Micksburg wins 1-0 over Barrhaven in 8 innings (WITH MORE INFO)

Another good crowd of fans in Micksburg were treated to another pitchers' duel in GOFL playoffs as the hometown Twins defeated Barrhaven Broadway Blues 1-0 in 8 innings to take a two games to one lead in their playoff series.

Corey Costello earned the complete game win, striking out an incredible 21 batters. Jason Smith also threw an impressive game with 18ks.

The game's only run was scored in a strange way.  Paul Griffith started the bottom of the 8th at second (running for Corey Costello), as per the international tie breaker rule.  Jason Smith struck out Jamey Mick.  Chad Costello smacked a single that would have won the game except for a stellar play by Barrhaven's second baseman to keep the ball from leaving the infield and keeping Griffith at third. Next, Kerr Childerhose managed to fight off an inside pitch to lift a ball into shallow left field. With the fielders playing in, the ball was caught for the second out, but the runner on first had ventured too far off first so the left fielder threw the ball in. Costello was dead in the water - except the ball hit in back. The first baseman scooped up the deflected ball and fired home. The ball skipped past the catcher for Griffith to score the winning run to the delight of the large home crowd.

The date, time and location for game four of this series is still being determined.

more to follow

Carp takes series lead with 10-8 win over Stittsville (nine innings) WITH DETAILS

from Eric Rosenquist

Carp wins a wild one in Stittsville‏
The Carp I4C Victory squad rallied from 4-0 and 7-4 deficits to take game three of their best of five series against the Stittsville 56ers by a score of 10-8 in nine innings in the GOFL playoffs Wednesday night.

 

Neil Cooke went the distance to earn the win for Carp while Darren Featherstone took the loss in relief of Dan Konkle.

Stittsville got off to a good start, getting 4 runs in the bottom of the first, 3 of those courtesy of a Ryan Bond home run. Carp answered with 3 runs in the top of the second to cut the lead to 4-3. Left fielder Shawn Simzer led off the inning with a single, designated player Cody Price drew a 1-out walk, and both came in on Joe Murray's 2-out triple. Murray came home when center fielder Dan Loney's grounder got past second base.

 

The score remained 4-3 until the top of the 5th when shortstop Kevin McGuire drew a leadoff walk, prompting Stittsville to replace starting pitcher Dan Konkle with Darren Featherstone. McGuire advanced to second on a passed ball and then moved to third on a single by catcher Al Read. After an infield fly off the bat of Simzer, pinch hitter Adam Fleming came through with a flare to right field that scored McGuire and tied the game.

 

The tie was short lived however as Stittsville answered promptly in their half of the 5th. Scott Jessiman and John Craig hit singles and both scored on third baseman Scott Parson's 2-out home run to right field, putting the 56ers back on top 7-4.

 

Carp rallied in the top of the 7th to tie the game. Shawn Simzer drew a leadoff walk, but Featherstone got the next two batters to ground out, moving Simzer to third but putting Carp one out away from being down 2 games to 1 in the series. Carp second baseman Andrew Fortier worked a 2-2 count, but then swung at a hard drop ball that got past the catcher and went to the backstop. The speedy Fortier beat the throw to first to keep the inning alive, and when the throw went wide of first, Simzer scored from third to cut the lead to 7-5. First baseman Joe Murray stepped to the plate, already 2-3 with a triple and single, and hit the first pitch he faced over the center field fence to tie the game at 7. Dan Loney followed with a hard ground ball to short that bounced off the shortstop's glove, but Featherstone retired the next batter on a ground ball to end the inning.

 

Cooke retired the 56ers in order in the bottom of the 7th, sending the game into extra innings.

 

With the international tie-breaker in effect, Featherstone and the 56ers got through the top of the 8th and stranded the runner at third courtesy of a pair of strikeouts and a ground ball out. In their half of the 8th, Stittsville had runners on the corners with no one out when shortstop John Craig hit an infield single to lead off the inning. After a brief discussion at the mound, Carp elected to intentionally walk the next batter (Parsons) to load the bases and get the force play at home. The gamble paid off as Cooke got three straight ground ball outs to end the inning: shortstop to home, second base to home, and finally shortstop to second base.

 

In the top of the 9th, Shawn Simzer was due to start the inning at second base, but with Simzer nursing a sore knee, Eric Rosenquist pinch ran. Pinch hitter Adam Purdy attempted to bunt the runner over the third, but popped the ball up for the first out of the inning. DP Cody Price drew his third walk of the night to give Carp runners on 1st and 2nd. Andrew Fortier then hit a hard chopper to shortstop, but Rosenquist - on his way to 3B on the ground ball - couldn't avoid the charging shortstop and was ruled out for interference, leaving Carp with runners on first and second with 2 out. Joe Murray continued his hot night at the plate hitting a hard single to center field, scoring Price and putting Fortier at third. Loney was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Carp with two out. Carp third baseman Eric Colvin battled Featherstone to a full count before hitting a single to right that scored Fortier and Murray, putting Carp up 10-7.

 

In the bottom of the 9th with Featherstone starting on second base, Cooke got two quick outs courtesy of a strikeout and a swinging bunt that catcher Al Read made a great play on for the 2-3 putout. Stittsville catcher Scott Jessiman narrowed the lead to 10-8 with his 4th single of the game to score Featherstone, but Cooke struck out the next batter to end the game and give Carp the 10-8 win and 2-1 series lead.

 

Game 4 and 5 (if necessary) go Tuesday and Thursday in Carp at 8:30.

Neil Cooke: W 9IP 8R 7ER 9K 0BB

Joe Murray: 4-5 3R HR 3B 5RBI

Eric Colvin: 3-6 2RBI

Adam Fleming: 1-1 RBI

Cody Price: 0-2 2R 3BB

Dan Konkle: 4IP 4R 4ER 5K 4BB

Darren Featherstone: L 5IP 6R 3ER 4K 3BB

Scott Jessiman: 4-5 2R 2RBI

Ryan Bond: 2-5 R HR 3RBI

Scott Parsons: 3-3 R 3RBI

Elkland Labour Day - bracket now posted - ONE MORE SLEEP update

One more sleep before the Durk Sherman Classic in Elkland. This means a few things:

1) I am looking forward to getting there tomorrow. I can't wait for that feeling when we drive into the ballpark for the first time, looking forward to a weekend of fastball and fun.
2) Blogging will be on hold until Monday. While they do have the Internet in Elkland, I won't have access. And if even if I didn't I wouldn't be updating the blog as I need some sober second thought before posting anything about the event.
3) Like every year, there are all kinds of rumours about what pitchers are going to show and with what teams they will be pitching. Should be interesting to see who is throwing for who.

I have also heard some insider information that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will likely be making an appearance in Elkland this weekend. That means have your ID ready and if you are under 21, don't be drinkin' inside the ball park. The ESA needs their liquor permit! As well, the folks at the Moose may be looking for your identification as well.

