Thursday night in the GOFL - with more info

Carp 10 Stittsville 6
Stittsville built up a 4-1 lead, but I4C Victory came from behind to beat the 56ers 10-6. Neil Cooke had the win for Carp while Darren Featherstone took the loss in relief of Dan Konkle. Mike Money was named Caveman's Choice as player of the game for good night at the plate (2-3, HBP).

Micksburg 8 Quyon 1
The Twins moved to 2-0 on the season with a 8-1 win at Quyon over the Flyers. Joran Graham had the win for the 'Burg and hit a two run bomb to earn Caveman's Choice as player of the game. Corey Costello also had a three run shot for the Twins. Drew Hathway took the loss for the Flyers.

West Carleton wins both in double dip in Manotick

West Carleton Electric ran their record to 3-0 with two wins in Manotick on Wednesday night in GOFL action.

WC Electric 6 Manotick Taylor's Blitz 4

In the first game of the doubleheader, the 'Trics prevailed 6-4 over the Blitz.

Jeff Barber had the complete game win for Fitzroy, while Derick Bulley took the loss in relief of Shannon Borho with an inning of relief from Jamie Blakely.

The Blitzos started strong, plating all four of their runs in the bottom of the first frame. Marcel Mondoux reached on an error. Bulley also reached on a misplayed grounder after a ground out. Tony Searle's triple cashed both runners, and he scored on Matt Bowman's sacrifice fly to right. Blakely then tripled, and was scored by a Borho single.

West Carleton got within one in the top of the third. Adam Rueckwald started things off with a walk. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored when Andy Barber singled. After a ground out, Jeff Barber walked to put two on, and promptly stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Both of the younger Barbers scored when big brother Derek singled to cash two runs and lessen the deficit to 4-3. After Derek's single, Borho was taken out and replaced by Bulley.

With the Blitz failing to generate much offense as Jeff Barber settled in on the slab, the Electric took charge in the top of the sixth. With the first two batters going out, Adam Brown started things with a single. Trevor Barton then tripled to score Brown from first. (Note: 180 feet is a long way to go atone time for an old fella.) Andy Barber's two run homer to left field made the score 6-4 for West Carleton.

After Blakely come in during the top of the seventh to shut down Fitzroy, the Blitz looked to make things interesting in the bottom of the inning. Russ Mitchell walked with one out and Mondoux singled. However a fly out and a strikeout ended the game, as West Carleton prevailed 6-4.

For his gutsy pitching effort after a tough first inning, Jeff Barber gets the Caveman's Choice as player of the game.

Fitzroy
Andy Barber 3-4, 3B, HR, 3RBI, 2R
Neil Murphy 1-3, 3B, BB
Jeff Barber 0-2, BB, R
Derek Barber 1-4, 2RBI
Dave Bahm 1-4, 2B
Adam Brown 3-3, R
Adam Rueckwald 0-1, BB, R
Trevor Barton 1-1, 3B, R, RBI

Jeff Barber WIN 7IP 4R 0ER 5H 8K 1BB

Blitz
Marcel Mondoux 1-4, R
Tony Searle 1-3, 3B, R. 2RBI
Matt Bowman 1-2, Sac Fly, RBI, R
Jamie Blakely 1-3, 3B, R
Shannon Borho 1-3, RBI

Shannon Borho 2.1IP 3R 3ER 5H 1K 2BB
Derick Bulley LOSS 3.2IP 3R 3ER 5H 2K 1BB
Jamie Blakely 1IP 0R 0H 2K 1BB

WC Electric 6 Barrhaven Broadway Blues 2

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Electric parlayed a big first inning into a 6-4 win over the Barrhaven Broadway Blues.

Andy Barber had the complete game win while Trevor Lahey went the distance for the Blues.

West Carleton put up four in the first. Trevor Barton walked with one out. Jeff Barber reached on a misplayed grounder. Derek Barber's single scored Barton and advanced Jeff to third. Derek took second uncontested and Neil Murphy's single scored both brothers. After a ground out, Dave Bahm's singled scored the newly married Murph Dog to make it 4-0 after half an inning.

