OSHAWA, Ont. - On an exciting Day 2 of the 2021 OCAA Men's Baseball Championship the St. Clair Saints secured their place in the gold medal game, while the Humber Hawks and Seneca Sting guaranteed themselves a medal.
The day began with a convincing 18-6 win from Humber over Seneca, needing only five innings for the decision. After scoring six runs in the second inning, the Hawks offence couldn't be stopped with another 12 runs scored in the fourth. Five Humber batters had multiple RBI, led by Justin Raspanti and Cameron Wilcox who each recorded three RBI a piece. Dalton Brownlee earned the win for the Hawks going three innings with three earned runs, six hits and two walks. Raspanti was named Humber player of the game, while Logan Isaacs earned the honour for Seneca, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI in the loss.
A much more competitive second game saw the Saints knock off the host Lords in a tightly contested 5-4 finish. Despite Durham outhitting St. Clair 10-5, it was a crucial Spencer Morin two RBI double in the fourth inning that made the difference for the top seed. Durham starting pitcher Ryan Mattes was named DC player of the game, being rewarded for a complete game effort against the No. 1 team from the West, while Enoc Watts was named St. Clair player of the game after a 2-for-3, one run outing.
Remaining on the field for an elimination game versus Seneca, Durham then came up short in a true pitching duel. After the Lords conceded two runs in the first inning, DC relief pitcher Thomas Aronowicz and Seneca starting pitcher Matthew Scarcello settled in to deliver scoreless inning after scoreless inning. Both found themselves in tough situations with bases loaded at times, but no more runs would be scored. Scarcello would earn player of the game honours for his five-inning scoreless performance, while Durham catcher Josh Arce picked up the award after being the only Durham bat to pick up multiple hits, finishing 3-for-4.
In the closing contest, St. Clair defeated Humber 7-5 to secure their spot in the championship final. The Saints showed consistency in scoring at least a run in each frame between the second and fifth innings. Humber would make a late rally, including a two RBI single from Hawks player of the game Hunter Appleyard, but Austin Oulds would earn the save for the Saints with two strikeouts and no runs allowed in the final two innings. Oulds would receive player of the game honours for the Saints.
2021 OCAA Men's Baseball Championship action continues tomorrow morning with the Humber Hawks facing the Seneca Sting at 10 a.m., followed by the gold medal game at 1 p.m. featuring the St. Clair Saints. 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 18 vs. Seneca Sting 6
Game 4: Durham Lords 4 vs. St. Clair Saints 5
Game 5: Seneca Sting 2 vs. Durham Lords 0
Game 6: Humber Hawks 5 vs. St. Clair Saints 7
Saturday, Oct. 23
Game 7 (Bronze Medal Game): Seneca Sting vs. Loser Game 6 – 10 AM
*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