Owen Sound bid to be considered for Junior Nationals

From the Owen Sound Sun-Times - hat tip TC

OASA BACKS SELECTS BID

The Owen Sound Volkswagen Selects are now back on track to play host to the Canadian Junior Men's Fastball Championship for a third straight August.

The local fastball group received an e-mail from the Ontario Amateur Softball Association Monday indicating that the OASA is endorsing the Selects' bid for the 2010 tournament.

The Selects had received the OASA's support earlier this month but the association then backtracked and opted to withdraw its support in hope that another Ontario bid would step forward.

The Selects bid will now be forwarded to Softball Canada and a decision on who will play host to the junior tournament should be made by year's end.

The OASA also awarded the Selects the 2010 midget elimination tournament, which will run in July at Duncan McLellan Park.

Fun at the Fair

As all West Carleton residents know, the fourth weekend of September is Carp Fair. The Fair is very important to local residents - for example, a former fastball teammate of mine has a wife who refers to the passage of time based on the Fair. As in: "I think it was 6 Carp Fairs ago that he was born so he must be in Grade One by now."

For those blog readers from the Pontiac, the Carp Fair is pretty similar to the size, scope and importance of the Shawville Fair - key difference: you can't just wheel around the Carp Fairgrounds with a pint like you can on the Quebec side.

Back in 2004 West Carleton Electric faced Team Easton in the GOFL finals game 2 on the Thursday of the Fair in front of a good sized crowd, complete with Ferris Wheel visible out past centrefield. The ball diamonds are now used to park RVs during the fair, so probably no more ball on the diamonds this year.

Some readers may have heard talk about the possibility of Diamond 2 in Carp being torn down. The Fair Board actually owns the land there, and allows the Community Association to use the location for a diamond. The Fair Board has made a request a couple of years ago to the Community Association to remove the ball diamond as is their right under the agreement signed back in the 80s. While I4C does not play on Diamond 2, this would definitely have an impact as there are minor and women's softball leagues that need to be accommodated. It was however announced at the Fair that the City has partnered with the community to buy some land in the area and that potentially a deal could be worked out with the Fair Board to keep the diamond in place. Let's hope that they can make this happen as it would be sad to see such a great softball location to be disrupted.

Touring around the fair with Mrs. Fitzroy Fastball, Fitzroy Fastball Junior and the Caveman on the weekend, it was great to see several volunteers from the West Carleton Electric men's fastball team dedicating their time to help out. The "Owner" of the team (Mr. Dale Hanna) is a huge supporter of the fair as an important sponsor and the onsite troubleshooting dude for electrical problems.

Fitzroy Junior was pretty excited on Saturday to see WC catcher Steve Johnson parking cars at the Fair. I guess it's strange for him to see the guys somewhere else besides the ball diamond. At dinner that night he says "Geez, dad, this is weird. I saw Beefy Steve at Carp Fair and we're having roast beef for supper on the same day!"

Gordie Flannery leads Goodfellow Cleaners to TAFML playoff title

from Wynn Fenwick

One of the virtues of this sopping summer's rain was that Trend Arlington Men's Fastball League playoffs extended to the 28th of September. The 7:00pm game at T-A field between Ed Taylor Shamrocks and Goodfellow Cleaners was one of the latest playoff games in league history.

Goodfellow Cleaners had home field advantage as they looked to clinch the 21st awarding of the Nepean Trophy as playoff champion.

Gord Flannery started for Goodfellow's after a one-game hiatus, opposing Elton Cryderman for Taylor's.

Chris Golden and Andy Ivol led off the scoring coming home on Super Dave Simmonds' 2-run double after Golden was hit by a pitch and Ivol singled with one out. Cryderman left Simmonds on second with two quick groundouts. 2-0 Goodfellows.

Flannery is a strikeout pitcher, and was effective but hittable stranding Mike Gellner's double in the 2nd and struck out only one of the first nine he faced. Team defense was timely, including another line drive stab by Ivol who shone defensively at shortstop.

Ian Wilson doubled to lead off the third followed by Dave Stoke's single and Golden's line out to second. Goodfellow's went up 3-nothing on Ivol's RBI sacrifice fly, and Simmonds was caught stealing by Jack Gellner's gun to end the inning.

Ivan Taylor opened the 3th by drilling a fly ball to centre that was hauled in by Wilson, and James O'Grady worked a walk. Flannery found his velocity and got both Gustavo Sanchez and Darryl Janes to quelch the threat.

From there on out it was all Flannery as he homered in the 5th to make it four-nothing and struck out six of the next nine outs giving up only a line drive to Taylor.

Ivol made the championship a fait accompli when he drilled home Stokes and Golden in the top of 6.

Flannery induced Jack Gellner to ground to Brent White at third and Casey O'Sullivan squeezed it tight bringing many of these Goodfellow players their first championship after several trips to the finals.

Individual player and team awards will be presented at the annual awards banquet which this year will be October 23rd at the St. Laurent location of Lone Star Texas Grill.

Great Britain Women's National Team seeks pitching

forwarded on by Scott Searle

The Great Britain Women's Fastpitch Softball Team has qualified to play in the ISF Women's World Championships in Oklahoma City in July 2010, and will also play in the 2010 Canada Cup to prepare for the World Championships.

We have a talented team that finished second in European Championships this past summer -- our highest-ever placing! But to compete successfully at the World Championships and Canada Cup we need more pitching depth.

So we are looking for good pitchers who have a British family heritage and who could qualify for a British passport if they don't already have one.

To qualify for a passport, a player must have been born in Great Britain herself, or have a parent who is a British citizen and was born in Great Britain. Players with British grandparents or great-grandparents cannot qualify.

If you are a pitcher who meets these criteria, or if you're a coach who knows a pitcher who might do so, please get in touch by contacting:

Bob Fromer
GB Softball Team Manager
bobfromer@onetel.com
(+44) 1886-884204

Hayley Scott
GB Softball Head Coach
hayley.scott@bsukmail.com
(+44) 7713-245809

Gee-Gees Women's Fastball Team Takes 4 of 6 Games

from Scott Searle

This weekend was full of fastball for the Gee-Gees, playing the Carleton Ravens on Friday, the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday and the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday.

The first pair of games against Carleton in Manotick was an excellent showof great offence fused with great defence, with the Gee-Gees winning bothwith 10-0 and 11-0. Highlights include back to back no-hitters from Emily Ernst and Jillian Taylor, Vanessa Homiak's in-park homerun and astand-up triple by Laura Skiperis.

The Gee-Gees held their free fastball clinic for younger athletes at Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville before their games against the Laurier Golden Hawks. The games were incredibly tight, with the Gee-Gees losing by just one run in both games to the Hawks. The first game went to extra innings and saw Laurier take a 6-5 victory. The second game was just as close as the Gee-Gees mounted an impressive comeback to score 2 runs to tie the game in the visitors half of the 7th inning, only to see Laurier push across the winning run in the bottom half. Two very good games between strong teams. The Gee-Gees will look to reclaim those loses against them at the National University Championships, held in Waterloo on Thanksgiving weekend.

On Sunday afternoon, the Gee-Gees pushed hard against the Waterloo Warriors. Emily Ernst pitched a great first game through the rain and with the help of great at bats from hitters one through nine, the Gee-Gees defeated the Warriors with a strong 8-1 win. The second game proved to be even more exciting, with a homerun from rookie, Jenna Flannigan and another great hit from Vanessa Homiak, deep into right field. Jillian Taylor held down the fort with her excellent pitching and the Gee-Gees won 14-0.

The Gee-Gees will travel this weekend to play against McMaster, York and Brock.

Micksburg Senior Twins win the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League playoffs

an anonymous reader reports:

Micksburg won 2-0 on Friday night to take the UOVMFL series over Shawville Snappers two games to none. In the park solo HR's by Kerr Childerhose and Scott Bell for Micksburg. Corey Costello (Micksburg) and Matt Greer (Shawville) each had complete games pitching.

GOFL Final Series Game 3

Game 3 of the GOFL final series has been confirmed for Thursday October 1st at 8:30 pm at the Grove in Stittsville.

Quyon COMBAT Flyers and the Stittsville 56ers are tied at 1 game each in the best of five series.

Quyon evens final series with Stittsville

The best of five Greater Ottawa Fastball League final series is even at one game each now as the Quyon COMBAT Flyers edged out a 4-3 win over the Stittsville 56ers in Quyon on Thursday night.

Drew Hathway had the win on the slab while Dan Bradley took the loss in relief of Darren Featherstone.

Quyon got out to an early 4-0 lead and held on for the win.

Matt Greer had a two run homer for Quyon. Steve McCord and Nick Armitage had the other RBIs for the Flyers.

Scott Jessiman and Dan Bradley batted in runs for Stittsville. The other run for the 56ers came on a throwing error on a double steal on which Dan Jessiman scored.

Pitching lines:
Drew Hathway - 7IP - 3R - 2ER - 3H - 4BB - 13K

Darren Featherstone - 1IP - 3R - 3ER - 2H - 1BB - 1K
Dan Bradley - 5IP - 1R - 1ER - 2H - 4BB - 10 K

Game 3 will be played Thursday October 1st - location to be determined. Details to be posted as soon as available.

UOVMFL finals - Game 2 on Friday

The UOVMFL game 2 originally scheduled for Weds will be played Friday night. Micksburg leads the best of three 1 game to 0 over Shawville.

TAMFL Game 1: Goodfellows 8 Taylor's 2

from Wynn Fenwick

Early fall evening fastball at Trend-Arlington field on Wednesday night saw game one of the 2009 T-A Men’s Fastball League Finals. Ed Taylor’s Shamrocks (13-11) started Elton Cryderman against Goodfellow Cleaners (13-9-2) and Bucky Richer.

The game led off with centerfielder Dave Stokes singling and catcher Super Dave Simmonds singling him home to give Goodfellow the early lead 1-0 lead.

Richer made the scorecard diagonal on the Taylor side, sitting down the first 10 batters faced in order. Richer didn’t do it without help as two great defensive plays helped him through the order once. Mike Wong led off the 2nd with a spank to deep left where Chris Golden earned his last name with a sparkling catch. Shortstop Andy Ivol made a diving spear to burn Gustavo Sanchez on a sizzling line drive in the hole. Darryl Janes followed up with a single to bust up the perfect game which surely would have scored Sanchez, but Richer made short work of the next two hitters.

Simmonds and Brent White led off the 4th with back-to-back doubles down the 3rd base line past Brad Whiteduck who had no chance on either, scoring one. Roger Cousineau singled, and an error allowed White to score but Cryderman got a strikeout and two grounders to Jeff Wardrop to end the 4th with Taylor’s down 3-1.