********************************************************

Elkland Labour Day, the Durk Sherman Classic, is almost upon us once again. This year's 61st edition promises to be another great event, with 16 teams on hand to play ball, visit the Moose, eat chicken and enjoy one of the finest fastpitch softball tournaments on the planet.

The tournament bracket has now been posted, with one game Friday night and play continuing until the finals on Monday.

There are four teams attending from eastern Ontario. GOFL clubs Carp I4C Victory and West Carleton Electric will once again be in Elkland. The Greenbush Generals from the North Leeds league also return for the 30+ year in a row. New this year are the Kanata Storm, made up of players from the GOFL and Glen Cairn leagues.

The blog won't have regular updates from Elkland - I have other things to do down there - but once I am back I will have full coverage and of course the Memories of Elkland annual favourite post.

List of teams:
ESA Thunderbelly’s (Elkland, PA)
Shaggy Dog (Erie, PA)
Safari Nordic (PA)
Bedford Rays (Bedford, PA)
Blue Lake Power (PA)
White’s Alcoballics (PA)
Green Derby (Elmira, NY)
Dicks Diner (Williamsport, PA)
Jersey Shore (PA)
Yuengling (PA)
Knoxville-Ontario (PA/Ontario)
I4C Victory (Canada)
Kanata Storm (Canada)
CPI (Oswego, NY)
West Carleton (Canada)
Greenbush Generals (Canada)

Caveman the movie buff

As mentioned in some previous blog posts, the Caveman is a bit of a hockey trivia nut. Sometimes, he demonstrates his knowledge of obscure hockey information through his lack of knowledge of other things.

Recently, on a rare off night from the ball diamond, the family watched the 1994 movie "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". As the movie goes through the opening sequence, the star's name is flashed across the screen: Jim Carrey.

Caveman immediately says "Wow, he was in movies too!"

To which of course I replied, sighing, with: "Uh, what do you mean, Caveman?"

Caveman: "Jim Carey! He was a goalie in the NHL and I guess he is in this movie too."

Only the Caveman would know Jim Carey, a former NHL goalie for four seasons who hasn't played in the pros in 15 years (the Caveman is 8 years old), but would never have heard of Jim Carrey, the list actor who has starred in 35 plus Hollywood movies.

Glen Cairn Men's Fastball League playoffs

See the schedule here - games start this week.

Team Quebec drops first two at Senior Canadians in Stratford

Team Quebec, with three GOFL players on their roster, dropped their first two games at the Senior Men's Nationals in Stratford, ON.

Their opener was a 13-12 loss to Newfoundland - Don Cherry's. Joe McCleary was 1-4; Scott Herriot was 2-5 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and homer; Matt Greer was 2-4 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and a walk.

Following that they were defeated 15-8 by the Kitchener Cubs. Matt Greer was 1-4; Scott Herriot was 2-4 with 2 runs; Joe McCleary was 3-3 with a 3-run homer and 5 RBIs.

Next up they play the Kitchener Outlaws at 10am tomorrow.

Barrhaven Ladies league has equipment stolen

The Barrhaven Ladies Softball Association, a conventional pitching league in the Ottawa suburb, had some equipment stolen - must have been soccer players!

Article here.

Elkland Labour Day tournament

The Elkland Labour Day Tournament, my favourite weekend of the year, has sixteen teams this year. The draw will be announced tonight. Watch the blog for the details.

GOFL content at the Senior Canadians

The Senior Men's Nationals will be held August 27 to September 1 in Stratford, ON with nine teams competing.

There will be some players from the Greater Ottawa Fastball League competing with Team Quebec. Joe McCleary and Matt Greer, of Quyon Flyers, will be once again at the Canadians with le bleu et blanc. A new addition to the team will be Scott Herriot of the Stittsville 56ers.

GOFL umpire George Findley will also be officiating at the Senior Canadians this year.

Best of luck to all four men.

Ottawa 13s claim gold at World Masters Games - the report

Thanks to Eric Rosenquist for providing this write up of the Ottawa 13s trip to Turino, Italy for the World Masters Games. Congratulations to the members of the club on winning gold.

GOFL playoffs tonight

In GOFL playoffs tonight, Barrhaven will travel to Micksburg for Game 3 of their series tied 1-1. Start time is 7:30pm. I4C Victory will also be hosting Stittsville 56ers in Carp - that's a 9pm start and they are also tied 1-1.

The Quyon - Kars series will be taking the week off with Joe McCleary and Matt Greer of Quyon off at the Canadian Championships for Senior Men in Stratford, ON. They are playing for Team Quebec. Once they return, the series (tied 1-1) will resume on the Tuesday after Labour Day.

West Carleton Electric has already advanced to the Final Weekend Tournament on Sept 6 -7 after beating the Manotick Blitz three games straight. Fitzroy Harbour will be hosting the finals.

Waterdown wins Elkland "First Weekend" tournament

The Waterdown Hammer won the Elkland B tournament the hard way this past weekend  - lost their first game then won 6 straight to take the title.

North Leeds league finals

There are two teams left in the North Leeds League playoffs championship round. Lyn and the Greenbush Generals in the final best-of-three series. Next game is Tuesday in Lyn.

 

Blackburn Men's Fastball League playoffs

from Nick Bowman

The 2013 BMFL playoffs are set to kick off at 3:00 pm on Sunday August 25, 2013 at the Blackburn arena diamond. For the first time in BMFL history, the playoffs will be a double knockout format.

3:00 pm - #1 Blue Jays vs #8 Rogues

The newest team in the BMFL, the Blue Jays, will look to continue their regular season dominance. The Blue Jays won the series between the 2 teams, tying 10-10, winning 8-3, and winning 8-5. The Blue Jays will be led offensively by Andy Barber and Spencer Rodd. The Blue Jays have had solid pitching throughout the year from Ted Easterman, Jonathan Grimes, and Andy Barber. Andy Barber may get the nod for the first game of the playoffs. Matt Cox and Chuck Musicka will be toeing the rubber for the Rogues and they may both see some action in this game. The Rogues will need to rely on solid hitting throughout their line-up in order to upset the Blue Jays. The Rogues will need a strong performance, offensively and defensively, from Mark Cormier.

5:00 pm #4 Good Ol' Boys vs #5 Goodfellows

The Good Ol' Boys will be looking to continue their dominance against Goodfellows, as they swept the series 3 games to none. GOB won the games 6 to 4, 10 to 4 and 7 to 0. Good Ol’ Boys will rely on solid defense, as well as solid pitching from Pierre Lalonde and Gilles Roy. The GOB have an intimidating batting line-up, led by Serge Potvin. Goodfellows will be in need of strong pitching from Will Lowe. Offensively, Goodfellows will need to utilize their speed to upset Good Ol’ Boys. Middle infielders Brendan Clark and Jordan Adams will be key to Goodfellows’ playoff success.