That's how it stayed until the bottom of the third. With one out, Kevin Williams blooper to centre and some aggressive base running put him on second. Lahey's single scored Williams. After a strikeout, Joe Allan's fly ball to the outfield was dropped and Lahey scored, making it 4-2.

The Electric padded their lead in the top of the fifth. Barton singled and was moved to second on Jeff Barber's sacrifice bunt. When Derek Barber hit a 3-2 pitch from his shoelaces out over the fence in left, West Carleton had a 6-2 lead.

Excellent pitching by Andy Barber closed the door, and earned him the Caveman's Choice as player of the game as he racked up 17 strikeouts and allowed only three hits.

Fitzroy
Trevor Barton 1-3, BB, 2R
Jeff Barber 2-3, R, sac bunt
Derek Barber 3-4, 3RBI, 2R
Neil Murphy 1-3, 2RBI, R
Dave Bahm 1-3, RBI

Andy Barber WIN 7IP 2R 1ER 3H 17K 2BB

Barrhaven
Trevor Power 1-3
Kevin Williams 1-3, 2B, R
Trevor Lahey 1-3, RBI, R

Trevor Lahey LOSS 7IP 6R 4ER 8H 9K 1BB

Quyon wins over Kars 7-2 - UPDATED

from Joe McCleary and Chad Milne

The Quyon Flyers started the 2013 season off with a 7-2 win over Kars in North Gower on Tuesday night, after two rainouts - it was an exciting night for the Flyers to get the season started.

Matt Greer had the win for the Flyers, while Brad Porter took the loss in relief of Cory Alkerton.

The Flyers struck first in the 2nd innning when Joe McCleary walked, advanced to 2nd and 3rd on passed balls, and was driven in on a Nick Armitage pop up to 2nd base which was misplayed by the Kars infielder.  After Steve McCord and Curtis Daley walked to load the bases, Armitage would score on a Jordan Kearns ground out, to make the score 2-0.

Kars would battle to tie it at 2 in the bottom of the 3rd. Kristian Knapp lead off with a double, followed by a walk to Nick Ellis. With one out, Chad Milne singled to score Knapp and Cory Morrison singled to score Ellis.  

The Flyers would move ahead in the 4th inning after a Steve McCord walk, a passed ball, and an error by the pitcher on a Jordan Kearns grounder, the Flyers had runners at 1st and 3rd.  McCord would score on a passed ball, Kearns was then cashed in on a Dennis McCleary double.

Kars threatened in the bottom of the 4th. With runners on second and third and one out, Knapp smacked a liner right at the third baseman, who then neatly stepped on the bag to complete the double play and get Quyon out of the inning, in what was a key play in the game as Quyon would tack on two more runs in the top of the 5th.

Matt Greer led off with a single, and was moved to 3rd by a Joe McCleary single.  Greer would score on a passed ball and McCleary ended up at 3rd. Nick Armitage then cashed in McCleary on a ground out to the SS.

The Flyers would add 1 more run in the 7th, on a bases loaded sac fly by Flyers rookie, Dave Hobbs, to go up 7-2.

Greer shut the door in the bottom of the 7th for the complete game victory, earning the Caveman's Choice for player of the game.

Quyon stats:
D. McCleary - 1/5, 2B, RBI
M. Greer - 1/2, BB 1R
J. McCleary - 2/3, 1B, 3B, BB, 2R
N. Armitage - 0/3, BB 2RBI, BB, 2R
S. McCord - 1/2, 2BB, 1R
J. Kearns -  0/3, BB, RBI, 1R
D. Hobbs - 0/4, RBI

M Greer - WP, CG, 7.0IP 2ER

Kars stats:
K. Knapp 2-4, 3B, 2B, run
N. Ellis 0-1, 3 BB, run
C. Milne 1-4, rbi
C. Morrison 1-4, rbi
J. Hopkins 2-3
D. Powers 2-3, 2B

Micksburg wins home opener 4-0 over Stittsville - UPDATED

With details from John Craig and Kerr Childerhose

Micksburg won their first ever Greater Ottawa Fastball League regular season game with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Stittsville 56ers on Tuesday night.