Finally the Taylor bats made some noise in the 5th as Wong led off with a single, and Whiteduck reached. Cryderman singled home Wong. Three-two Goodfellow’s.

The turning point in the game was Ivan Taylor coming to the plate with one out and runners on first and second. He smashed a line drive to Ivol who stabbed it and appeared to gun Cryderman at first as well. Confusion ensued after the double-off attempt as Whiteduck was called out for leadoff when first baseman Casey O’Sullivan had already tossed the ball back to the Richer who was in the circle.

Goodfellow’s Stokes led off the 5th with a single, Golden reached on an error and Ivol smashed a home run to left centre to make it a 6-1 game. Taylor relieved Cryderman and struck out the side but not before a fourth run (unearned) scored on Richer’s RBI single.

The teams traded runs in the 7th but White and O’Sullivan squelch Taylor's 7th inning rally with a stellar 5-3 double play off another rocket from Ivan Taylor’s bat.

Final score Goodfellow Cleaners 8, Taylor Shamrocks 2. Game Two goes Monday 28 September, 7:00pm

Ottawa U Women's fastball games this weekend

from Scott Searle

With the wins last weekend against Windsor, the Ottawa U team racked up its 93rd win in program history. Watch this weekend as we look to become the first team in the league to reach 100 wins.

The Gee-Gees next game is scheduled for September 25, 2009 vs. crosstown rivals the Carleton Ravens at Centennial Park in Manotick. The double-header begins at 7:00. The team will don special red jerseys to show support for Canadian Troops fighting overseas for these 2 games.

The team continues its reputation for community involvement with a clinic for Minor Athletes from 9:30-11:30 Saturday morning at Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville.

Following the games, the team will take on the Laurier Golden-Hawk, host of the 2009 University National Championships in a double-header at 2:00 and 4:00.

On Sunday the team will take on the Waterloo Warriors at 12:00 and 2:00

Bridge to the Future Clinic

from Mallory Watson

On Saturday, September 26, the University of Ottawa Fastball team is throwing a free Bridge to the Future clinic for anyone under the age of 18. It is a great way to develop the basic skills of ball, and learn from some very experienced players and coaches. All levels of experience are welcomed.

University of Ottawa Gee Gee’s Fastball Team
Free Fastball Clinic
Saturday, September 26
9:30am-11:30am
Alexander Grove Park in Stittsville

Everyone under 18 is welcome
Email wats085@uottawa.ca for more information

Stittsville takes Game 1 of GOFL finals

The Stittsville 56ers won Game 1 of the best-of-five GOFL final series at the Grove on Tuesday night with a 7-1 victory in six innings over the visiting Quyon COMBAT Flyers.

It was a beautiful fall night for ball as Dan Bradley had the win with a complete game 4 hitter, while Drew Hathway took the loss.

Quyon scored their first batter of the game as Shawn Laframboise lead off with a single and scored on a Matt Greer triple in the first.

Stittsville took the lead in the fourth. Scott Herriot lead off with an infield single. Herriot moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored on a Darren Featherstone single to right. Dan Jessiman's two run homer made the lead 3-1.

The 56ers clinched the game on the six-run mercy rule with a four run sixth. Scott Herriot lead off the inning with a monstrous solo HR. Then after a strike out, Dan Jessiman reached on an error, Ryan Bond singled, and Scott Jessiman walked. After the next batter K'd, Ben Gigliotti walked to score another run. The subsequent two RBI single by Dan Bradley made the lead six and ended the game.

Game 1 - Play by Play
Final: Stittsville 56ers 7, Quyon COMBAT Flyers 1
Alexander Grove - September 22, 2009
Home Plate Umpire: Dave Herbst
Base Umpire: Teddy Metcalfe

Quyon: 15 Shawn Laframboise c/ 8 Luke Young 2b/ 22 Matt Greer ss/ 10 Steve McCord cf/ 7 Nick Armitage 3b/ 12 Drew Hathway p/ 19 Dennis McCleary rf/ 2 Curtis Daley lf/ Trevor Walls 1b. 9 Kenny Fleck mgr

Stittsville: 10 Scott Herriot ss/ 9 Darren Featherstone cf/ 33 Dan Jessiman 1b/ 22 Ryan Bond lf/ 24 Scott Jessiman c/ 34 John Craig 3b/ 11 Ben Gigliotti 2b/ 17 Dan Bradley p/ 55 Mike Barrett rf. 00 Robert Craig mgr

Top of 1st: Laframboise singles; Young pops out 1b deflected to c; Laframboise moves to second on WP; Greer triples, RBI; Laframboise scores; McCord strikes out swinging; Armitage grounds out ss to 1b.

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB

Bottom of 1st: Herriot strikes out looking; Featherstone strikes out swinging; D Jessiman strikes out looking.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Top of 2nd: Hathway strikes out swinging; McCleary strikes out looking; Daley strikes out swinging.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Bottom of 2nd: Bond pops out to 2b; S Jessiman walks; Craig strikes out looking; Craig in to run for S Jessiman (two out catcher rule); Craig caught stealing c to 2b.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Top of 3rd: Walls doubles; Laframboise grounds out p to 1b; Walls caught stealing c to 3b; Young strikes out swinging.

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Bottom of 3rd: Gigliotti strikes out swinging; Bradley strikes out swinging; Barrett strikes out swinging.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Top of 4th: Greer strikes out swinging; McCord pops out to c; Armitage strikes out swinging.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Bottom of 4th: Herriot singles; Herriot moves to second on WP; Featherstone singles, RBI; Herriot scores; Featherstone advances to second on throw; D Jessiman homers, 2RBI; Featherstone scores, D Jessiman scores; Bond strikes out swinging; S Jessiman strikes out swinging; Craig strikes out swinging.

3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Top of 5th: Hathway grounds out to 1b, unassisted; McCleary strikes out swinging; Daley singles; Daley moves to second on WP, put out cf to 3b attempting to take third.

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Bottom of 5th: Gigliotti strikes out swinging; Bradley grounds out ss to 1b; Barrett strikes out swinging.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Top of 6th: Walls strikes out looking; Laframboise strikes out swinging; Young grounds out 2b to 1b.

Bottom of 6th: Herriot homers, RBI; Herriot scores; Featherstone strikes out looking; D Jessiman reaches on error by 3b; Bond singles, D Jessiman advances to second; D Jessiman advances to third and Bond advances to second on WP; S Jessiman walks; Craig strikes out swinging; Craig in to run for S Jessiman (two out catcher rule); Gigliotti walks, RBI; D Jessiman scores unearned, Bond advances to third, Craig advances to second; Bradley singles, 2RBI; Bond scores unearned, Craig scores unearned. Game over on 6 run rule.

4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB

Dan Bradley - win - 6IP 1R 1ER 4H 10K 0BB
Drew Hathway - loss - 6IP 7R 4ER 6H 14K 3BB

Micksburg Srs take Game 1 of UOVMFL final

The Micksburg Twins Seniors won game 1 of the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League final with a 3-1 win over the Shawville Snappers on Monday night.

Game 2 is Wednesday at 8pm in Micksburg.

GOFL finals, game 1

Don't forget, game 1 of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League finals tonight in Stittsville at 8:30pm as the Quyon COMBAT Flyers face the defending champs, the Stittsville 56ers.

Trend Arlington finals set

from Wynn Fenwick

Monday night saw number four seed Lone Star Texas Grill down one-game-to-zero to Ed Taylor’s Shamrocks in game two of the best-of-three Trend Arlington Men’s Fastball League semifinal at 50 Bellman Drive Ottawa.

Despite an ominious start, Darryl James was three for four and winning pitcher Elton Cryderman helped his own cause with two RBI as the Shamrocks eliminated Lone Star 7-4 to advance to the Trend Arlington Men’s Fastball League Championship Finals.

James led off the game with a double to left but was cut down at the plate when Bobby Deleavy’s deep fly to centre was dropped, but picked up and gunned by Lone Star shortstop Derek Kitchen’s relay to Craig Casey held on at the plate for the out. Deleavy later scored when Jeff Wardrop reached base on error.

Lone Star starter Chris Kingsbury stranded seven runners in first 4 innings, allowing them to draw even in the fourth inning thanks to back-to-back RBI singles by Derek Kitchen and Troy Mulvey that scored first baseman Marty Young and cleanup hitter Martin Delorme.

Cryderman scattered 6 hits over 5 innings of work for Taylors, and his two-run single was part of a maxed-out 5-run fifth inning that put Taylor’s up 7-2. Ivan Taylor came on to give up a single run in each of the 6th and 7th as Jack Gellner backstopped both hurlers. Kingsbury and Casey went the distance for Lone Star.

Lone Star outhit the Shamrocks, but Taylor’s contact and patience at the plate overwhelmed Kingsbury and the Lone Star defense with 22 baserunners.

The TAMFL finals are now set with Taylor Shamrocks hosting Goodfellow’s Cleaners for game one, Wednesday September 24, 7:00pm. Game two takes place Monday 28 September and if necessary game three will be 30 September. All games at Trend Arlington Field, 50 Bellman Drive, Ottawa, ON off Greenbank near Hunt Club.


Elton Cryderman (W, 2-0), Ivan Taylor (5th) and Jack Gellner
Chris Kingsbury (L, 0-2) and Craig Casey
2B: Casey, Troy Mulvey
RBI: Kitchen, Mulvey, Casey, Joey Rosa, Cryderman (2), James O’Grady, Jim Bissett
SB: Wardrop, Mike Gellner, Matt Billington

Guzzlers win the Blackburn League

The Blackburn Guzzlers won the Blackburn Men's Fastball League playoff title with a 2-0 series win over the Blackburn Knights.

Both games were won by the score of 7-1.

Ottawa U Women's Fastpitch report

from Scott Searle

Saturday Sept 19: Ottawa U defeats U of Windsor in both games of a doubleheader

The University of Ottawa women’s fastball team opened their season on Saturday September 19th against the University of Windsor Lancers taking both games of a double header.

The opening match, a 10-7 win, was a see-saw battle as the lead changed hands several times before starting pitcher Emily ERNST seized control of the game. ERNST held off a determined Lancer team and threw a total of 6 innings before handing the ball over to closer Jill TAYLOR. The Gee Gees seized control in the 5th inning taking advantage of clutch hitting from rookie third basemen, Stephanie SAMMS.

In the rubber match, the Gee Gees came out of the gate firing on all cylinders eventually invoking the mercy rule by defeating the Windsor Lancers 7-0 over 5 innings. Powered by the strong pitching of 2008 Gee Gee MVP Jill TAYLOR (3 hits over 5 innings) and the hard hitting of rookie Jenna FLANIGAN (2 for 4, with 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Saturday Sept 20: Ottawa U drops both games against UWO

The University of Ottawa women’s fastball team opened their season this past weekend with a 2-2 record. Saturday saw the Gee Gees best the Windsor Lancers by taking two games. While the weather was favourable, the softball gods weren’t smiling on the Gee Gees Sunday as they lost both games to their arch rivals the University of Western Mustangs, 8-1 and 10-8.

