OSHAWA, Ont. – Durham College welcomed the best college baseball teams to Oshawa on Thursday afternoon, opening the 2021 OCAA Men's Baseball Championship with a pair of quarter-final contests.
In the first matchup of the provincial championship the Durham Lords defeated the Fanshawe Falcons by a final of 6-4. Both starting pitchers, Jason Crouse of the Lords and Noah Campagnolo of the Falcons, showcased exceptional pitching through the first three innings leading to a 0-0 stalemate through the opening frames.
However, Fanshawe was first to break the deadlock jumping ahead 2-0 in the fourth inning courtesy RBI singles from Greg Van Boekel and Jamie Chopping-Lawlor. Bouncing back in front of the home crowd, Durham made a run an inning later scoring five in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a three-run triple from 2021 OCAA rookie of the year Tyler Chong. Fanshawe would rally late in the seventh inning, including a second triple of the game from Brad Verhoeven, but the Lords were able to hold on and advance to the second day of competition. Crouse was named player of the game for Durham, while Verhoeven earned the honours for Fanshawe.
Following up the opening contest, the Humber Hawks knocked off the George Brown Huskies in an exciting second game 13-8. Both teams scored runs in the opening innings with back-and-forth action bringing both benches to life. Humber opened the game with a four-run first inning, followed by a five-run second for the Huskies, and then another four runs for the Hawks in the third. Fighting from behind for a majority of the game, George Brown were led by Christian Bachoumis recording two hits and two RBI and Brandon Nieva finishing 2-for-3 with two walks, and RBI and run. However, it was not enough as the combination of Tyrus Bath (4 RBI), Cameron Wilcox (3 RBI), and OCAA player of the year Dennis Dei Baning (2 RBI) proved too much to overcome. Wilcox was named player of the game for Humber, while Nieva picked up the recognition for George Brown.
2021 OCAA baseball championship action continues tomorrow morning with the Hawks facing the Seneca Sting at 11 a.m., and the Lords challenging the St. Clair Saints at 1:30 p.m. The tournament shifts to a double-elimination format for the remaining two days. All championship action will be streamed via OCAA LIVE.
Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 21
Game 1: Fanshawe Falcons 4 vs. Durham Lords 6
Game 2: George Brown Huskie 8 vs. Humber Hawks 13
Friday, Oct. 22
Game 3: Humber Hawks vs. Seneca Sting (1st East) - 11 AM
Game 4: Durham Lords vs. St. Clair Saints (1st West) - 1:30 PM
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 4 PM
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 6:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 23
Game 7 (Bronze Medal Game): Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
*losing team awarded bronze medals
Game 8 (Gold Medal Game): Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
Game 9 (*if necessary): Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
Source: Durham Lords