7:00 pm #2 Guzzlers vs #7 Mr. Electric

The defending champion Guzzlers will be looking to continue their post season success. The Guzzlers beat Mr. Electric 7-2, 10-0, 13-0. Jeff Barber will be toeing the rubber for the Guzzlers. Offensively, the Guzzlers are led by Jeff Barber, Derek Barber, Kevin Schonfeld, and Steve Tsonos. Mr. Electric will be sending Al Tomlison and Nick Bowman to the mound. Offensively, Mr. Electric will be led by MVP candidate Matt Bowman. Mr. Electric will be looking for some big hits from veterans Norm Manns, Steve Walman, Gary Larocque, and Will Mood. In order to have any playoff success, Mr. Electric will need to put an end to their defensive woes.

9:00 pm #3 Knights vs #6 Gloucester Heating

The final game of the first round may in fact be the most intriguing won. In the 3 other series, the lower ranked team did not win a game against their opponent. The number 6 ranked Gloucester Heating won the series 2 games to 1. They lost to the Knights 9-2, and then proceeded to beat them 6-4 and 7-0 (via forfeit). The Knights will be led by the pitching duo of Jamie Blakely and Ryan Chatten. The Knights will need Derek Martin to come through with timely hits, as well as veterans Gerry Sancartier and Brett Dugan. Gloucester Heating will need to score a lot of runs in order to win the coveted BMFL championship. Jason Naylor, Ryan Mitts, Stéphane Vinette, Derek Bergeron, and Marcel Mondoux will be looking to spark the offensive. Heating will be sending Derek Bergeron and Ryan Naylor to the mound.

West Carleton Electric takes series with 4-3 win over Manotick Blitz

West Carleton Electric won an exciting game on Thursday night in Fitzroy Harbour by a score of 4-3 to win their series over the Manotick Taylor's Blitz three games to none and advance to the final weekend showdown.

After two big wins by Fitzroy in the first two games of the series, the Blitz put up a good fight in the series ender which was played in front of a good crowd of about 70 fans in the Harbour.

Jeff Barber had the pitching win in relief of Steve Cavanagh, while Derick Bulley took the loss for the Blitz.

The Blitz took the lead in the first inning. Marcel Mondoux walked to start the game, and moved to second on Matt Bowman's single. When Derick Bulley singled to left field, the speedy Mondoux attempted to score, but a perfect throw by Andy Barber had him out at the plate. However, after a ground out, Derek Martin's homer to centre field put the Blitzos up 3-0.

West Carleton had a chance to score multiple runs in the second. Mike Cavanagh walked to start things off. When Dave Bahm laid down a sac bunt, he reached on an error to put two on. Jon Daley then walked to load the bases with none out. Bulley managed to get out allowing only a single run on Andy Barber's sac fly to left which scored Cavanagh.

Steve Cavanagh settled in after the tough first inning and was helped but a couple of solid defensive plays to keep the score at 3-1. Jeff Barber came in to relieve Cavanagh in the top of the fifth.

The 'Trics narrowed the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth on Jeff Barber's solo homerun deep to centre-right field.

When the Blitz were retired in succession in the sixth and seventh inning, the stage was set for a dramatic comeback by the home team.

Jeff Cavanagh, in to pinch hit, reached on a four-pitch walk to start the inning. Charlie Ross re-entered the game to run for JCav. Ross took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a ground out. After a line out to short, the 'Trics had two out and were down by a run. Derek Barber's hard hit single scored Ross to tie the game at 3. With Jeff Barber at the plate, and Trevor Barton in to run for Derek on the two-out catcher rule, the Blitz elected to intentionally walk Jeff to put men on first and second. Neil Murphy drove the first pitch he saw hard off the grey monster in right to score Barton and win the game and series for the Electric, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Fitzroy
Steve Cavanagh 4IP 3R 3ER 5H 1K 3BB
Jeff Barber WIN 3IP 0R 0H 5K 1BB

Andy Barber sac fly RBI
Trevor Barton 1-4
Derek Barber 1-4 RBI
Jeff Barber 1-2 HR RBI 2BB R
Neil Murphy 1-4, game winning RBI
Jon Daley 1-2 BB 2B

Blitz
Derick Bulley 6.2IP 4R 3ER 5H 5K 6BB

Marcel Mondoux 1-3 BB 2B
Matt Bowman 1-4 R
Derick Bulley 1-4 R
Derek Martin 1-3 HR 3RBI R SB
Jeremy Regan 1-3

Kars takes game two 10-0 over Quyon, Porter throws no-hitter

from Chad Milne

Kars travelled to Quyon Thursday night looking to even their GOFL playoff series with the Flyers at a game apiece. Backed by a stellar, no-hit pitching performance from Brad Porter, the Aces came away with a 10-0 victory in a game called after 5 innings due to the mercy rule. Matt Greer took the loss for Quyon.

After a scoreless 1^st inning, Kars opened the scoring in the 2^nd. With two out, Jeff Hopkins walked and was driven home when Matt Pollard ripped a two-strike pitch into centre field just out of the reach of the diving Quyon centre fielder. After getting the Flyers in order in the 2^nd, the Aces sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of 3^rd scoring 6 times, highlighted by an opposite field 3-run home run by Danny Powers.

Porter set down the Flyers in order again in the 3^rd inning and the Kars offence went back to work in the top of the 4^th, sending 8 batters to the plate and adding 3 more runs. Danny Powers narrowly missed his second 3-run homer of the game, belting a high fly ball off the top of the fence in centre field that cashed in 1 run. Up next, Hopkins chipped in with an rbi single and then with two out, Porter stroked an rbi single to right field to stretch the Kars lead to 10-0.

Respecting the Flyers ability to score runs and come back in any game, Porter didn’t let up and powered through the 4^th and 5^th innings, getting all 6 batters he faced to secure the no-hitter and the shutout. If not for a misplayed groundball by the Kars third baseman in the top of the 1^st inning, Porter would have earned the perfect game.

This series is now on hold while members of the Quyon team attend the Canadians next week. The 3^rd game in this series is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, September 3 at 8:30pm (location to be determined).

GOFL Thursday playoff round up

There were two games Thursday night in GOFL playoffs.

Kars Aces 10 Quyon Flyers 0
Kars evened up their series with Quyon at 1-1 with a win on the Quebec side by a score of 10-0. Brad Porter had the win, throwing a no-hitter. Matt Greer took the loss.

West Carleton Electric 4 Manotick Taylor's Blitz 3
The Trics swept their series 3-0 over Manotick with a dramatic win in front of a good crowd in Fitzroy Harbour. Jeff Barber earned the win in relief of Steve Cavanagh. Derick Bulley had the loss for the Blitz. Derek Martin had a three run homer for Manotick, and Jeff Barber had a solo shot for the home team. Neil Murphy had the walk off RBI to win the game for West Carleton.

more to follow

Stittsville beats Carp 8-2

info from Johnny Craig

Stittsville defeated Carp I4C Victory 8-2 to even their best-of-five series at one game each in GOFL Playoffs at the Grove on Wednesday night.

Dan Konkle had the win, with relief from Darren Featherstone. Cody Price took the loss and had relief from Neil Cooke.