The Gee Gees were slow out of the gate in a 8-1 loss to the Mustangs in game #1. They rebounded with a solid effort in game #2. Despite opening with a quick 3 runs in the first inning, the Gee Gees couldn’t hold off the defending champs. Despite strong performances from veterans Vanessa HOMIAK (3 for 4 with a HR, 2 singles, 3 runs scored) and 7 solid innings from pitcher Jill TAYLOR (7 IP, 3 earned runs, 4 strikeouts) the Gee Gees just couldn’t muster up enough runs to split the doubleheader.

The Gee Gees and Mustangs faced one another in the 2008 Ontario Intercollegiate Women’s Fastpitch Championship game and are among the early favourites to meet again in the 2009 Ontario championships.

The Gee Gees next game is scheduled for September 25, 2009 vs. crosstown rivals the Carleton Ravens. Time and location yet to be determined.

McDoo A's win the Kingston Fastball League

from the Kingston Whig, hat tip to TC

Behind strong pitching from Barry and Jeff Van Hooser, the McAdoo A's claimed their fifth consecutive Kingston Men's Fastball League title with a 2-0 win over the Red Dogs Monday night at Garrigan Park.

The A's won the best-of-five series 3-2 with the victory in the fifth and deciding game.

Chad Miller drove in Scott McDonald to open the scoring and Dave Baird homered in the fourth for an insurance run.

Quyon wins 2009 Eastern Ontario Challenge Cup at McNab/Braeside

I was busy this weekend with an assortment of things including Fitzroy Fastball Jr.'s hockey tryouts and "parenting" both Jr and the Caveman as Mrs. Fitzroy Fastball was away at both her ball team party followed by her first mini-triathlon, so I wasn't around at the Challenge Cup as much as I would have liked. However, this is what I was able to piece together from the time that I did get to spend there and from Harold McMillan's reports.

The Quyon COMBAT Flyers went 3-0 to win the seven-team 2009 ISC II Eastern Ontario Challenge Cup in McNab / Braeside on the weekend to capture a berth at the 2010 Tournament of Champions in Midland, Michigan. Congrats to McNab Minor Ball, especially Harold McMillan on a successful weekend once again.

Game 1
Carp I4C Victory 6
Blackburn Guzzlers 4
WP: Dan Konkle
LP: Bud Hanlon

Game 2
North Fred Kings 3
Ottawa Team Easton 2
WP: Bryan Brooks
LP: Jeff Murphy

Game 3
Donnacona Blue Sox 7
Manotick Lomor Printers 0
WP: Francis Leclair
LP: Paul Ceppi

Game 4
Ottawa Team Easton 5
Blackburn Guzzlers 2 - Blackburn eliminated
WP: Corey Costello
LP: Andy Barber

Game 5
Quyon COMBAT Flyers 7
Carp I4C Victory 1
WP: Chad Hargrove
LP: Neil Cooke

Game 6
North Fred Kings 3
Donnacona Blue Sox 2
WP: Bryan Brooks
LP: Francis Leclair

Game 7
Ottawa Team Easton 7
Donnacona Blue Sox 0 - Donnacona eliminated
WP: Corey Costello
LP: Francis Leclair

Game 8
Carp I4C Victory 9
Manotick Lomor Printers 6 - Manotick elminated
WP: Neil Cooke
LP: Trevor Lahey

Game 9 - undefeated game
Quyon COMBAT Flyers 5
North Fred Kings 1
WP: Drew Hathway
LP: Bryan Brooks

Game 10
Carp I4C Victory 5
Ottawa Team Easton 4 - Easton eliminated
WP: Dan Konkle
LP: Dan Bradley

Game 11
North Fred Kings 3
Carp I4C Victory 1 - Carp Eliminated
WP: Bryan Brooks
LP: Dan Konkle

Game 12 *
Quyon COMBAT Flyers 7
North Fred Kings 3
WP: Joran Graham
LP: Lyle Brown

* Note: The final game was actually only 3.5 innings. When a North Fred player was ejected in the middle of the fourth, the Kings were unable to continue as they had used all their substitutes.

Congratulations to Quyon for winning the berth. Elmira Expos won the berth in the Challenge Cup in the southwestern part of the province in Stratford.

Final order finish:
1. Quyon 3-0
2. North Fred 3-2
3. Carp 3-2
4. Team Easton 2-2
5. Donnacona 1-2
T6. Blackburn 0-2
T6. Manotick 0-2

Trend-Arlington League playoff update

from Wynn Fenwick

This year's TA League playoff format is a six-game round-robin format where the top four of 7 teams advanced to the best-2-of-3 semi-final series, followed by a 2 of 3 Championship Final series.

League parity was very even in the regular season, save for PJ Quigley's Bar and Grill which romped to an 11-2-1 record thanks to four one-run wins. Ed Taylor's Shamrocks (4-2) finished 1st in the round robin by their win vs PJ Quigley's in the round robin (4-2). Taylor's had handed PJ's their only two regular season losses as well.

September 9 saw a win-and-you're-in final round robin game. Lone Star Texas Grill defeated Beech Street DiRienzo's to force a three-way tie for 3rd between Lone Star, DiRienzo's and GoodFellow Cleaners at 3-3. Chris "Maverick" Kingsbury got the win backstopped by Craig Casey with Bob Sarazin taking the loss with Coco Maxwell relieving him backstopped by Maxwell and Bob Sampson.

By virtue of head-to-head records, DiRienzo's was eliminated by Lone Star with a 8-2 win. Also eliminated in the preliminary round were SGA Signs and Trophies (2-4) and CJ's Printing (2-4).

Monday 14 September saw semi-final series B with #3 seed Goodfellow Cleaners beating #2 seed PJ Quigley's 4-1 in a rain-shortened 5-inning game. Gord "White Lightning" Flannery got the win over Kevin Wilson with "Super" Dave Simmonds scooping behind the plate. Al Holden completed the PJ's battery behind the plate. Roger Cousineau had the game winning RBIs and Wynn Fenwick homered off Flannery for PJ's only run.

The 14 September late game saw #1 seed Taylor Shamrocks against #4 Lone Star Texas Grill be shortened to1.5 innings and finished Wednesday 16 September due to lightning. The game ended up with Taylor's winning 9-3 as Lone Star seemed unable to get untracked in defense. Elton Cryderman got the win with Ivan Taylor in relief, each hurling to Jack Gellner and James O'Grady behind the dish. Maverick Kingsbury took the loss.

Game 2 of series B saw Goodfellows starter Bucky Richer get down 4-1 to PJ Quigley's, only to have the game tied in the 5th. The teams traded blanks in the 6th and with 1 out and 2 Texas-leaguer hits on base, Goodfellow's singled home a walk-off run to win and eliminate PJ's two-games-to-zero. Gord Flannery benfitted from the 7th inning hitting heroics with Kevin Wilson absorbing the tough loss.

Game 2 of series A goes Monday 21 September at 7:00pm, with Game 3 Wednesday 23 September at 7:00pm if necessary.

If the series A does not go to three games, Game One of the 2009 Championship Final goes 23 September at 7pm.

All games are at Trend-Arlington Field, 50 Bellman Drive, Ottawa off Greenbank near Hunt Club. Come out and enjoy some of the last fastball of the season!

GOFL Finals Games 1 and 2 set

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League final series is a best-of-five with the winner earning the I4C Consulting Trophy.

Defending champions and first place finishers Stittsville 56ers (22-1-2) will face the Quyon COMBAT Flyers (16-10-2) who finished third in regular season play.

The schedule has been set for the first two games of the series.

Game 1: Tuesday September 22, 8:30pm at the Grove in Stittsville

Game 2: Thursday September 24, 7:30pm at the Quyon Fairgrounds

Past winners

Now time for your annual fastball history lesson. The GOFL and its predecessor, the Kemptville Men's Fastball League have been around since 2000. Here are the past winners/finalists, as well as the league teams.

2000 Dolco defeated Macton (3-0)
2001 Macton defeated D.T.I. (3-1)
2002 Lomor defeated Macton (3-0)
2003 Team Easton defeated Macton (1 game final, 8 innings)
2004 Team Easton defeated West Carleton Electric (3-1)
2005 Team Easton defeated Stittsville (3-1)
2006 Team Easton defeated Stittsville (3-1)
2007 Team Easton defeated West Carleton Electric (3-0)
2008 Stittsville defeated Team Easton (3-1)

2000 - 6 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville D.T.I.
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Dolco Printing
Kemptville Thunder Juniors
Kanata Pirates Juniors

2001 - 5 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville D.T.I.
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Dolco Printing
Kanata Pirates Juniors

2002 - 4 teamsKemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville Team Easton (formerly D.T.I.)
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Lomor Printers (formerly Dolco Printing)

2003 - 4 teamsKemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Lomor Printers

2004 - 5 teamsKemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kanata Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric

2005 - 4 teamsKanata Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric

2006 - 6 teamsKanata Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz

2007 - 8 teamsOttawa Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Flyers
Orleans Gators

2008 - 9 teamsOttawa Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Flyers
Orleans Gators
Greely DNTW Eagles

2009 - 9 teams
Ottawa Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Flyers
Orleans Gators
Greely DNTW Eagles

Gee-Gees host free softball clinics for players under-18 in Orléans

from the Orleans Star

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees are offering a free training sessions for local softball players under the age of 18 in advance of their season-opener on Saturday at Pierre Rocque Park, near Place d’Orléans.

The clinics will run from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. in advance of the Gee-Gees’ double-header against the University of Windsor Lancers at 2 and 4 p.m.

Most of Ottawa U’s roster contains players who won a bronze medal at the Senior Canadian championships for the Orléans Rebels during the summer.

The Gee-Gees will also face a stiff challenge on Sunday from the team that beat them in the finals of last year’s Ontario Intercollegiate Women’s Fastpitch League, the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. Games begin at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., again at Pierre Rocque Park.

Quyon defeats Easton in nine innings

from Shawn Laframboise

Quyon 8 Easton 3 (9 innings)

The Quyon COMBAT Flyers will be in the GOFL finals for the first time following a 8-3 win over Ottawa Team Easton in nine innings in the fifth and deciding game of their semi-final series.

Drew Hathway had the win, throwing all 9 innings. Corey Costello had the start, coming out after 5 innings with the score tied 1-1. Brad Porter took the loss for Easton.