Corey Costello started for the Twins, while Darren Featherstone got the ball for the visitors.

Micksburg got on the board in the second when Joran Graham hit a single, followed by Nick Eckford lashing a double.  After a strikeout, Kyle Jackson cashed in Graham and Eckford with a solid double to the gap.

The score remained 2-0 until the fourth inning when Dan Konkle replaced Featherstone on the slab.  Jackson and Ryan Clarke led off with back to back singles.  A walk to Jamey Mick loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Costello proceeded to smack a two run single to double the lead to 4.

Graham relieved Costello in the sixth for Micksburg.

With his 12 strikeout performance and two-RBI single, Corey Costello earned the Caveman's Choice as player of the game.

Next up for the Twins is a road game on Thursday night in Quyon, while Stittsville meets I4C Victory in Carp that same evening.

Micksburg:
Jackson 2/2 2RBI
Costello2/4  2RBI

Costello: WIN 5IP 2H 0ER 0BB 11K
Graham: 2IP 0H 0ER 1 BB 3K

Stittsville:
Featherstone: LOSS 3IP 5H 2ER 1BB 3K
Konkle:  3IP 4H 2ER 2BB 4K

Player awards at Williamsburg Tournament

The Williamsburg Casey at Bat Tournament presented the following awards this past weekend:

Top Pitcher: Gregg Garrity, Donnacona Blue Sox
Top Hitter: Mathieu Roy, Donnacona Blue Sox
Most Valuable: Brandon Sands, Napanee Express Juniors

West Carleton Electric win home opener 2-1 over Carp I4C Victory

West Carleton Electric won their home opener 2-1 in Fitzroy Harbour in GOFL action on Tuesday night against visiting Carp I4C Victory .

In what was a well-played game of fastpitch softball, Andy Barber had the complete game win with a four hitter, while Cody Price took the loss despite allowing only three hits over five innings. Neil Cooke threw an inning of relief.

The home team loaded the bases in the first on three walks but were unable to convert.

Carp scored the first run of the night in the top of the fourth. Eric Colvin singled with one out, but was put out on a fielder's choice at second by a nice play by Electric shortstop Michael Cavanagh. With Kevin McGuire on first, Victory executed a hit and run, as Al Read doubled to right centre and McGuire scored to make it 1-0.

West Carleton responded in the bottom of the fourth. Jeff Barber doubled off the grey monster in right to lead off, and was brought in by a Jeff Cavanagh line drive over to centre field.

For his excellent performance on the slab, Andy Barber is the Caveman's Choice for player of the game.

Fitzroy:
Trevor Barton 1-3
Jeff Barber 1-2, 2B, R, BB
Jeff Cavanagh 1-3, HR, 2RBI

Andy Barber - WIN - 7IP 1R 1ER 4H 12K 2BB

Carp:
Eric Colvin 2-3
Al Read 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB
C. Scurr 1-2, BB

Cody Price - LOSS - 5IP 2R 2ER 3H 10K 4BB
Neil Cooke 1IP 0R 0H 1K 0BB

Donnacona Blue Sox win the Williamsburg Tournament

Results for the 10th Annual Casey at Bat tournament in Williamsburg, ON

Congratulations to the Donnacona Blue Sox on defeating the Napanee Express Juniors to win the title at the Williamsburg tournament for the fourth consecutive year.

Despite some cold, windy, wet weather, all the games were played by the 10 teams participating. Another good job by Lyle Schell and his group of volunteers.