Stittsville was a little shaky in the top of the first as Carp loaded the bases but they got out of the inning unscathed.  In the bottom half a couple of walks to John Craig and Scott Herriot would later score on Scott Jessiman’s single putting the 56ers up 2-0. 

Stittsville put a few more on in the third on an Adam Smith single and another walk to Herriot followed by S. Jessiman ripping a triple to the fence cashing in two.  He would then score on a double by Dan Konkle putting the 6ers up 5-0.  

In the top of the 5th, Carp pushed two across the plate on singles to J. Murray, Shaun Simzer, a walk to Eric Colvin and a single to Dan Loney.  With two on this may have brought about the TSN turning point when Kevin McGuire hit a deep fly ball to right field, Darren Ladouceur turned at the last minute and made an over the shoulder basket catch at the fence on the run ending the inning and saving two runs. Score, Stittsville leading 5-2.

In the bottom half Stittsville would keep pressing: walks to Smith and Dan Jessiman, and singles to S. Jessiman, Darren Featherstone, and Darren Ladouceur would put 3 more runs on the board, making the final score 8-2.

Barrhaven evens series with Micksburg

The Barrhaven Broadway Blues came from behind to defeat the Micksburg Twins 7-3 in GOFL Playoffs on Wednesday night in Manotick. Their best-of-five series is now evened at a game apiece.

Trevor Lahey had the win in relief of Paul Ceppi, while Joran Graham took the loss with relief from Corey Costello.

Micksburg staked out a 2-1 lead after two innings. The Blues got a run in the second when Steve Edgerton lead off with a walk and scored on Lindsay Medynski's triple to right centre gap.

The Twins moved the lead out to 3-1 courtesy of a Chad Costello solo home run in the top of the third. With Micksburg threatening to score more, starter Ceppi was removed in favour of Lahey who got out of the jam.

However Barrhaven came back to take the lead in their half of the third and never gave it up. Aaron Amo walked and Don Cox singled. Tony Macdonald walked to load the bases. Edgerton's base hit scored Amo, a another single by Kevin Williams later in the inning scored Cox and TMac, giving the Blues a 4-3 lead.

Barrhaven added another run in the fourth when Jordan Adams lead off with a single, was moved to second on Amo's sacrifice bunt and scored on Cox's base hit.

The Blues further added to their lead in the fifth when Corey Costello came into throw for Micksburg. Lahey, hitting for Edgerton, singled, as did Kevin Shonfield. Williams dropped a sac bun, on which he was barely thrown out to advance the runners sixty feet. Lahey and Shonfield both scored later in the inning on passed balls.

Micksburg threaten in the sixth, getting the bases loaded with the meat of their order batting, but Lahey got out of the jam to preserve the lead and ultimately the win.

Game three of the series is set for Monday August 26 at 7:30pm in Micksburg.

Barrhaven stats
Ceppi -2 1/3  3R, 2ER, 2K, 6H
Lahey - 3 2/3 0R, 2H, 1BB, 8K

Williams  1-2, sac, 2rbi
Edgerton 1-1, bb, r, rbi
Medynski  1-3, Triple, rbi
Cox 2-4, R, rbi

West Carleton Electric wins second game 8-0 over Manotick Blitz

West Carleton Electric won game two of their best-of-five series over the Manotick Taylor's Blitz 8-0 in GOFL playoffs in Manotick on Wednesday night.

Andy Barber had the win, allowing only two hits over the five inning game, while Shannon Borho had the loss and had relief from Derick Bulley.

The Electric scored two to start the first inning. Andy Barber reached on a bunt single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Neil Murphy and moved to third on Derek Barber's single. Derek stole second and both Barbers scored on brother Jeff's double to make it 2-0.

West Carleton added two more in the fourth. Dave Bahm lead off with a single. After a bunt attempt was popped up for an out, Bahm took second on a long fly by Steve Cavanagh. Bahm scored on Jon Daley's double, who then scored on Andy Barber's double.

Fitzroy capped their scoring with four in the fifth inning. Derek Barber reached on an error. When Jeff Barber grounded to second, Derek alertly avoided the tag - though Jeff was out at first, Derek was safe at second after a run down. Jeff Cavanagh was then hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced sixty feet on a ground out. Mike Cavanagh's double to the wall scored both runners, prompting the Blitz to relieve starter Borho with Bulley. Steve Cavanagh doubled to score Mike Cav and Daley tripled to score SCav to make it 8-0.

When the Blitzos were unable to respond in the bottom of the fifth, the game was ended on the run rule.

The teams will play again on Thursday August 22 in Fitzroy at 8pm in game three.

Fitzroy
Andy Barber WIN 5IP 0R 2H 7K 3BB

Andy Barber 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Derek Barber 1-3, 2R
Jeff Barber 1-2, 2B, 2RBI, BB
Dave Bahm 1-3, R
Mike Cavanagh 1-2, 2B, 2RBI, BB, R
Steve Cavanagh 1-2, 2B, RBI, R, sac bunt
Jon Daley 2-3, 2B, 3B, 2RBI, R

Manotick
Shannon Borho LOSS 4.2IP 7R 4ER 7H 1K 2BB 1HBP
Derick Bulley 0.1IP 1R 0ER 2H 0K 0BB

Matt Bowman 1-2
Jeremy Regan 2BB
Derick Bulley 1-2

GOFL Wednesday night playoff round up

more to follow on each, hopefully

West Carleton Electric 8 Manotick Taylor's Blitz 0
In the first game of the Manotick doubleheader on Wednesday night, the West Carleton Electric took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series with a 8-0 win over the Manotick Taylor's Blitz. Andy Barber had the win, while Shannon Borho took the loss with relief from Derick Bulley.

Barrhaven Broadway Blues 7 Micksburg Twins 3
The night cap saw the Blues even up their series with the Twins, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win 7-3. Trevor Lahey earned the win in relief of Paul Ceppi, while Joran Graham was tagged with the loss and had relief from Corey Costello. Chad Costello had a homer for Micksburg.

Stittsville 56ers 8 Carp I4C Victory 2
The 56ers also evened their series at a game apiece with a win at the Grove on Wednesday night. Dan Konkle was the winning thrower, with Darren Featherstone relieving. Cody Price took the loss and had relief from Neil Cooke.

Elkland "B" tournament this weekend

There will be 16 teams in Elkland for the "B Weekend" tourney, in a good old fashioned double-elimination tournament.  Here is the bracket. This tourney has a restricted pitching list.

That weekend is however just a warm up for the 61st Annual Labour Day Weekend Open tourney in which several local teams and players will be participating. Looks like they may also have 16 for that weekend as well. As regular blog readers know, this tourney for your humble scribbler is something eagerly anticipated for 363 days after the end of the previous year's. Looking forward to provided a report (both on and off the field) once again.