Quyon scored their first run in the second on back-to-back triples from Steve McCord and Gerv Daley.

It was 1-1 going into 8 and Quyon scored 2. Easton answered right back with 1 to start the bottom of 8. With two outs and a man on first Quyon elected to give Costello the free pass to bring Jamey Mick to the plate. Mick came through again with a single to left field to tie it up.

Quyon broke it wide open in the top of 9. After a Shawn Laframboise infield single, Luke Young hit a 3-run shot to right field. The Combat Flyers tacked 2 more on and held on for the 8-3 victory.

Quyon will face the Stittsville 56ers in the GOFL best-of-five finals. Watch the blog for news on the schedule for the series.

Memories of Elkland, the 2009 edition

Well, it took me a while to write the annual Memories of Elkland posting. Perhaps the older I get the longer it takes me to recover to be able to put the experience into a blog entry.

As always, names withheld to protect the guilty.

Rookies: There was a good contingent of "rookie" attendees to the tournament this year from the eastern Ontario teams. And of course one of the rights of passage when attending the Elkland tournament is going to the Moose - even if you may be just a bit shy of the required PA drinking age of 21. A strong showing at the Moose by a certain triumvirate of brothers from the east end, as well as their adopted fourth brother for the weekend. Another attendee, who has attained the ripe old age of 23, was asked for ID a the Moose. Since in his home province of Quebec the drinking age is 18, he kind of smirked when handing over his license. This did not go over well with the waitress who demanded that he "respect America"!

Seventh place: Both Greenbush Generals and West Carleton Electric finished with the same record and at the same time. However, based on the number of citations earned (2), Greenbush is unofficially awarded seventh place. Who knew that whizzing on someone's lawn in Elkland would earn you a visit by a state trooper and a mandatory visit to a bank machine to withdraw the required fine?

Weirdness: There is always something strange and bizarre happening in Elkland. This year, it was the sighting of an albino skunk. Seriously, dontcha think that you might consider quitting drinking for good when you are staggering back to the tent from the bar and run across an albino skunk? Only in Elkland.......

Lookin' good Keeneyville: Those that have been to the Elkland tourney have experienced the variety in uniforms. Some teams are lookin' sharp. There are some teams that kind of have matching jerseys. Other teams, we're talking muscle shirts, cut off Levis and mismatched unis. Well this year, Keeneyville was looking good in their new uniforms. Way to go Kenneyville!
Jesse's got a girl: Long time blog readers will recall that West Carleton Electric had the same Elkland bat boy for both 2007 and 2008. This year was the third year in a row - as some of the guys were rolling into town, they saw Jesse by the Acorn and had him sprinting the whole way to the ball park following the truck! Jesse enlightened us on the news and views from the perspective of 17 year old rural Pennsylvannian, which was a treat. We got to hear about his mom, dad, step dad, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, and meet his girlfriend (who is 17 but still in grade 9). Good work Jess best of luck with the new date!
Tent city: Once again we had the 16 x 20 Army tent on hand. And once again, the Pizza Barn delivered to the address "Big Green Army Tent, Elkland Ball Diamonds" (only took 18 minutes). This is the way to go - close to the ball park, stumbling distance to the Moose and good times around the campfire, telling stories, chugging Yeungling, and sharing laughs especially at the story about Granny and the "Nintendo-movie". Plans are for a 32 x 20 tent next year.
Buzz saw: One draw back to the camping idea is the sound of snoring. Really unbelievable. I can't believe people snore like that. We're talking band saw cutting through a 2 x 12 piece of wet pine. One guy about 50 yards away was moaning and groaning like he was in some sort of stag movie. And honest to god, leave your freakin' dog at home, OK? Next year, top of list - ear plugs!
Perfect venue, perfect weather: The weather was downright perfection. If you were running a ball tourney in early September, this would be the exact weather you would order. I hate to repeat myself, but it's my blog and I will: the venue is so good for the fastball purist. It really is a special atmosphere, with Molly's Red Barn, the grandstand, the fields, the fans, the $2 pints. The locals are very friendly and love their ball. The $6.50 chicken dinner is pretty much worth the 5.5 hour drive. (I ate it Saturday, Sunday and Monday.) Yeah you pee in a trough in the main men's room - but it's a clean trough by golly! If you have never been, make a point to go there once before you retire from the game.
The competition: There were 17 teams, with some big names playing. The draw worked pretty well, and seemed to be balanced, even if our team did get a difficult first game. Our game on the Sunday night was really special. We played the home town ESA Bellys in an emotional game in front of a large vocal crowd. Chugging pints afterward in the dugout after a tough loss was a special moment.
Worst...hot dog....ever: So after the big game on Sunday night, most of the guys have a bit of a 'gerrr on. We call up the Pizza Barn, but they're closed. Where do you get some grub in Elkland on a Sunday night? We hit up the hot dog guy just outside the Beam House. It's 11:30pm, we're starving, how bad can a weiner dog be, right? The hot dog guy whips us up some "Michigans". You cannot appreciate how rude these things were. I'm talking lukewarm weiner on a cheap white bun, with some pureed cat food on top with a sprinkling of grungy onions. Jeez, I'm getting queasy just thinking of it. You know that they ain't good when Big Joe is throwing one on the fire pit 'cause he can't eat the damn thing.
Mr. Sherman, RIP: On a serious note, my heart goes out to the Sherman family on the death of their dad. Durk Sherman was the guy behind this event from back in 1952 - and he died on the Sunday of the 2009 tourney. His sons Bill and Grant continued to run the event and keep things going for the weekend despite their grief. Apparently there was a moving tribute to Mr Sherman at the Moose on Sunday night, which I missed unfortunately. The spirit of Durk lives on at the best fastball venue I've ever been to.

Team Blue wins Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League title

Team Blue defeated Team Orange on Wednesday to take the FHMFL final 2 games to none.

James Daley's team was a 18-17 winner over Adam Murphy's gang in an offensive battle in the fog in Fitzroy. Kurt Phillion had the win in relief of Connor Engleberts. Andy Roper took the loss in relief of Darcy Proulx.

Mike Twolan had the walk off RBI single in the bottom of seven for the big Blue win. Proulx had three homeruns in a losing cause for the Orange squad.

All in all a good year for the four team Fitzroy men's loop as plenty of new young players participated in the recreation Wednesday night league.

Elkland Labor Day tournament - full results

from Bill Sherman

Champions: NY Gremlins (Clifton Park, NY)
Runners-up: Shaggy Dog (Erie, PA)
Third place: Hoffman Rise (Reading, PA)
Fourth place: I4C Victory (Carp, ON)
Most valuable player: Derrick Pukash (Gremlins)
Most valuable pitcher: Bryan Newton (Gremlins)

Game 1 - 5 1/2 innings
ESA Bellys 9
Keeneyville 0
WP: Bill Sherman
LP: Marv Flynn
Co-MVP: Bill Sherman, Paul Algar - Combined no-hitter (11k)

Game 2 - 5 innings
Shaggy Dog 9
Aqua Specialists 2
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Bill Kozlavac
MVP: Eddie Ketelhut (2-2, 3RBI)

Game 3
First Kings 4
Kars Aces 3
WP: Joe Hineline
LP: Brad Porter
MVP: Chris Cole (2-4, run)

Game 4 - 4 innings
Jersey Shore Generals 15
RF Linemen 3
WP: Tim Saar
LP: Kylie Hand
MVP: Dave Thomas (4-4, 3 x 2b, 2RBI, 2 runs)

Game 5 - 4 innings
Knoxville/Ontario 12
Jack Armstrong Transport 0
WP: Dale Dowdell
LP: Billy Morse
MVP: Ben Giese (2 x HR)

Game 6 - 6 innings
NY Gremlins 9
ESA Bellys 0
WP: Bryan Newton
LP: Paul Algar
MVP: Frank DeGroat (3-3, 2 runs)

Game 7 - 5 innings
I4C Victory 7
Bower's Lab 0
WP: Trevor Wood
LP: Denny Reed
MVP: Joel Langford (3-3)

Game 8 - 5 innings
Hoffman Rise 7
West Carleton Electric 0
WP: Mike Smith
LP: Bud Hanlon
MVP: Jeff Hook (2B, 3B, 2runs)

Game 9 - 5 innings
Greenbush Generals 11
Beverage Barn 3
WP: Cory Alkerton
LP: Trevor Hall
MVP: John George (3-4, 2 x HR)

Game 10
Aqua Specialists 6
Kenneyville 4
WP: Justin Zimmerman
LP: Kyle Owlett
MVP: Joe Bosche (2-3, run)

Game 11
Shaggy Dog 3
First Kings 0
WP: Tom Berube
LP: Joe Hineline
MVP: Jorge Montero (HR, 2RBI)

Game 12
Knoxville/Ontario 7
Jersey Shore Generals 2
WP: Lefty Clark
LP: Mike Dougherty
MVP: Ben Geise (4-4, run)

Game 13 - 4 1/2 innings
NY Gremlins 11
I4C Victory 3
WP: Jeremy Tracy
LP: Neil Cooke
MVP: Derek Pukash (3-4, HR, 2 runs)

Game 14
Hoffman Rise 6
Greenbush Generals 0
WP: Ryan Cummings
LP: Cory Alkerton
MVP: Brian Miller (2B, inside the park HR)

Game 15 - 8 innings
Aqua Specialists 3
Kars Aces 2
WP: Bill Kozlavac
LP: Brad Porter
MVP: Rich Sauder (2-4, 2 runs)

Game 16
Jack Armstrong Transport 16
RF Linemen 3
WP: Deano van Zile
LP: Kylie Hand
MVP: Deano van Zile (4-5, 3B, 4 runs)

Game 17
ESA Bellys 5
Bower's Lab 1
WP: Paul Algar
LP: Denny Reed
MVP: Paul Algar (4.2IP, 11K in relief)

Game 18
West Carleton Electric 10
Beverage Barn 9
WP: Bud Hanlon
LP: Jeff Tate
MVP: Darren Featherstone (4-4, 3B, 4 runs)

Game 19
Greenbush Generals 9
Aqua Specialists 5
WP: Jeff Barber
LP: Justin Zimmerman
MVP: John George (2-3, HR)

Game 20
I4C Victory 6
Jack Armstrong Transport 1
WP: Jon Peters
LP: Deano van Zile
MVP: Kevin McGuire (2-3, run)

Game 21
ESA Bellys 7
Jersey Shore Generals 0
WP: Paul Algar
LP: Tim Saar
MVP: Dave Butler (2-3, run)

Game 22
West Carleton Electric 5
First Kings 4
WP: Darren Featherstone
LP: Joe Hineline
MVP: Joe McCleary (3-3, RBI)