(If anyone has the missing pitchers information, let me know at fastball@fitzroyharbour.com)

Friday May 24
6:30pm Williamsburg Cigars 5 Domville Aces Midgets 0
WP: Cory Alkerton, relief from Jason Smith
LP: Matt McIntyre

6:30pm Barrhaven Broadway Blues 6 Cornwall 2
WP: Trevor Lahey, relief from Paul Ceppi
LP: Herb Seguin, relief from Chris Nichol

8:30pm Manotick Taylor's Blitz 6 Lyn Lightning 1
WP: Derick Bulley, relief from Shannon Borho
LP: Jeff McNish

Saturday May 25

8:30am Donnacona Blue Sox 8 Quebec Midgets 3
WP: Luc Thibault, relief from Patrice Leclerc
LP: Alex Lachance

10am Barrhaven Broadway Blues 4 Napanee Juniors 1
WP: Trevor Lahey
LP: Brandon Sands

10:30am Williamsburg Cigars 11 Eastmain Fireballs 0
WP: Cory Alkerton with relief from Jason Smith
LP: Ray Shanoush with relief from Will Lowe

12:00pm Manotick Taylor's Blitz 10 Domville Aces Midgets 0
WP: Jamie Blakely
LP: Matt McIntyre

12:30pm Donnacona Blue Sox 9 Cornwall 3
WP: Francis Leclair
LP: Steve McGillis relief from Chris Nichol

2:00pm Lyn Lightning 10 vs Eastmain Fireballs 2
WP: Matt McNish
LP: Will Lowe

2:30pm Williamsburg Cigars 7 Manotick Taylor's Blitz 1
WP: Cory Alkerton
LP: Shannon Borho

4:00pm Napanee Juniors 1 Quebec Midgets 0
WP:
LP:

4:30pm Donnacona Blue Sox 8 Barrhaven Broadway Blues 5
WP: Gregg Garrity
LP: Chad Hargrove relief from Trevor Lahey

6:00pm Lyn Lightning 11 Domville Aces Midgets 6
WP: Shane McNish with relief from Jeff McNish
LP: Nate Hamilton in relief of Matt McIntyre

6:30pm Quebec Midgets 9 Cornwall 1
WP:
LP:

8:30pm Manotick Taylor's Blitz 5 vs Eastmain Fireballs 4
WP:
LP:

Sunday May 26

9:00am Napanee Express Juniors 5 Donnacona Blue Sox 0
WP: Cole Bolton
LP: Francis Leclair

9:00am Quebec Midgets 6 Barrhaven Broadway Blues 2
WP: Alex Lachance
LP: Paul Ceppi with relief from Trevor Lahey

11:00am Williamsburg Cigars 7 Lyn Lightning 7
Wburg: Jamie Smith and Cory Alkerton
Lyn: Matt McNish

11:00am Domville Aces Midget 4 Eastmain Fireballs 4
P:
P:

1:00pm Napanee Express Juniors defeated Cornwall (score not reported)
WP:
LP:

Standings after round robin:

Williamsburg, ON Cigars 3-0-1
Manotick, ON Taylor's Blitz 3-1
Lyn, ON  Lightning 2-1-1
Eastmain, QC Fireballs 0-3-1
Domville, ON Aces Midgets 0-3-1

Napanee, ON Express Juniors 3-1
Donnacona, QC Blue Sox 3-1
Quebec, QC Midgets 2-2
Barrhaven, ON Broadway Blues 2-2
Cornwall, ON 0-4

SemiFinal 1: Donnacona Blue Sox 8 Williamsburg Cigars 1
WP: Gregg Garrity
LP: Jason Smith
Mathieu Roy with two home runs for Donnacona

SemiFinal 2: Napanee Express Juniors 3 Manotick Taylor's Blitz 2
WP: Cole Bolton
LP: Jamie Blakely with relief from Shannon Borho and Derick Bulley

Final: Donnacona Blue Sox 10 Napanee Express Juniors 3
WP: Gregg Garrity
LP: Brandon Sands

How cold was it?

The tournament today in Williamsburg was cold. In fact, I would say it is the coldest I have ever been playing ball in May, including the old Kingston tournament on Victoria Day weekend which used to be perennially chilly.

How cold was it today? 

- The first baseman in the 12:30pm game was wearing a tuque, not a ball cap.

- The umpire for the 4pm game (let's call him "Neddy") was wearing a blue Elmer Fudd hat with ear flaps under his mask.

- The fans, including Caveman and Fitzroy Junior (plus a bonus cousin along for the day), were huddled under blankets while watching the games. Of course for my boys they couldn't just sit quietly and watch the game. It slowly degenerated into a game where one kid was under the blanket as a "ghost" and the other two body checked him into the backstop.

