive somersault over first base later in the game.

Carp's first game was against the Beverage Barn from Williamsport, Pennsylvannia. Williamsport is home the Little League World Series, and clearly not home of the best attired fastball teams in the nation. From what I saw, no two guys on the team had matching shirts. Lots of muscle shirts, short pants, and I believe at least one mullet. Anyway, Victory had a bit of a scare in the this one, down 3-2 at one point I believe but winning 9-3, with Paul Ceppi getting the W.

The second game for Victory was a classic, played in front of a good sized crowd on the main diamond against the Rise from Perkasie, PA. Neil Cooke got the start and got touched up big time in the first inning. The Rise staked out a 6-0 lead. Victory chipped away and got back in the game, including a big homer from Matt McNish to push it to 6-5. Then in the top of the seventh, Victory had a major rally and put three across to make the score 8-6. Cookie was still throwing and doing well, but an error, then a triple, then a walk off homer, finished the game 9-8 for the Rise. Tom Vogel had the win in relief for the PA team.

That loss to the Rise set up the aforementioned game against WC Electric. After defeating the 'Trics, Victory was to play Knoxville/Ontario, a team made up of players from northern Pennsylvania and Kingston, ON. Craig Hollingsworth and Lefty Clark throw for KO. Not sure how Victory did in the this one...but I am sure we'll get a report soon.

I have to say, this Labour Day Classic is a great way to spend a weekend. Check back on the blog for a "Memories of Elkland" post. Names may or may not be withheld to protect the guilty.