Game 23
Shaggy Dog 3
Knoxville/Ontario 0
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Craig Hollingsworth
MVP: Edward Leonardo (2-3, RBI)

Game 24
NY Gremlins 8
Hoffman Rise 1
WP: Bill Hillhouse
LP: Ryan Cummings
MVP: Derrick Pukash (4-4, 2 runs)

Game 25
I4C Victory 3
Greenbush Generals 1
WP: Neil Cooke
LP: Jeff Barber
MVP: Neil Cooke (Complete Game, 8k)

Game 26 - 8 innings
ESA Bellys 5
West Carleton Electric 2
WP: Paul Algar
LP: Bud Hanlon
MVP: Paul Algar (4IP relief, 1 hit, 9k)

Game 27
I4C Victory 5
Knoxville/Ontario 0
WP: Neil Cooke
LP: Dale Dowdell
MVP: Kevin McGuire (2-4, run)

Game 28 - 5 innings
Hoffman Rise 9
ESA Bellys 0
WP: Mike Smith
LP: Paul Algar
MVP: Chad Ochele (2-3, 2 runs)

Game 29
NY Gremlins 2
Shaggy Dog 1
WP: Bryan Newton
LP: Jeremy Manley
MVP: Derrick Pukash (2-3, 2 x 3B)

Game 30 - 4 1/2 innings
Hoffman Rise 9
I4C Victory 0
WP: Ryan Cummings
LP: Neil Cooke
MVP: Jeff Hook (2-3, 2 runs)

Game 31
Shaggy Dog 6
Hoffman Rise 0
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Ryan Cummings
MVP: Edward Leonardo (2-4, 2 x HR, 4RBI)

Game 32 - Championship Game
NY Gremlins 5
Shaggy Dog 0
WP: Bill Hillhouse
LP: Tom Berube
MVP: Frank DeGroat (2-3, 2RBI)

Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League finals set

The finals are set for the best-of-three UOVMFL finals between Shawville Snappers and Micksburg Sr Twins.

Monday September 21 at 8pm in Shawville
Wednesday Septgember 23 at 8pm in Micksburg
Friday September 25 at 8pm in Shawville (if necessary)

Busy night in playoff fastball

Lots of playoff fastball action across the Ottawa area tonight and tomorrow. Here is a round up of games (if there are any more, let me know) - all games tonight except for the BMFL.


Greater Ottawa Fastball League

Game 5 of semi-finals, Quyon Flyers at Ottawa Team Easton, in Carp at 8pm
Winner to face Stittsville 56ers in finals


Glen Cairn Men's Fastball League

Game 1 of semi-finals, best of three, ASAP Print Management vs. Mattamy Homes at AY Jackson diamond at 6:30pm
Winner to face Laurysen Kitchens in finals


Trend Arlington Men's Fastball League

Game 2 of both semi-final series at Trend Arlington Park
Lone Star (4th) vs. Taylor Shamrocks (1st) at 6:30pm
Goodfellows (3rd) vs. PJ Quigley's (2nd ) at 8:30pm

Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League
Game 2 of the final series at Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre
Orange vs. Blue at 9pm (Blue leads best of three 1-0)


Blackburn Men's Fastball League

Game 2 of the final series at Blackburn Arena Diamond
Guzzlers vs. Knights at 8pm (on Thursday)

Game 4 report, Easton 2 Quyon 0

from Cory Morrison

Easton evened up the series last night with a 2-0 win over the home side Flyers at the Quyon Fairgrounds.

Corey Costello had the win giving up 2 infield hits and strking out 20. Joran Graham took the loss going 4 innings while giving up 2 hits 3 walks and striking out 7. Drew Hathway pitched the final 3 innings strking out 8/9 batters he faced.

Easton got on the board in the 3rd as Brad Pender walked, stole 2nd, took 3rd on a Kevin Chevrier sac fly then scored on a wild pitch.

The visiting team added to their lead in the 4th as Chad Milne singled then took second on a sac bunt by Cory Morrison and scored on a Andy Davey double to the gap.

Quyon had a chance in the 7th when Matt Greer reached on an error and Nick Armitage reached on an infield hit. With runners on first and second and two out, Steve McCord lifted a 2-2 pitch in short left center that Brad Pender made a nice sliding catch on to end the rally.

Game 5 going tonight in Carp at 8pm.

Easton wins, forces Game 5

txt msg update from Cory Morrison

Team Easton won 2-0 in Quyon on Tuesday night to even their GOFL semi-final series at 2 games apiece. The visiting team has won each game so far in this series.

Corey Costello had the win with 20 strikeouts.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday Sept 16 at 8pm in Carp, as the Grove is unavailable.

more to follow

"Fastball Farce" in Cobourg Town League Finals

from Northumberland Today

Fastball farce mars first game of Town League final

Animosity replaced civility last Wednesday night at Legion Fields, turning the opener of the Cobourg Men's Softball League's championship series into a feud.

What was expected to be a test of skill between the top two teams, Foodland Crush and Grafton Jays, deteriorated into a bitter battle that took two hours and eight minutes to complete.

Grafton won 8-4 on the scoreboard where it really counts. Included in all the distasteful nonsense was a scuffle between Jake Taylor of Foodland and Craig Buttar of the Jays, resulting in the ejection of both players in the sixth inning, Jays' shortstop Cory Olczak being struck by a pitched ball, charges of running up the score, harassment of plate umpire John Cane and various other snarly jibes not worthy of mention.

It is hoped both teams will regain a semblance of sanity for the remainder of the best-of- seven final, beginning with Tuesday night's 8 o'clock start in Grafton and Wednesday night's third encounter back in Cobourg.

Individual and team awards based on regular season play will commence around 7:30 p. m. at Legion Fields prior to Game 3.

Grafton lefthander Jeff Murphy, pitching his second game in as many nights, earned the credit for the win in the stormy curtain-raiser. He yielded nine Foodland base hits, walked four and struck out 12.

Jake Taylor was tagged with the loss, surrendering nine blows and two free passes in 5 2/3 innings before being tossed. With no other regular flinger to take over, young Nick Ellis stepped into the breach and limited Grafton to a single hit while issuing two bases on balls and fanning one in the 1 2/3 innings he worked.

Scoreless in the first three innings, Grafton broke the string of goose-eggs in the top of the fourth via Buttar's double to centre and Tom Lewis's RBI single.

In the fifth, the Jays parlayed singles by Pat Rutherford, Craig Minifie, Dave Hare and John Garland with a walk to Buttar and error putting Lewis aboard, all after two were out, to grab an insurmountable lead.

Foodland busted Murphy's shutout in the fifth on doubles by Jason Cane and Dan Burnham and scored three times in their half of the sixth to offset Grafton's final three markers in the sixth round on the strength of back-to-back solo homers by the other Jeff Murphy and Aaron Trude, followed by doubles from Cane and Burnham again.

Craig Minifie, a last-minute arrival, enjoyed a perfect 3- for-3 night on Grafton's behalf whereas Burnham topped the Crush with two doubles and a single.

Sine's surrenders

Tuesday at Grafton, the host Jays mercied Sine's 8-1 in the decisive fifth game of their best-of-five set. The game started out as if it would be a good one but that changed when Terry Lewis suffered an upper body injury early in the game with Grafton leading 1-0 on an unearned second-inning run. Bryan Harold was the surprise reliever for Lewis on the firing line, despite hurling just two innings all year.

Grafton quickly capitalized for four runs in the third, featuring 2-RBI singles by Minifie and Olczak. The rest was academic.

Eight Jays shared the club's eight-hit attack. Murphy breezed along on a four-hitter, ringing up eight on strikes in the shortened five-inning affair.

Scott Leblanc of Sine's was the game's one multiple hitters. He singled twice and walked once.

"The Glen" is down to the final four

from www.gcmfl.com

The GCMFL is down to the final four in the quest for the Barry Taggart Memorial trophy as league champions.

#1 seed Laurysen Kitchens puts their 13-3 record on the line against #6 East Side Mario's in one semi-final. Laurysen won the season series 2-0 by scores of 6-0 and 4-3, but ESM has been in a groove since the start of August, winning 7 of their last 9 games.

In the other semi-final, #2 seed ASAP Print Management faces #5 seed Mattamy Homes. ASAP had the edge over Mattamy in the regular season, winning 9-1 and playing to a 1-1 draw, but the teams haven't played each-other since late June.

Both series begin Monday September 14th at the A.Y. Jackson diamond. See www.gcmfl.com for the full schedule.

Eastern Ontario Challenge Cup schedule

from Blair Setford

The revised Challenge Cup East schedule for this weekend in McNab/Braeside is now available.

The winner will receive a paid entry into the 2010 ISC II Tournament of Champions in Midland, Michigan.

Seven teams are participating - four from the GOFL, one from the Loughborough League, one from the Blackburn League and one from the Donnacona, QC league.

Gm 1 Friday 8 pm Carp I4C Victory vs Blackburn Guzzlers
Gm 2 Saturday 9 am Ottawa Team Easton vs North Fred Kings
Gm 3 Saturday 9 am Donnacona Blue Sox vs Manotick Lomor Printers
Gm 5 Saturday 11 am Winner Gm 1 vs Quyon COMBAT Flyers
Gm 4 Saturday 1 pm Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2
Gm 6 Saturday 1pm Winner Gm 2 vs Winner Gm 3
Gm 7 Saturday 3pm Loser Gm 6 vs Winner Gm 4
Gm 8 Saturday 3pm Loser Gm 3 vs Loser Gm 5
Gm 9 Saturday 5pm Winner Gm 5 vs Winner Gm 6 (undefeated game)
Gm10 Saturday 7pm Winner Gm 7 vs Winner Gm 8
Gm11 Sunday 9am Winner Gm 10 vs Loser Gm 9
Gm12 Sunday 11am Winner Gm 9 vs Winner Gm 11 (final)
Gm13 Sunday 1pm If necessary game

Blackburn finals set

The Blackburn Men's Fastball League best of three finals are set. The regular season champs the Guzzlers will face the Knights. Schedule information on the league website at http://www.bmfl.ca/.

Jamie Blakely, Ryan Chatten and Ryan Cox throw for the Knights, while the Guzzlers have the Barber brothers Jeff and Andy throwing with Derek catching.

The Guzzlers will represent the league at the Eastern Ontario Challenge Cup this weekend in McNab.

Game 1: Tues Sep 15, 8:00
Game 2: Thurs Sep 17, 8:00
Game 3: Tues Sep 22, 8:00 ( if necessary)

Kingston Cowboys win LFL playoff tournament

from Jeff Hannah

The Kingston Cowboys won the Loughborough Fastball League tournament on the weekend in Sydenham.

The Cowboys lost 1-0 vs North Fred on Friday night in a pitchers' duel. North Fred scored in the bottom of the seventh to win it.