Anyway, point being, it was freezing. Let's hope for better weather tomorrow. Either that or Lyle should stock up on whiskey / Bailey's & coffee in the beer garden.

Thursday night cancellations in GOFL

Weather once again taking its toll in the GOFL as the Kars at Carp game was cancelled tonight and will be played at a later date.

The Stittsville at Micksburg game was also cancelled - it will be played Tuesday May 28 up in Micksburg. (Last I checked it was 5C with 30km/h winds in the Pembroke area - nice weather for ball!)

Robin Mackin Pitching Clinic - UPDATED

UPDATE from Scott Searle:

As a result of the rain and inclement weather we were forced to move this evenings clinic indoors. It will now be held at St. Peter High School at 750 Charlemagne Blvd in Orleans.


Robin Mackin Pitching Clinic


Robin Mackin will be hosting a pitching clinic on May 23rd from 6-9 PM at Riverrain Park.

Robin is one of the best pitchers in Canadian history, and was a member of the 2008 National team that competed in the Beijing Olympics. Robin also pitched for Fresno State and Nebraska University and was named All-American and Academic All-American at both schools. She moved to Ottawa to study medicine at UOttawa. In 2005, Robin led Team Ontario to a silver medal at the Canada Games. A two-time MVP of the national tournament, Mackin was also named the two-time Pitcher of Ontario.

She is both an Athletic and Academic All-American and was an offensive and pitching star for Nebraska and Fresno State. She led her offense at both Universities. At Fresno State for two seasons and made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs as a freshman in 2006. In her rookie year, she set school records with 19 double-digit strikeout games, 402 strikeouts and a 10.3 strikeouts-per-seven-innings average while ranking in the top 10 in five other categories. Mackin set the school record for most strikeouts in a seven-inning game with 17. Robin was also a two-time WAC all-tournament team selection, earning MVP honors while leading Fresno State to the title as a junior. Mackin earned third-team All-America and CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2007. A two-time NFCA All-West Region selection, Mackin was also an eight-time WAC Pitcher of the Week and earned one award as the WAC Hitter of the Week. In her first year at Fresno State she was named “NCAA Freshman of the Year” and “NCAA Pitcher of the year”.

Robin is currently studying medicine at the University of Ottawa. It is not an exaggeration to say Robin is one of the best pitching coaches in Canada, as she combines extraordinary mastery of the technical requirements of pitching, with her biomechanical background as a medical student.

The cost of the clinic is $25 per pitcher and pitchers are asked to bring their own catcher. Both male and female pitchers are invited.

U14 6-7 PM

U16 7-8 PM

Open 8-9 PM

Please register with Scott Searle by emailing him at Scottsearle@rogers.com

It will be first come, first served so register quickly to avoid disappointment!

Park Address:

400 North River Road

GOFL games cancelled - AGAIN

With the rain, lightning and generally crappy weather, another two GOFL games were cancelled tonight. Quyon was supposed to play in Stittsville and the Blitz and Barrhaven were supposed to meet in Manotick. Both will be rescheduled for later in the season.

GOFL game in Fitzroy Harbour cancelled tonight

The GOFL game scheduled in Fitzroy Harbour tonight between the Kars Aces and West Carleton Electric has been cancelled due to the rain.

6th Annual Gil Read Memorial Tournament - update

The organizers of the 6^th Annual Gil Read Memorial are happy to announce that 11 of the 12 spots for the tournament have been filled. The following teams will be participating in the 2013 event.

Kars Aces

Ottawa Blitz
Carp I4C Victory
West Carleton Electric
Barrhaven Broadway Blues
Napanee Men’s Express
Napanee Jr. Express
Elkland Thunderbellies
Lake Simcoe Lightning
Micksburg Twins
Donnaconna Blue Sox

We currently have one remaining spot for the tournament that will be given on a first come first serve basis.