Quyon takes game 1 over Kars - UPDATE with details

from Shawn Laframboise

Quyon Flyers took game one of their first round series with the Kars Aces by a score of 8-7 on Tuesday night in North Gower.  Matt Greer had the complete game win while Brad Porter took the loss, going the distance for the Aces.

The Flyers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning. Dennis McCleary lead off with a single up the middle and advanced on a Shawn Laframboise sacrifice bunt. McCleary then advanced to third on a passed ball while Matt Greer walked. Greer then swiped second and both runners scored on a Joe McCleary single. Another passed ball put McCleary in scoring position and he scored on a Nick Armitage single. Armitage advanced to second on the throw home. Two more passed balls allowed Armitage to advance and score from third for the fourth Quyon run.

Kars got one back in the bottom of the first frame. Nick Ellis lifted a one-out towering fly ball over the right field fence to narrow the gap to 4-1.

The Aces tied the game up in the bottom of the 2^nd.  Matt Alkerton hit a solo shot to bring the Aces within two.  Danny Powers dropped in an infield single just over the third baseman’s head and scored on Jamie Smith’s triple scorched over the right fielder’s head.  Smith would later come in to score to tie the game at 4. 

Quyon looked to regain the lead in the 3^rd.  Shawn Laframboise reached on a check-swing bloop single to right field and advanced to second on a Greer single.  Both runners advanced on a passed ball putting two in scoring position with no out.  After a strikeout, Armitage lifted a fly ball to left field which appeared deep enough to score the runner giving the Flyers a one run lead.  Kars appealed and the umpire ruled that the runner left early, ending the inning and causing an uproar on the Quyon bench.

Kars used the momentum shift to push two more runs across in the bottom half of the inning and take a 6-4 lead.  The inning was capped off by a Chad Milne RBI double to the gap in left-centre.

The Flyers chipped away over the next couple of innings to tie things up at 6 going to the 7^th.  Porter struck out the 1^st batter of the inning but then Joe McCleary battled through a long count to reach first with a walk.  This set the stage for a Nick Armitage no-doubt two-run blast to left-centre field that landed well into the upper diamond.

The Aces threatened in the bottom half of the 7^th.  After Greer retired the first two batters, Milne launched a solo shot to right-centre field narrowing the gap to 1.  Greer was able to strike out the next batter however to end the game.

Valley Heritage Radio supports the GOFL

Valley Heritage Radio, 98.7 in the Ottawa Valley has been supporting the Greater Ottawa Fastball League by including playoff highlights on their sportscast.

Take a listen today at noon as the highlights of last night's play will be broadcast either by tuning in to 98.7 if you are in their listening area, or by listening online at http://www.valleyheritageradio.ca.

Carp beats Stittsville 4-3 in Game 1

from Eric Rosenquist

Carp I4C Victory spotted the Stittsville 56ers an early 3-0 lead, but then chipped away to end up with a 4-3 win in game #1 of their GOFL best of five playoff series. Neil Cooke went the distance to earn the win for Carp while Dan Konkle took the loss in relief of Darren Featherstone.

Stittsville got off to a quick start when John Craig reached on a 1-out error and was brought home by a Scott Herriot double. Stittsville catcher Scott Jessiman then hit an infield grounder that brought home Herriot when the throw to first sailed wide.

The 56ers added another run in the 2nd. Second baseman Scott Parsons singled and advanced to second on a sac bunt by RF Ben Gigliotti. Left fielder Mike Barrett then hit what looked to be an RBI single, but Carp SS Curtis Scurr made a terrific diving stop to keep the ball from getting to the outfield and holding Parsons at third base. Stittsville would not be denied the run however as the next batter - pitcher Darren Featherstone - lifted a fly ball to centre field that was more than deep enough to score Parsons from 3B.

Carp got on the board in the 3rd inning when Scurr took a 1-out walk, advanced to second on a groundout by second baseman Adam Purdy, then came home on a single by centre fielder Dan Loney.

The Victory squad narrowed the lead to 3-2 in the 4th. Third baseman Kevin McGuire hit a 1-out single then stole second. Designated player Al Read then walked and catcher Bobby Jack Hart hit an infield spinner that loaded the bases with just one out. Featherstone managed to get left fielder Shawn Simzer to fly out to right field, but it was deep enough to score McGuire from 3B. Right fielder Mike Money then lined out to third to end the threat with the score 3-2 Stittsville.

The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the 6th inning when Stittsville made a pitching change and brought in Dan Konkle for Featherstone. Konkle took a few batters to find the stike zone, walking the first three hitters he faced before getting Hart to strike out with the bases loaded and no outs. However, the next Carp batter - Shawn Simzer - ripped a ground ball off the second baseman's glove to knock in two runs and put Carp on top 4-3. Konkle managed to limit the damage by getting an out courtesy of a run-down out after a wild pitch and then a strike out to end the inning.

The 56ers threatened to tie the game in the top of the 7th when their leadoff hitter reached on an error and took 2nd on a passed ball, but Cooke struck out the next three Stittsville batters to earn the 4-3 victory.

Carp I4C Victory

Neil Cooke: W 7IP 3R 1ER 10K 1BB

Kevin McGuire: 1-2 BB SB 2R

Shawn Simzer: 0-2 2RBI ROE

Al Read: 0-1 2BB

Stittsville 56ers

Darren Featherstone: 5IP 2R 1ER 3K 2BB

Dan Konkle: L 1IP 2R 1ER 2K 3BB

John Craig: 1-2 R BB

Mike Barrett: 1-2

Scott Herriot: 1-3 2B R RBI

ISC World Tournament - update

The ISC World Tournament is currently underway in Quad Cities in Iowa / Illinois. For the first time in many years, there is no team from our area entered - and I don't think there are any local players on a roster either. (If I am wrong, somebody let me know, please).

Follow the results here.

Update:

Congratulations to the Hill United Chiefs who defeated the New York Gremlins in the final game at the ISC Worlds in an exciting 10-inning match up as per this Fastpitch West article.

The Midland Emerson ACes team won the ISC II title, led by MVP Kyle Crawford.

Condolences to the Hart family

Condolences to the Hart family on the death of Guy Hart last week. Guy is the father of Bobby-Jack Hart of Carp I4C Victory.

West Carleton Electric finish 2 and 2 at OASA Men's B Provincials (with update)

Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric, combined with several players from the Barrhaven Broadway Blues, finished with a 2-2 record at the OASA Men's B provincial tournament in Frankford this past weekend. WC Electric were defending champions, winning the title in 2012 in Sudbury, but failed to make it to Sunday competition this year, playing four games on Saturday.

9am: Enterprise 8 Fitzroy Harbour 4
The Electric opened up with a loss to the Enterprise A's, which set off a tough schedule. Enterprise won 8-4, with Jordan Macdonald earning the win and Steve Cavanagh taking the loss with relief from Paul Ceppi. Jon Daley and Jeff Cavanagh both had two RBIs for Fitzroy.