The Cowboys then won 4 games on Saturday to take the championship. Cowboys beat Sydenham 4-1, then beat Sunbury 6-3, then beat North Fred 7-1 to get to the finals.

In the final game the Cowboys beat the Napanee Express Juniors 1-0 in 8 innings. Jamie Purdon had an RBI double to score David Purdon in the eighth. Ryan Sharpe threw all 8 innings for the Cowboys for the win. Jordan MacDonald threw all 8 for the Juniors in the loss. A great game to top off a great weekend of ball.

Final standings:
1. Kingston Cowboys
2. Napanee Express Juniors
3. North Fred
4. Sunbury
T5. Enterprise
T5. Sydenham
T7. Sydenham Midgets
T7. Battersea

GOFL playoff update

Game 4 of the GOFL semi-finals will take place Tuesday night (Sep 15) in Quyon at 8pm as Team Easton, down 2-1 in the series, will try to force Game 5 in the best-of-five series.

Quyon will be without catcher and leader Joe McCleary who required surgery after being injured in a car accident on Saturday night. Big Joe is recovering in the Hull Hospital and will be okay, but will be unable to play ball in the near future.

If Easton wins, the deciding Game 5 will be played in Carp on Wednesday Sep 16 at 8pm, as the Grove is unavailable.

If Quyon wins the series to make the finals for the first time in their history, Game 1 of the series will be played in Carp on Wednesday Sep 16 at 8pm against the defending champs, the Stittsville 56ers.

Loughborough Fastball League Playoff Tournament

The Loughborough Fastball League is going with a tournament this year instead of playoffs. Jeff Hannah provides this update.

The Loughborough Fastball League playoff tournament begins tonight at the Keeley Road Diamonds near Sydenham.

It is a modified double knockout tournament with the top 4 teams in the regular season getting 2 lives and the 5-8 place teams getting 1 life.

Games begin tonight (Friday Sep 11) at 7:00pm with the Napanee Jrs vs Sunbury in the 1-4 game, and the Kingston Cowboys vs North Fredricksburg in the 2-3 game. At 9:00 is Enterprise vs Battersea in the 5-8 game and Sydenham vs Sydenham Midgets in the 6-7 game.

Games continue starting at 9:00am Saturday with the Undefeated game scheduled for 11:00am and the final game set for 5:00pm Saturday.

Admission is free for the weekend, there will be a canteen open in support of Central Frontenac Minor Softball.

LFL Final Standings
1. Napanee Juniors 38pts
2. Kingston Cowboys 36pts
3. North Fred 33pts
4. Sunbury 30pts
5. Enterprise 18pts
6. Sydenham 17pts
7. Sydenham Midgets 13pts
8. Napanee Midgets 9pts
9. Battersea 9pts

Community Breakfast in Quyon

Big Papi's Mom passes on this information

The QUYON COMBAT FLYERS are hosting the Community Day Breakfast this Sunday, September 13th at the Quyon Lions Hall. The breakfast starts at 9:00.

Come out to support the Flyers.

56ers Sweep Semi Final - details

from John Craig

Game 3 of the GOFL semi final between the 56ers and the Lomor Printers took place in Carp last night. Unfortunately for Manotick this just wasn't their night as Stittsville won 9-0.

Dan Bradley had the win while Trevor Lahey took the loss.

The Printers threatened early when Joe Allan lead off with a single that he turned into a double when the 56ers were caught being a bit lackadaisical out of the gate. He later moved to third on a fielder's choice and the Printers had a runner on 3rd in the top of the first. That would be as close as they got however as the 56ers were able to get out of the inning.

Stittsville was held to Scott Herriot's single in the first as Manotick retired the next 3 batters. In the top of the second Dan Bradely really settled in striking out the side and bringing Stittsville back to the bats. Leading off the second John Craig reached first on an error and moved to third on Scott Jessiman's single to right field. Bradley then got to first on a fielder's choice that scored Craig and the 56ers had the lead. Bradley later moved to second on an error and scored on Mike Barrett's single giving the 56ers a 2-0 lead.

Bradley continued to roll in the third allowing only 1 hit to Trevor Lahey and striking out 2. For the 56ers Ben Gigliotti reached first on an error and moved to second on Craig's walk. They both advanced on a wild pitch and then both scored on S. Jessiman's second single of the night. Bradley was then hit by a pitch and both he and Jessiman advanced on a fielder's choice, and Jessiman would then score on Barrett's sac fly giving the Stittsville a 5-0 lead.

Bradley was on his game in the 4th getting Power to ground out before he K'd the next two batters. For Stittsville in the fourth Ryan Bond hit a single and then came in on Dan Jessiman 2 run blast to right. The 56ers hitting streak continued as Gigliotti drew a walk, and Craig, S. Jessiman, and Barrett all singled to cash in two more before ending the inning giving them a 9-0 lead.

Bradley struck out the first two batters before Lahey hit a single and in a strange turn of events he tried to steal second on the first pitch and was thrown out by Tyler Nystedt ending the game, and the series. Stittsville 9, Manotick 0.

Stittsville would like to congratulate Manotick on a hard fought semi final series.

The 56ers now await the winner of the Easton/Quyon series for the finals.

Notables:

Manotick:
Trevor Lahey - 2 for 2

Stittsville:
Dan Jessiman - 2 run HR
John Craig - 1 for 1, BB, 3R
Scott Jessiman - 3 for 3
Dan Bradley - 9 K's

Stittsville sweeps, moves on to the GOFL Finals

Stittsville 56ers remained undefeated in the GOFL playoffs, shutting out the Manotick Lomor Printers 9-0 in game three of their best-of-five semi-final in Carp on Thursday night. In 25 GOFL games this season (regular and playoffs), Stittsville is a combined 22-1-2.

The 56ers will wait to face the winner of the Quyon / Easton series, which resumes on Tuesday night in Quyon at 8pm with the Flyers leading the series 2 games to 1.

more to follow

Pudge on the radio - Junior Men's Nats may be back in Owen Sound

from Owen Sound Radio / Al's Fastball

Softball Canada Receives Owen Sound Bid For 2010 Junior Men's Championship

Softball Canada confirms they have received a bid from the Owen Sound Brick Brothers Volkswagen Junior Selects to be the host city for the 2010 Canadian Junior Men's Fastball Championship Tournament. Again.

Mike Branchaud of Softball Canada confirms the required number of copies for the bid have been received and are now being distributed to the Selection Committee who will review the Owen Sound application.

Branchaud also confirms that the Owen Sound bid is the only one in their possession at the moment.Furthermore, Branchaud explains that based on Softball Canada regulations, any other interested party will be informed of the Owen Sound bid and advised that they have a 2 week deadline to submit their bid for consideration.

When asked if he anticipated another bid within the two week time frame, Branchaud stated there had been some interest shown in Eastern Canada.

There is a rumour that Nova Scotia, who finished second at the 2009 Championship in Owen Sound, were considering an application to host the week long tournament.

Owen Sound has been the host centre and organization for the past two summers.

In both 2008 & 2009, the Owen Sound bid was the only existing bid on the table.

A complete interview with Mike Branchaud of Softball Canada is posted at www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca click on " Sports " and scroll down to " Latest Sports Stories "

Negotiations completed - game 4 of Quyon / Easton set

The negotiations are completed and Kenny Fleck reports that Game 4 of the Quyon Flyers vs. Ottawa Team Easton series will be played Tuesday September 15 in Quyon at 8pm.

Quyon leads the series 2 games to 1 and hopes to advance the GOFL finals for the first time with a win on Tuesday.

UPDATE: The Flyers $5 for 2 beverage deal will be available at this game, so show up thirsty.

Stittsville manages a comeback in Game 2 - the deets

the first ever submission from blog virgin Johnny Craig

56ers Manage Another Comeback

Once again the Lomor Printers came out swinging and jumped out to an early lead in game 2 of the GOFL semi finals that proved to be an offensive match up. Darren Feather-Stalone toed the rubber for the 56ers and Trevor Lahey was on the hill for the Printers.

Manotick got on the board in the bottom of the second when Calvin Medynski and John Lindsey singled for the Printers and both came in to score on a Lindsay Medynski triple, who would then score on a wild pitch giving Manotick a 3-0 lead.

Similar to game 1 however it was the third inning when the 56ers got things going with singles by Scott Herriot and Darren Featherstone which lead to a crafty fake bunt double steal to move the runners to second and third with nobody out. Though Manotick was able to get the next two batters Ben Gigliotti singled with 2 outs cashing in Herriot and Featherstone, and he later scored on John Craig's single tying the game at 3.

Manotick continued to battle in the bottom of the third when Trevor Power lead things off with a single. The 56ers had trouble with a hard packed field and C. Medynski and J. Lindsey reached first on Stittsville errors which also brought Power in to score. Mike Branchaud then hit what was sure to be a single to right when wily vet Darren McCartney makes a diving stab, and throws Branchaud out at first. Medynski came in to score on the play but the 56ers got the second out and subsequently managed to get L. Medynski to ground out ending the inning and were happy to give up only two. Manotick leads 5-3.

The top of the fourth proved to be a tough inning for the Printers. Scott Jessiman drew a lead off walk and got to second on a Tyler Nystedt sac bunt. Herriot and Featherstone reached first on a couple of Manotick errors which cost them a run and Dan Jessiman then hit a double cashing in two, and he would later score on a double by Ryan Bond. Lahey was able to strike out 2 of the next 3 batters to retire the side but the 56ers had now taken a 7-5 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth the 56ers brought Dan Bradley in to relieve Featherstone and after giving up a lead off single to Rich Antunes he settled in nicely retiring the next 3 batters including 2 K's.

In the top of the 5th the 56ers kept coming when Herriot drew a walk followed by Featherstone's 2 run homerun- his second of the series giving Stittsville a 4 run lead.

Bradley was in a groove from here on in allowing just 3 base runners in 4 innings, striking out 9 of 13 as that would be all for the Printers.

In the top of the 6th Manotick brought in Tony Riches to relieve Lahey and with 1 out Gigliotti hit a triple and then scored on a double by Craig.

In the 7th the 56ers got singles from Nystedt and Herriot who both later scored on singles from Jessiman and Bond. Riches ended up having to leave the game after Craig hit a one hopper off the back of his wrist bringing Lahey back to finish the game. Riches would be alright after the game.

Final score was Stittsville 12 Manotick 5 although the score is not really indicative of the game which was a tight match through 5 innings. Bradley picks up the win for the 56ers in relief of Featherstone and Lahey gets the loss with relief from Riches.

Game 3 goes in Carp Thursday night at 8pm.