 
If your team is interested please contact:
Al Read
aread@solowaywright.com
wk 613-782-3204
hm 613-435-3199

The tournament will be held once again at the Carp Fair Grounds in Carp, Ontario the weekend of July 26th, 27th and 28th, 2013.

The entry fee set at $450.00 CND. This is an Open class tournament without restriction.

Prize money will be handed out as follows (Based on the 12 team format):

1st Place $1,800.00
2nd Place $700.00
3rd place tie - $250 each

Last year’s winners were the Toronto Gators.

Fantastic beer garden with the best burgers around, all in support of the Gil Read Memorial Foundation. www.gilreadmemorial.com

Mrs. Murphy's son gets hitched

It's a big day for West Carleton Electric's Neil "Murph Dog" Murphy, who is getting married to Margaret Rivett. Margaret is a ball player too - a match made in fastball heaven.

Congratulations Murph and Mags.

GOFL games postponed tonight

The GOFL games on the schedule are both postponed tonight, albeit for different reasons.

Carp I4C Victory was to face the Micksburg Twins tonight, but the Victory have player / pitching issues. This game has tentatively been rescheduled to Thursday June 20.

In what is a league first, the game in Quyon has been "flooded out". West Carleton Electric were to take the short boat ride over to face the Flyers, but the water has been very high in the Ottawa River lately. At one point less that two weeks ago, pretty much all of the smaller diamond was underwater and most of right field on the main diamond was submerged. While the floodwaters have receded, the field has been determined to be still too soggy to play ball so the game had to be postponed. No date has been set yet for the make up.

56ers defeat Blitz, Konkle earns win - UPDATED

The Stittsville 56ers beat the Manotick Blitz 9-6 in GOFL action on Wednesday night at the Grove. Dan Konkle has his first win for the 56ers, in relief of Trevor Scott. Jamie Blakely took the loss in relief of Derick Bulley and had relief from Shannon Borho.

details from Ivan Taylor

Stittsville 56ers Use Big Inning to Defeat Manotick Taylor's Blitz

 Trevor Scott took to the rubber for the 56ers.  He allowed an unearned run in the first inning when Derek Martin reached first and Derick Bulley hit a double.  Derick Bulley got the start for the Blitz.  The 56ers went three up and three down in the first.

Matt Bowman hit a single in the top of the second but was stranded by the Blitz.  The 56ers got a run to tie the game with a one out single by Tyler Nystedt followed a double be Trevor Scott.

The Blitz got three runs in the top of the third inning.  Marcel Mondoux led off the inning with an infield single, Derek Martin knocked him in with a double.  Derick Bulley followed with a walk.  Then Jon Ferguson knocked in Martin and Bulley with a one out double.  Matt Bowman walked with two out but the Blitz stranded two.

In the bottom of the third inning, the 56ers tied up the game.  With two out, John Craig hit a single followed by a single by Dan Jessiman.  The Blitz brought in Jamie Blakely in relief.  Dan Bradley reached on an error.  Then Tyler Nystedt hit a single to tie the score before Blakely got a strike out to end the inning.

Dan Konkle came on in relief for the 56ers and the Blitz went three up and three down in the top of the fourth.  The flood gates opened for the 56ers in the bottom of the inning. Mike Barrett led off with a double.  Darren Ladouceur followed with a walk.  Darren Featherstone cleared the bases with a triple.  Jon Craig and Dan Jessiman walked before the Blitz brought in Shannon Burho in to pitch.  Dan Konkle then hit a single followed by another single by  Barrett.  By the time the dust settled the 56ers had sent 11 players to bat and scored 6 runs to take a 10-4 lead.

The Blitz stranded a one out single by Tony Searle in the top of the fifth.  The 56ers went three up three down.  The Blitz stranded two walks in the sixth.  Dan Jessiman led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple and then with the 7-run mercy rule looming Burho got the next three outs.

In the top of the seventh, Derick Bulley got hit by a pitch.  Then Tony Searle singled.  Shannon Burho and Matt Bowman hit singles scoring Bulley and Searle.  Konkle finished it with two strike outs to end the rally and the game.

The final score was 10-6 for the 56ers over the Blitz.  Dan Konkle got the win and Jamie Blakely took the loss.