11am: Fitzroy Harbour 3 Fenelon Falls 2
After giving up two runs in the first inning, Jason Smith settled in and threw 16Ks to earn the victory for the Electric 3-2 over the The Lakes from Fenelon Falls. Dave Lembke took the loss for the Falls. Trevor Power had a solo home run for Fitzroy and Jon Daley had a sacrifice fly RBI to tie the game. The game was won in dramatic fashion as Trevor Wood went in to pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh as the first batter of the inning and drove the first pitch he saw over the centrefield fence for the walk off win.

3pm: Fitzroy Harbour 10 Frankford 2
WC Electric won 10-2 in six innings over the hosts Frankford Danford & Sons Contracting, with Paul Ceppi earning the win and Adam Danford taking the loss with relief from Brandon Smith. Jon Daley scored three times and Trevor Wood had a triple, single and double, with 2RBIs for Fitzroy. Neil Murphy, Trevor Power, Dave Bahm and Jeff Cavanagh also had RBIs.

9pm: North Fred 8 Fitzroy Harbour 3
In their fourth game of the day, WC Electric needed a win to move on but fell to the North Fred Kings 8-3. Dale Dowdall went the distance for North Fred, while Jason Smith took the loss with relief from Steve Cavanagh. Steve Cavanagh hit a three run homer for Fitzroy in the second inning. However North Fred scored four in the third and four in the fourth, capitalizing on some miscues by the Electric defense to come back for the win.

The North Fred Kings won three straight games on Sunday to take the OASA Men's B title, beating Pickering, Enterprise (bronze) and Colbourne (silver).

Ottawa 13s - World Masters Games Gold Medallists (with names)

Congratulations, guys.

Back Row (L to R): Darryl Beck, Jason Woodside, Kevin McGuire, Patice Leclerc, Neil Cooke, Curtis Reilly, Luc Thibault
Front Row (L to R): Mike Money, Eric Rosenquist, Jeff Lane, Dan Loney, Cory Morrison, Bobby Jack Hart

Micksburg wins game one 1-0 over Barrhaven

The Micksburg Twins took the first game of the GOFL best-of-five playoff series by a score of 1-0 over the Barrhaven Broadway Blues on Wednesday night in Micksburg.

Corey Costello was the winning pitcher throwing a two-hitter with 19 strikeouts, while Jason Smith took the loss allowing only three hits.

Nick Eckford had the game winning RBI for Micksburg.

WC Electric wins game one 8-0 over Blitz

West Carleton Electric took the first game of their best-of-five by a score of 8-0 over Manotick Taylor's Blitz in GOFL play on Tuesday night in Fitzroy.

When a torrential downpour came through the Harbour at about 7:15, it look questionable if the game would be played. However, Piccolo Pete, ace groundskeeper, along with his helpers, went to work to ensure that the "upper" diamond was playable and the game was able to begin around 8:20 or so.

Andy Barber earned the win for Fitzroy while Jamie Blakely took the loss and had relief from Derick Bulley.

It looked like the Blitz would score the game's first runs in the top of the second frame. Tony Searle, Jon Ferguson and Derek Martin loaded the bases on consecutive singles. The next batter stroked a hard grounder to 'Trics 3rd baseman Dave Bahm who alertly touched third and threw a perfect dart home to Derek Barber for the tag and the double play. After a subsequent strike out, the game remained scoreless.

The score stayed 0-0 until the bottom of the fourth when the home team took a big lead. Bahm lead off with a walk and was moved to second on a Michael Cavanagh sacrifice bunt, scoring on a Charlie Ross RBI single up the middle. Jon Daley then reached on an infield single. Andy Barber's three run homer made it 4-0. This prompted a pitching change by the Blitz, replacing Blakely with Bulley. Steve Cavanagh was the first batter and reached on an error. SCav scored on a Jeff Barber double to right to make it 5-0 after four.

Manotick had another good opportunity in the sixth. Bulley doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. Searle's deep fly to centre was a tag up opportunity, but Jeff Barber's perfect throw to the plate made for a double play.

West Carleton ended the game in the bottom of the sixth. Steve Cavanagh reached on an error and once again for the second time in the game scored from first base - this time on Derek Barber's double. A home run by Jeff Cavanagh later in the frame made it 8-0 and ended the game by the mercy rule.

For his pitching performance and home run, Andy Barber earns the Caveman's Choice as player of the game.

Fitzroy
Andy Barber WIN 6IP 0R 0ER 6H 13K 1BB

Andy Barber 1-4, HR, 3RBI, R
Derek Barber 2-4, RBI, R
Neil Murphy 1-2
Jeff Barber 2-4, RBI
Jeff Cavanagh 1-4, HR, 2RBI, R
Charlie Ross 1-2, R, RBI
Jon Daley 2-3. R

Blitz
Jamie Blakely LOSS 3.1IP 4R 4ER 6H 3K 2BB
Derick Bulley 2IP 4R 2ER 4H 2K 1BB

Marcel Mondoux 1-2, BB, SB
Derick Bulley 1-3, 2B
Tony Searle 1-3
Jon Ferguson 2-3
Derek Martin 1-3

OASA Men's Intermediate B Provincials

The OASA Men's Intermediate B Provincials will take place this weekend in Frankford and Stirling, north of Trenton.

Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric of the GOFL, bolstered once again by some additions from Barrhaven Broadway Blues, will be looking to defend their provincial title that they won up in Sudbury in 2012.

Other teams participating in the 10-team double elimination (with single game final) event include North Fred, Enterprise and Greenbush from eastern Ontario, as well as two teams from Pickering, Picton, Colborne, Fenelon Falls and host Frankford.

GOFL Playoffs 2013

Now that the GOFL playoff matchups have been set, it is time for the Blog's annual playoff preview. The series are best of five, with the winners advancing to the Final Weekend Showdown in Fitzroy Harbour on Sept 6/7 to determine the winner of the I4C Trophy emblematic of playoff supremacy in the Greater Ottawa Fastball League.

With the league divided into North and South divisions, all eight teams were ranked league wide for the playoffs - and all matchups are with two teams from different divisions.