Notables:

Manotick
Lindsay Medynski - 2 for 3, 3B, 2 RBI's, 1R

Stittsville:
Dan Bradley - 9 K's in his 4 innings
Scott Herriot - 2 for 5, 4R, BB
Darren Featherstone - 3 for 5, HR, 2RBI's, 3R
John Craig - 3 for 4, 2B, BB, 2RBI's

Death of Bernie Beauregard

Mr. Bernard Beauregard, who was involved with fastball in Orleans for many years, died on Sunday.

Bernie was the recipient of the Feaver Award from the Ontario Amateur Softball Association in 2004. This award is presented to a player, official or officer of any league or Association, who in the opinion of the Feaver awards committee has made an outstanding contribution to the game of softball.

Obituary information here.

Stittsville takes 2-0 lead in semi-finals

Stittsville defeated Manotick 12-5 on Wednesday night in Manotick to take a 2-0 lead in the GOFL semi-final series.

The 56ers can sweep with a win tonight, Thurs Sep 10 - game 3 will be in Carp at 8pm as the Grove was unavailable due to slo-pitch. (BOOOOO slo-pitch).

more to follow

Quyon edges Easton 1-0 in Game 3

update from Shawn Laframboise

Quyon COMBAT Flyers beat Ottawa Team Easton 1-0 in GOFL playoff action on Tuesday night in Stittsville to take a 2 games to 1 lead in their semi-final series.

Drew Hathway had the win with a three hit performance, while Brad Porter took the loss allowing only two hits.

Quyon scored the game's only run in the second inning. Joran Graham walked, and a wild pitch moved him to second base. Joe McCleary then hit a single for what turned out to be the game winning RBI.

Details for Game 4 in Quyon remain "under negotiation" and should be settled tomorrow.

Kanata Pirates Bantam Tier 2 Girls softball tryouts

from Andy Brothers

Kanata Pirates Bantam Tier 2 Girls softball tryouts will be held on September 26th and 27th from 10 – 3 @ All Saint’s High School in Kanata.

For more information please email - andybrothers[at] sympatico.ca

Condolences to the Sherman family

Condolences are in order for the first family of fastball in Elkland, PA the Shermans. Durwood "Durk" Sherman, who died Sunday, was the founder of the Labor Day tournament and the beautiful softball complex in Elkland. He missed his first ever Labor Day event this year since its inception in 1952.

My sympathies to sons Bill and Grant, their four sisters and the extended Sherman family. I didn't know Mr. Sherman personally, but his sons are great people and I'm sure that's an indication of their late mother and father.

Fittingly, Mr. Sherman's funeral services will be held Sept 10 at the Elkland Softball Stadium.

WC Electric at Elkland

West Carleton Electric went 2 and 2 at Elkland to finish tied for 7th of 17 teams.


Game 1: Reading, PA Rise Fastpitch 7 West Carleton Electric 0

Bud Hanlon took the loss with relief from Stittsville pick up Darren Featherstone as WC Electric struggled offensively. Mike Smith was the winning pitcher for the eventual 3rd place finishers allowing only three hits.

Game 2: West Carleton Electric 10 Williamsport, PA Beverage Barn 9
The Electric at one point had a 8-2 lead and seemed to be in control, but the scrappy Williamsport team came back to tie the game 8-8 in the top of the sixth. The Electric scored two in the bottom of the sixth and held the Bevies to one in the bottom of the final inningf or the one run win. Matt Greer had a home run in this one for WC. Jeff Cavanagh made a game saving diving catch in right field to preserve the win in the seventh inning. Bud Hanlon had the win on the slab in this game, in relief of 16-year-old rookie Andy Barber.

Game 3: West Carleton Electric 5 Allentown, PA First Kings 4
WC spotted their opponents four runs in the first inning with some defensive miscues, but came back to win the game. Darren Featherstone had the complete game win for the Electric. Key hits came from Neil Murphy and Joe McCleary.

Game 4: Elkland, PA Thunderbellys 5 West Carleton Electric 2 (8 innings)
The win in the third game set up an exciting Sunday night showdown in the main stadium between the Electric and the hometown Elkland team.

In front of a vocal crowd guesstimated at about 500, Bud Hanlon (known to Elkland locals as "the Gorilla") pitched very well with a two hitter over the regulation seven innings until giving up two hits and a walk which accounted for three runs in the top of the eighth. Jeff Van Hooser, a pick up from Ashland Stockpack started the game for Elkland, giving way to Paul Algar, a former New Zealand national team pitcher, who was the eventual winner.

The Electric scored two runs in the third inning on an Adam Brown RBI single and a passed ball which scored Andy Barber, chasing Van Hooser from the game. In the next inning, with Paul Algar chucking, Jeremy Cook had an incredible catch in right field for Elkland, stealing a triple from Joe McCleary that would have scored Matt Greer from second.

Elkland overcame the 2 run deficit by making their two hits in regulation count - a Dave Butler solo home run, followed two innings later by a Bob Kizer RBI single that scored Butler who had reached on WC's only error of the game.

The Bellys' scored three in the eighth. The pinch runner they sent to second base for the international rule was a 62 year old dude that was faster than the Bellys' catcher. The old dude advanced to third on a passed ball. Big Bud struck out the first two batters of the inning. Then Billy Sherman, whose dad had died earlier in the day, came to the plate with a pinch hit opportunity. Sherman worked a full count and walked to put runners on the corners. Then Cook re-entered the game to run for Sherman. The next hitter, Jamie Miller slapped the ball off hand deep between second and third, and with the only possibly play at first, the speedy Miller beat the throw and was safe as the old dude scored. Ryan Morgan then doubled to score two more runs and push the lead to 5-2. A Tom Dexter single threatened to put the game further out of reach, but Hanlon was able to get the final out of the inning putting WC at bat.

The Electric had Trevor Barton at second to start the inning. Darren Featherstone led off at the plate against Paul Algar and ripped a line drive down third base, that had triple written all over it - but it was caught by Tom Dexter and thrown over to second to double off Barton. Matt Greer then doubled to give WC some life. The next batter, Jeff Cavanagh drove a hard liner to centre, but it was caught to end the game.

Elkland Labour Day tourney results - now with a bit more info

Just a quick report on the Elkland Labour Day tournament.

There were 17 teams there - the calibre was, as usual, from House League to World Class.

Great weather, great food, great atmosphere. It really is a special spot for a fastpitch softball tournament.

More to follow later, but here is some info.

Final order of finish, with eastern Ontario teams bolded:

1. New York Gremlins (Clifton Park, NY) - 5-0; they had Brian Newton and Jeremy Tracy throwing and ran the table
2. Shaggy Dog (Erie, PA) - 5-2; former champs lost twice to Gremlins. Jeremy Manley threw for NY.
3. Hoffman Rise (Reading, PA) - 5-2; lost to Gremlins and Shaggy. Mike Smith and Ryan Cummings threw for Rise.
4. I4C Victory (Carp, ON) - 4-2; lost to Gremlins and Rise. Neil Cooke and John Peters threw for I4C.
5. ESA Thunderbellys (Elkland, PA) - 4-2; lost to Gremlins and Rise. Jeff Van Hooser and Paul Algar threw for ESA.
6. Knoxville/Ontario (Knoxville, PA / Kingston, ON) -3-2; lost to I4C and Shaggy.
T7. West Carleton Electric (Fitzroy Harbour, ON) - 2-2; lost to Rise and ESA Bellys
T7. Greenbush Generals (Greenbush, ON) - 2-2; lost to Rise and I4C
9. Aqua Specialists (Palmyra , PA) 2-2; lost to Shaggy and Greenbush
T10. Jack Armstrong Transport (Avoca, NY ) 1-2; lost to Knoxville and I4C
T10. Jersey Shore Generals (Jersey Shore, PA) 1-2; lost to Knoxville and ESA Bellys
T10. First Kings (Allentown, PA) 1-2; lost to WC Electric and Shaggy
T13. Kars Aces (Kars, ON) 0-2; lost to First Kings and Aqua
T13. RF Linemen (Elkland, PA) 0-2; lost to JS Generals and Jack Armstrong
T13. Bowers Lab (Jersey Shore, PA) 0-2; lost to I4C and ESA Bellys
T13. Beverage Barn (Williamsport, PA) 0-2; lost to WC Electric and Greenbush
T13. Keeneyville Fastpitch (Keeneyville, PA) 0-2; lost to ESA Bellys and Aqua

Brockville wins North Leeds league title

from Ron Smith, Brockville Recorder-Times

Brockville has won its first men's fastball title in a number of years.

Brockville outscored Newboro 8-7 in the fifth and deciding game of the North Leeds Men's Fastball League playoff championships at Goldie Christopher Park before more than 60 fans on Thursday night.

This year's Brockville team was transplanted from Lyn early in the season. For the three previous years, Lyn and Newboro have met in the finals with Newboro winning twice and Lyn winning the other time before this season.

On Thursday night, Brockville's Matt McNish broke a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-out, solo home run to deep centerfield off losing pitcher Troy McLean. McNish hit a two-run homer earlier in the game.

Newboro jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the second inning with Brockville scoring five times in the third inning to claim a 5-2 lead. Newboro scored three times in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 7-7.

McNish pitched the win with Jeff McNish coming on in the seventh inning to earn the save. McLean, who pitched the last four games of the finals, took the loss.

In the regular season, Greenbush had finished in first place, followed by Smiths Falls, Brockville and Newboro. In the first round of playoffs, Newboro upset Greenbush in two straight games while Brockville knocked off Smiths Falls in two games.

In the finals, Brockville won the first two games of the series by scores of 4-3 and 2-1 before Newboro rallied for 14-8 and 6-0 victories.

Superstitious after losing a number of games in the regular season and not wanting to jeopardize their chances in the playoffs, the Brockville team imposed a media blackout about not publicizing its results until the post-season ended.

Other members of the winning Brockville team were: Jon Cross, Adam Cross, Jason Livingstone, Milo VanDyk, John Purvis, Mike Hanna, Matt Walker, Adam McNish, Mark Reilly, Derrick Roberts and Ryan Brown.

The Brockville team operated without a sponsor this season but is already looking for sponsorship for next season.

Ottawa U announces women's fastball team

from Scott Searle

The University of Ottawa is pleased to announce the 2009 version of their team. The Gee-Gees are thrilled to announce that 9 team members competed at Canadian Championships this past summer, and all 9 won medals.

Of special note, Vanessa Homiak won Gold Medals at both the Jr and Sr womens National Championships. 2009 represents a special year for the team as they will be chasing their 100th win and will represent Ontario at the 2nd Annual Canadian University Championship in Kitchener-Waterloo on Thanksgiving weekend.