********************************
Nice to see "Konks" back in action in the GOFL. For his win in his first appearance as a 56ers as well as his RBI, Dan Konkle is Caveman's Choice for player of the game.

Kars defeats Barrhaven in GOFL opener (with details)

The defending champions Kars Aces beat the Barrhaven Broadway Blues 14-9 in the GOFL season opener in North Gower on Tuesday night.

Info from Chad Milne

Kars and Barrhaven opened the 2013 GOFL season on a frigid night in North Gower, but the cold weather didn't seem to affect the bats as this one turned into a slugfest. Kars jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after 3 innings, highlighted by a Cory Alkerton fly ball that found the grass in no man's land in right centre, falling in for a bases clearing, 3-rbi single. Barrhaven roared back with 9 runs over the next 2 innings to close the gap to 12-9 after 5 innings. Tony MacDonald (Barrhaven) and Kristian Knapp (Kars) traded 3-run homers in the 4th inning. Kars added 2 more runs in the 6th inning to close out the scoring. Cory Alkerton went the distance for Kars to pick up the victory. Paul Ceppi was charged with the loss, while Trevor Lahey and Jason Smith saw action in relief for Barrhaven. Final score Kars 14, Barrhaven 9.

Cory Alkerton gets the nod as Caveman's Choice for player of the game for his key 3-rbi single and for pitching 7 gritty innings.

Kars stats:

K. Knapp: 1/3, HR, 4 rbi, 3 runs, 2 BB
C. Alkerton: 2/5, 3 rbi, 2 runs
C. Milne: 2/4, HR, 2 rbi, 2 runs, BB
Jamie Smith: 0/2, 3 runs, 2 BB

 

Barrhaven st

World Masters Games team raffle

from Kevin McGuire
Contact him at kmcguire3@hotmail.com

Coaching question

Ok all you minor softball coaches out there. A question:

If you were coaching a Squirt Boys team (10-12) and your third baseman showed up with a stack of comic books and wearing a trilby hat, how would you handle that situation?

Asking for a friend.

Caveman pitching debut

The Caveman has taken the Softball Ontario pitching course this year and the previous year - but up until Thursday, he had never actually pitched in a "real" game. After countless hours of practicing in the gym and in the backyard, it was finally time for his debut in pitching in a fastball game.

The Caveman is actually only "Atom" age - in West Carleton, that's 'coach pitch'. But his aunt and uncle coach one of the Mites teams in Fitzroy, featuring Cousin Herb. They were short this week - including both of their two main pitchers absent. So the call came and the Caveman was very excited. He has played Mites before, sparing last year on a couple of occasions, including a Mite Selects game which he still talks about ("Daddy, remember the time I stole home in that Selects game, Daddy?").

But this time was different. This time he was given the heads up they wanted him to pitch.

The game was in Kinburn. We arrived early and warmed up. Then the questions started. "Will they let me pitch, Daddy. I'm pitching, right? Do I get to pitch the first inning? How many innings will I pitch?"

I did my best to manage his expectations - after all, he was a guest on this team.

But it turns out his Auntie had him slotted in to pitch the first inning. When he was told that he had the ball to start, there was a look of happiness one would usually equate with Christmas morning. His dad on the other hand was a nervous wreck. His older brother Fitzroy Junior has pitched before, but he is a much more easy-going child. As regular blog readers know, the Caveman has a bit of temper. I was somewhat worried that if it didn't go well I may never be able to convince him to play ball again let alone pitch.

Not being part of the coaches for this team, I began to pace. I wore a path along the fence of that Kinburn diamond that will probably take a trailer load of topsoil to fill. I had no idea how he would do. It's one thing to pitch to your dad after school, but quite another in a game with kids up to two years older.

His catcher was our neighbour Arnold (you may remember this story) and he did well to give the Caveman a good target.

And then play started and he started throwing strikes. I am talking the Mites version of beebees. Keep in mind he just turned 8 and he was throwing against up to 10 year olds. Now, truth be told, he did walk a few kids, but mostly he just blew the ball past these poor Kinburn kids who couldn't even foul it off. The best player from Kinburn stroked out a triple to the grass as Cousin Herb stood still in centre, hands in his pockets; but other than that they barely touched him.