1st Micksburg Twins (12-5) vs 8th Barrhaven Broadway Blues (5-11-1)
As expected, the 'expansion' Micksburg team was a force to be reckoned with in their first season of play in the GOFL. Barrhaven had a bit of an off year, but they are still a strong team. Expect big home crowds on hand for the games in the 'Burg as the local fans have supported the Twins all season. In Manotick....well, expect Mr Dewan to be there. Micksburg won both games in the season series.
June 5 in Manotick: Micksburg 7 Barrhaven 0
August 7 in Fitzroy Harbour: Micksburg 3 Barrhaven 1

Game 1 in Micksburg on Wednesday August 14 at 7:30pm
Game 2 in Manotick on Wednesday August 21 time TBD

2nd Carp I4C Victory (10-5-1) vs 7th Stittsville 56ers (6-10-1)
Carp again had a good regular season and hope to advance to the Final Weekend Showdown for the first time as they have missed out the last two years. The 56ers are always dangerous with their strong hitting lineup and hope to upset the Victory, who have several players fresh off the Masters gold medal championship in Italy. Despite being only about 13km apart, Carp was in the North and Stittsville in the South division, so they only played twice in the regular season, with I4C coming from behind to win both.
May 30 in Carp: Carp 10 Stittsville 6
June 26 in Stittsville: Carp 4 Stittsville 2

Game 1 TBD - some time the week of August 19

3rd Kars Aces (8-4-5) vs 6th Quyon Flyers (7-10)
Kars had a ridiculous number of close games this year - five were settled as ties, and six were one-run games (they won all but one). So, the Aces thrive on close-matched games. The Flyers started slow but finished strong. Quyon tends to give up lots of runs, but they score a pile too. Unfortunately for Kars they will miss the services of lefty Cory Alkerton for the playoffs as he is away for work. This series will have to take a break in late August as Matt Greer and Joe McCleary will be away at Senior Canadians playing for Team Quebec. The teams split the two games in regular season play, scoring a combined 28 runs and both road wins.
May 28 in North Gower: Quyon 7 Kars 2
June 18 in Quyon: Kars 10 Quyon 9

Game 1 in North Gower on Tuesday August 20 (tentative)

4th Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric (8-8-1) vs 5th Manotick Taylor's Blitz (6-8-3)
The Electric finished with a .500 record for the first time since 2008, when they had 23 points in a 20 game season (I looked it up!). The 'Trics were strong at home, posting a 6-2-1 record in the cozy confines of the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre. The Blitzos have been known to put some big numbers up, scoring nine or more runs four times this season. Fitzroy won both games in the season series.
May 29 in Manotick: Fitzroy 6 Manotick 4
July 16 in Fitzroy Harbour: Fitzroy 5 Manotick 1

Game 1 in Fitzroy Harbour on Tuesday August 13 at 8pm
Game 2 in Manotick on Wednesday August 21 time TBD
Game 3 in Fitzroy Harbour on Thursday August 22 time TBD
Game 4 in Manotick on Wednesday August 28 time TBD
Game 5 in Fitzroy Harbour on Thursday August 29 time TBD

GOFL History

As in past years, it is once again time for the annual local fastball history lesson. The Greater Ottawa Fastball League 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)
2009 Stittsville defeated Quyon (3-2)
2010 Kars defeated Quyon (2-0, series shortened to best of three)
2011 Kars defeated Quyon (FWS tournament format)
2012 Kars defeated Quyon (FWS tournament format)

 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 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville Team Easton (formerly D.T.I.)
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Lomor Printers (formerly Dolco Printing)

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

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

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

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

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

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

2010 - 8 teams
Kars Aces (formerly Team Easton)
Stittsville 56ers
Barrhaven Broadway Blues (formerly Lomor Printers)
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers
North Gower Marlboroughs (formerly Greely Eagles)

2011 - 7 teams
Kars Aces
Stittsville 56ers
Barrhaven Broadway Blues
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Taylor's Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers

2012 - 7 teams
Kars Aces
Stittsville 56ers
Barrhaven Broadway Blues
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Taylor's Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers

2013 - 8 teams
Kars Aces
Stittsville 56ers
Barrhaven Broadway Blues
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Manotick Taylor's Blitz (changed name to Manotick)
Quyon Combat Flyers
Micksburg Twins

Ottawa 13s win gold at World Masters Games in Turion, Italy

Congratulations to the Ottawa 13s, composed of several local players, on winning the gold medal at the World Masters Games in Turino, Italy this past weekend, beating the Krushers from New Zealand 3-0 in the final game.

more to follow

Wiarton Red Devils win the U21 Nationals UPDATED (with "Android" story)

The Wiarton Red Devils won the Softball Canada U21 (Junior) Men's Nationals in Owen Sound yesterday, defeated the Napanee Express in the final game. Wiarton lost their first "double life" game of the playoff round and had to win four straight for the title.

Congratulations to Andy Barber, of West Carleton Electric, who played the outfield for the Red Devils, and hit clean up in the final game. Barber also saw time pitching for Wiarton during the round robin.

Andy was also profiled in a recent article in the West Carleton Review newspaper - see below

The Android, Team Ontario return victorious

Fastball player Andy Barber is now an internationally winning pitcher, after retuning from the International Fastpitch Championship in Saskatoon.

next play/pause pre 1/1

West Carleton Review 

By Patricia Leboeuf            

Sports -Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric player Andy Barber returns triumphant from the International Fastpitch Championship in Saskatoon.

Nicknamed the Android for his steely talent, he is part of the Team Ontario U21 Men's Team who took home the first place in the Championship. They narrowly beat out New Zealand in the finals on July 14.

                        

The Canadian and the American teams were be joined by players from such faraway places as Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

                        

"It's incredible," said Barber. "There is so much talent. "The guys are just so incredibly talented," he added. "It's just an honour." Barber saw the stadiums full every day of the championship, a nod to the incredible ball talent at hand.

 

The 20-year-old has been playing his whole life, starting when he was about five years old.

Though he and his brothers have always played competitively, he didn't really get serious about the sport until he was 16 years old. He didn't even realize he could be serious about fastball until he joined the Electrics.

 

"I thought that once you finish your minor sport that was it," said Barber. Once he grew out of the minor leagues, he met up with old teammates who pointed him into a new direction.

                        

"I was actually too young to play with the men's league but they made special exceptions for me 'cause I was just talented," said Barber. "I was just talented enough. I got pretty lucky I think."

                        

He loves the team. Their cheer, their talent, their companionship, their support and their sportsmanship keeps him on his toes.

                        

"They are a great group of guys," said Barber. "They don't take themselves extremely seriously. They are there to have fun, but they like to win. It's just a good vibe when I'm playing with them.

                        

"They are very, very supportive," he added. "Anytime I go to a tournament or anything like that with my own age group or with other teams, they are always asking me how I did, congratulating me, like they are texting me during the tournament to find out how I am doing. They are just very supportive."

                        

His teammates are generally older than he is. They've played more games, been through more and aren't afraid to share their knowledge.

                        

"Anytime they have any advice for me," said Barber. "They give it to me. I love it. I really appreciate all the advice they give to me," he added. "I definitely use it. I find that it helps out a lot."

                        

Fastball isn't as popular in Eastern Ontario as it is in Toronto. So he also joined the Wiarton Red Devils located out about six hours from Ottawa. When he goes to compete with them, he has to travel at least five hours "That kind of sucks but it is worth it when you get there," he said.

                        

ON THE MOUND

He fell into pitching naturally.

                        

One of his older brothers was a pitcher and he would attend the games and practise on the side with his dad and "try to pretend to be him, do exactly what he did.

                        

"It's fun being able to strike out batters and it's just the complete opposite of batting," said Barber.

Not that he doesn't enjoy batting. He loves the rush of connecting wood with a leather ball flying 75MPH.

"It's almost like an adrenaline rush," said Barber. "It's like you are trying to guess what the pitcher is going to throw at you, how hard he's going to throw it to you and then you have to react to it and be able to hit it."