The coaching staff will have a fresh look with new coach, Jason McDonald joining Jenny Allen and Scott Searle. Although Jason is new to our program, he is no stranger to softball. He coached the Orleans Rebels in 1999, when they became the first team from the Ottawa area to qualify for the Nationals. He joins 3-time Eastern Canadian Champion and professional personal trainer Jenny Allen.

Stephanie Samms 2nd Nursing Kingston
Elissa Sivel 5th Education Pembroke
Vanessa Homiak 4th History Orangeville
Kristen Barber 1st Biopharm Ottawa
Amanda Toll 2nd Statistics Orleans
Mallory Watson 3rd Health Sciences Calgary
Laura Skiperis 3rd Human Kinetics Guelph
Emily Ernst 3rd Social Sciences Kingston
Jenna Flannigan 1st Math Cornwall
Rachel Legaspi 3rd History Windsor
Brittany Shank 1st Health Sciences North Bay
Jillian Taylor 5th Education Orleans

Stittsville takes game 1 over Manotick - with more info

txt msg from Tony Riches, and details from John Craig

Stittsville defeated Manotick 8-2 in game one of the GOFL semi-final at the Grove on Thursday night.

Trevor Lahey had the loss with relief from Tony Riches, while Dan Bradley had the win.

Wily veteran Don Cox had a home run for the Printers to put them out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but the 56ers came back for the victory.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the third Darren Featherstone hit a solo shot.

Ryan Bond lead off the 4th with a walk and advanced to 2nd on a passed ball, then to third on Scott Jessiman's sac bunt, and scored on a Dan Bradley single. Tyler Nystedt then hit a single and McCartney hit a double to put Stittsville up with a 4-2 lead.

Nystedt and Mike Barrett singled in the 6th to set the table for a Scott Herriot 3run blast, 7-2. At this point Tony Riches relieved Trevor Lahey and Featherstone hit a triple as the first batter. John Craig then hit a walk off triple, 8-2 to end the game.

Game 2 in the series is Wednesday night in Manotick at 8pm.

UOVMFL playoff update - finals set

from Shawn Laframboise

The finals are now set in the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League.

The Micksburg Sr Twins and the Shawville Snappers will faceoff in the final after each club won their respective semi-final matchups in the deciding third game of the best-of-three.

The Sr Twins defeated McNab Badham Carpentry by a score of 2-0 in game three. Corey Costello was credited with the win and also helped his cause with a solo homerun.

The other series saw Shawville come back from a 1 game deficit to win the best-of-three over the Micksburg Jr Twins. Drew Hathway had the win throwing a 3-hitter and went 2/3 with a two-run shot and solo homerun to provide the offense. The game finished with a score of 3-0.

Seen in Ekland

While he has been out of spotlight for quite some time, this past weekend this famous singer/songwriter was seen in Elkland.

Props to certain WC Electric players for being able to identify him despite the fact he is undrecover and his hair is now blonde.

GOFL playoffs this week

Game 3 of Quyon vs. Easton goes tonight (Tuesday Sep 8) in Stittsville at 8:30pm. Game 4 is under "negotiation". The series is currently tied at 1-1.

Game 2 of Stittsville vs. Manotick is on Weds Sep 9 in Manotick at 8pm. Game 3 of the series will be played in Carp on Thurs Sep 10 at 8pm, as the Grove is unavailable. Stittsville leads the series 1-0.

Video on ISC vs ISC II

Lance Winn's CBC.ca video on the differences between the World tourney and the ToC.

Easton evens the series with Quyon

txt msg update from Spud Morrison & Moe Laframboise

Team Easton evened their GOFL semi-final series with Quyon Flyers on Thursday night with 2-1 win on the road.

Cory Costello had the win on the slab for Easton with a 17k performance. Drew Hathway had the loss for Quyon, allowing only one hit. Unfortunately for Quyon, that one hit was a Jamey Mick two run shot in the seventh.

The series is now tied 1-1 with game 3 set for Stittsville on Tuesday at 8:30.

more to follow

Elkland Labour Day Open Tournament this weekend

The annual Elkland, PA Labour Day Open Tournament is this weekend. Three local teams are competing: Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric, Carp I4C Victory and Kars Aces.

There are 17 teams at this year's event - schedule as follows:

Friday:
G1 8:30PM ESA Belly's vs. Keeneyville

Saturday
G5 10AM Knoxville / Ontario vs. Jack Armstrong Trans.
G4 10AM Jersey Shore Generals vs. RF Lineman
G8 Noon PA Rise vs. West Carleton Electric
G3 Noon Kars Aces vs. First Kings
G6 Noon WG1 vs. NY Gremlins
G9 2PM Greenbush Generals vs. Beverage Barn
G7 2PM I4C Victory vs. Bowers Lab
G2 2PM Shaggy Dog vs. Aqua Specialists

Winners Bracket:
G11 Sat 8PM WG2 vs. WG3
G12 Sat 4PM WG4 vs. WG5
G13 Sat 6PM WG6 vs. WG7
G14 Sat 6PM WG8 vs. WG9
G23 Sun 6PM WG11 vs. WG12
G24 Sun 4PM WG13 vs. WG14
G29 Mon Noon WG23 vs. WG24 (winners bracket final)

Losers Bracket:
G10 Sat 6PM LG1 vs. LG2
G15 Sun 10AM WG10 vs. LG3
G16 Sun 10Am LG4 vs. LG5
G17 Sun Noon LG6 vs. LG7
G18 Sun Noon LG8 vs. LG9
G19 Sun 2PM WG15 vs. LG14
G20 Sun 2PM WG16 vs. LG13
G21 Sun 4PM WG17 vs. LG12
G22 Sun 4PM WG18 vs. LG11
G25 Sun 6PM WG19 vs. WG20
G26 Sun 8PM WG21 vs. WG22
G27 Mon 10AM WG25 vs. LG23
G28 Mon 10AM WG26 vs. LG24
G30 Mon Noon WG27 .WG28
G31 Mon 2PM WG30 vs. LG29

Final:
G32 Mon 4PM WG31 vs. WG29
G33 "If" game to follow if necessary

Watch the blog next week for the annual "Memories of Elkland" posting.

Upcoming GOFL playoff games

Game 1: Manotick at Stittsville, Thurs Sept 3 at 8:30PM
Game 2: Stittsville at Manotick, Weds Sept 9 at 8PM
Game 3: Manotick at Stittsville, Thurs Sept 10 at 8:30PM

Game 2: Easton at Quyon, Thurs Sept 3 at 7:30PM
Game 3: Quyon at Easton (in Stittsville), Tue Sept 8 at 8:30PM
Game 4: Easton at Quyon, Thurs Sept 10 at 7:30PM (if necessary)

Manotick defeats Carp, moves on to semi-finals

report from Tony Riches

Manotick used a 5 run fourth inning to propel the Printers to a 6-0 victory in the deciding game of their quarter final matchup with Carp Wednesday night.

Paul Ceppi continued his strong season, tossing a two hitter and extending his scoreless inning stretch to 14 in the series. As he did in the two previous games, Neil Cooke again started for Carp, escaping a bases loaded jam in the first inning before Manotick`s bats came to life a few innings later.

Don Cox started the fourth with a bunt single and the Printers loaded the bases with a pair of hard fought walks by Steve Walman and Jeff Jacobs. Lindsay Medynski then came through with his second hit of the game, a two run single to open the scoring. Trevor Lahey followed with a long home run to widen the lead to 5 and end Cooke`s night on the mound. Trevor Wood relieved and retired the next two hitters but Manotick closed out the game in the fifth on a triple by Cox and an infield RBI single by Jacobs.

Manotick advances to face Stittsville, with that series opening in the Grove Thursday night at 8:30 and continuing in Manotick next Wednesday at 8.

Carp;
Brooks Paziuk 1/2, 2B
Tony MacDonald 1/2

Cooke 3.1IP 5H 5R 3BB 5K
Wood 1.1IP 3H 1R

Manotick;
L. Medynski 2/2, R, 2RBI
Cox 2/3, 3B, 2R
Lahey 1/2, HR, 3RBI

Ceppi 5IP 2H

Recent fastball articles in local media

Check these local stories out from regional media.

The first one is by Jeff Maguire who has been following the league all year long and publishing some excellent fastball stories in the EMC chain of papers:

GOFL teams faced off at ISC Tournament

The second one is about local legend Johnny Leroux and appeared in the Stittsville News:

John Leroux - sports and more

Quyon wins game 1 semi-finals over Easton - UPDATED

from Moe Laframboise

The Quyon COMBAT Flyers finally ended their lengthy slump at Alexander Grove Park with a 4-1 win over Ottawa Team Easton Tuesday night.

Drew Hathway took the win for Quyon while Brad Porter took the loss, both going the distance for their respective clubs.

The pitchers duel saw neither team reach third base until the sixth inning where Quyon opened the scoring. Nick Armitage got things going for the Flyers with a 1-out walk. Matt 'Cooney' Greer then came to the plate and continued his torrid hot-streak vs. Porter, stroking a moon shot over the left field fence to give Quyon a 2-0 lead.

Easton answered back in the bottom half of the inning. Dave Tubman came to the plate with 1-out. After working the count like he always does so well, Tubby won the battle by knocking a solo-bomb off the scoreboard in right field.

In the seventh inning, Luke 'Hammer' Young hit a 1-out triple to the gap in left-centre. After battling for a walk, Easton conceded second base to Dennis McCleary, putting two in scoring position. Shawn Laframboise then hit a two RBI single up the middle to put the game at 4-1.

Hathway struck out the first two batters in the bottom half before surrendering a walk to Lukas Kamps. He was then able to induce a pop-up to second base from Porter to end the game.

Game two goes Thursday night in Quyon at 7:30.

Pitching
Drew Hathway (W) - 7IP R ER 3H 2BB 13K
Brad Porter (L) - 7IP 4R 4ER 7H 3BB 11K

COMBAT
Shawn Laframboise 2/4 2RBI, 2B
Matt Greer 1/4 2RBI, HR
Joe McCleary 1/2 BB
Nick Armitage 1/3 R, BB
Steve McCord 1/3
Luke Young 1/3 R, 3B

EASTON
Dave Tubman 1/3 HR
Cory Morrison 1/3 2B
Kevin Chevrier 1/3

CBC sports item on the Tournament of Champions

from TC

Check out this video on CBCSports.ca about the ToC.

Sens tickets discounted for GOFL friends and family

Joe Allan has once again set up a code for fastball players, friends and family to purchase discounted tickets to Ottawa Senator home games.

The first onsale begins Wednesday September 2 at 10am and is done exclusively online.
www.capitaltickets.ca/sensgroups
Promo Code: SENGRPGOFL

Action photos from the ToC

Maddy's action photos from the ToC are now available online.