In the West Carleton Mites league, half innings last until the hitting team scores five runs or the defense gets three outs. Probably about 70 per cent of the time the team scores the five runs. But with the Caveman on the slab for two innings, the other team only scored one run, and he got six outs - all by strike out. These strikeouts were not spazzy kids swinging at pitches of their heads. These were fastballs right over the plate that the surprisingly good 13 year-old umpire recognized as legit strikes.

I probably should get my priorities straight. He is a very good student at school, a loving boy that you can't help but want to hug, a wonderfully crazy amusing child....but I was never so proud of him watching him pitch in a Mites house league game like that. He had very high expectations for himself and he did so well.

And hey....if the Caveman turns out to be a fastball pitcher going forward, surely that will be a great source of blog stories!

Official Caveman pitching line, preserved on the blog for prosperity:

WP: Caveman 2IP 1R 1ER 2H 3BB 1HBP 6K

GOFL season starts next week

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League 2013 season kicks off next week with all 8 teams in action.  Full schedule is available at www.GOFL.ca.

Week One see the Barrhaven Broadway Blues visit the Kars Aces in North Gower on Tuesday at 8:30pm, while the Blitz faces the 56ers in Stittsville on Wednesday at 8:30pm. Thursday sees two games with Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric visting the Quyon Flyers (assuming the diamond is no longer flooded) at 7:30pm and Carp I4C Victory going up the line to Micksburg for the Twins home opener at 8:30pm.

Fenelon Falls Tournament

Fenelon Falls, ON tournament

August 23 - 25
12 teams
Entry fee $350 due by 3rd week of July - deposit of $100 due by last week in Jun
Contact: Shannon Post heyu686@hotmail.com

Loughborough Fastball League update

from Jeff Hannah
The Loughborough Fastball League has five teams this season.

North Fred Kings (defending champs)
Sydenham men's (finalists)
Enterprise
Sunbury
Napanee Juniors

The Sydenham Jrs have graduated so that team is no longer together, but players have spread themselves around the league. The Napanee Midgets have graduated to Junior, so there will be no midget team but a strong and young Junior teamout of Napanee. The Newburgh team has also folded, but has spread some players around the league.

The playoffs will again be done in a series format with the top 4 teams making the playoffs.

NHL Playoff Hockey Pool fundraiser

from Eric Rosenquist

The NHL Playoff Pool - "Procrastinator's Edition" is back for another year. Most pools set their deadline to be the drop of the puck on the first night of playoffs; this one lets you submit or revise your entry up until Saturday May 4th at noon Eastern time.


This year the proceeds are going to a joint cause. They'll help offset the expenses of the Carp I4C Victory GOFL team, plus they'll go towards travel expenses for a team comprised of several GOFL players that is attending the World Masters Games in Torino Italy this August.

Hedge your bets & create as many entries as you like, but make sure you arrange to send in $10 per entry. This is one of those “box pools” where you have 20 multiple choice boxes; sometimes guessing works out better than listening to the NHL “experts” – people who took a chance on 8th place LA last year ended up finishing at the top of the pool.

The payout is 35% of the take for first place and 15% for second place. Last year this pool had 420 entries, so if the numbers in 2013 are the same the winner will be collecting $1470!

The cutoff for entries is Saturday (May 4th) at noon Eastern time. Most of the series will have 1 or 2 games played by then, so save the confirmation emails you get from OfficePools in case you decide to revise your entries before the Saturday deadline.

Good luck to all, and please share this with anyone and everyone you think might be interested. Folks can send their entry fee electronically to kmcguire3 (at) hotmail (dot) com, or eric (at) rosenquist (dot) com. Contact either of those emails if you wish to mail a cheque and we'll send you the mailing address.

Entry form: http://www.officepools.com/pool/invites/pick/994ZGHZ

Standings: http://www.officepools.com/pool/auth/2012/playoff/Annual_NHL_Playoff_Pool/Fastball