                        

"It's just so fun every time I'm able to do that," he added.

                        

TRAINING

During the summer months, he spends nearly every weekend away at tournaments and he'll spend two to three nights during the week playing locally. In games where he isn't pitching, he'll work on his aim earlier in the day and lift weights.

                        

In the offseason he still trains but to a lesser degree. "I don't take it extremely, extremely, extremely serious, but I like to work out," he said.

                        

The constant physical activity helps him keep in tip top shape particularly after a devastating hamstring injury last summer.

                        

The young athlete tore his hamstring in June 2012. It took a full month to recover enough to return to the game and even then it wasn't completely the same.

                        

Just basic things like running made him uncomfortable, he admitted.

                        

He has returned to complete mobility for the season and is ready to take on the world. His ultimate goal is to one day make it on the national men's team, but for now he's just enjoying himself.

Quyon ends GOFL season with 12-5 win over Carp (score updated)

The GOFL regular season is finally in the books, with Quyon Flyers winning 12-5 over Carp I4C Victory tonight in Carp.

Matt Greer had the win while Cody Price took the loss, with relief from Andrew Fortier. Greer, Dennis McCleary and Joe McCleary all hit homeruns for Quyon.

The GOFL Playoff match ups are now set:

1st Micksburg Twins vs 8th Barrhaven Broadway Blues
2nd Carp I4C Victory vs 7th Stittsville 56ers
3rd Kars Aces vs 6th Quyon Flyers
4th Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric vs 5th Manotick Taylor's Blitz

Micksburg wins 3-1 over Barrhaven with a few details and GOFL playoff info

with info from Kerr Childerose

Micksburg Twins beat Barrhaven Broadway Blues last night 3-1 in a GOFL neutral site game in Fitzroy Harbour. The games was halted in the fifth inning due to lightning but will go in the books as completed.

Joran Graham had the win last night, striking out 13 and allowing only three hits. Trevor Lahey took the loss.

Twins hitting stats provided:
Kerr Childerhose 1/2 1R
Corey Costello 1/2 1RBI
Joran Graham 1/2 1R
Paul Griffith 1/2 1RBI 1R
Mike Moss 1/2 1RBI

That clinches first for the Twins. Barrhaven will finish 8th. The teams will face each other in the first round of playoffs to see who advances to the Final Weekend Showdown tournament on September 6 and 7 in Fitzroy.

One more game tonight and the GOFL regular season is over - Quyon at Carp, starting at 8pm. Carp has finished second, but the result of this game will determine their first round opponent. If Quyon wins, they finish sixth and will face third place Kars in the first round and Carp would play Stittsville. If Carp wins or ties, the Flyers will finish seventh and face Carp, while Stittsville would then play Kars.

It was already determined last week that West Carleton Electric will play the Manotick Taylor's Blitz.

Ottawa 13s have 2-1-1 record at World Masters Games in Italy

info from Eric Rosenquist

As mentioned last week, the Ottawa 13s masters team is playing in Torino, Italy at the World Masters Games.

They currently have a record of two wins, one loss and one tie. They now play three cross-over games against the "recreational" side of the tournament.

Here are some details from Eric Rosenquist's Twitter feed @rosenqui:

• Ottawa 13s game 1: 8-1 five inning win over Western Ferrals (Aus). Neil Cooke pitching.
• Ottawa 13s game 2: win 7-2 over the Die Hards (EU). Neil Cooke wins with 1 inning of relief from Luc Thibault. Patrice Leclerc 2/3 with 3 RBI.
• Ottawa 13s game 3: 5-2 loss to the Toronto Gators. T Martin with the win in relief of D Zack. P Leclerc with the loss. Up 2-0 then 2-2 through 4.
• Ottawa 13s tied the Krushers (NZ) 1-1 in game 4 at the World Masters in Torino. Neil Cooke with the complete game. Patrice Leclerc with a solo HR.

GOFL Week 13

We are just about at the conclusion of the GOFL season with two make up games this week, before playoffs start.

The Micksburg Twins (11-5) will play the Barrhaven Broadway Blues (5-10-1) in a neutral site game in Fitzroy Harbour on Wednesday at 9pm.

Carp I4C Victory (10-5-1) will host the Quyon Flyers at (6-10) at 8pm in Carp on Thursday night in Carp.

The Kars Aces (8-4-5) and Stittsville 56ers (6-10-1) await the results of these games to determine their first round opponents in the GOFL best of five playoffs.

The fourth seed West Carleton Electric (8-8-1) and fifth seed Manotick Taylor's Blitz (6-8-3) will face each other in the first round and are working on determining a playoff schedule.

Stittsville rallies to beat Quyon - details from Thursday

A little late with posting this - I was gone fishin'.  From John Craig.

Stittsville 11 Quyon 10

56ers were in Quyon Thursday night to take on the Flyers in their last game of the season and arrived to see a lake on right side of the infield.  The Flyers grounds crew deserves to be commended as they dug trenches, bailed, shovelled stone and saw dust and somehow were able to get the field ready shortly after start time.

56ers got on the board early scoring two in the top of the 1^st on a walk, three singles and a fielder’s choice but the Flyers would answer the bell with two singles of their own followed by a three run shot by Joe McCleary. Darren Featherstone started the game but was injured in the first so Dan Konkle came in to relieve in the bottom of the second.  Matt Greer added one in the 3^rd with a solo shot of his own putting the Flyers up 4-2.

In a game with 4 home runs the highlight of the night would come on an innocuous play in the top of the fourth as Ryan ‘Twinkle Toes’ Bond hit a grounder to third and began to saunter down the line.  The ball was misplayed and half way to first Bond decided to turn on the jets but caught his shoe in the bag somehow and was sent into the infamous Bobby Orr head first dive beyond first base.  Wounded prided but safe at first.

In the bottom of the 4^th Quyon would add to their lead on a couple of walks, a single and a triple by Greer as they picked up four more taking an 8-2 lead.  Stittsville began to claw their way back in the top of the 5^th picking up two on a walk and a couple of singles, and 2 more in the 6^th on Scott Jessiman's second walk of the game and Scott Herriot’s triple.  8-6 Flyers.

Quyon would continue to push in the 6^th as Greer hit his second HR of the night, a two run shot restoring the 4 run lead going into the 7^th, 10-6.  Ryan Bond lead off the 7^th with a triple and scored on a fielder’s choice, 10-7.  Stittsville got the next two runners on base when Konkle ripped a line drive off Matty Greer’s left arm who, after a few minutes, was thankfully ok.  With the bases loaded Scott Jessiman then hit a grand slam to right field to put the 56ers up 11-10.  Quyon put the leadoff batter on base in the bottom of the 7^th but that’s as close as they would get as Stittsville held on to the 11-10 comeback.

Scott Jessiman get's the Caveman's Choice as player of the game.

Win: Dan Konkle (in relief of Featherstone)

Loss: Matt Greer (in relief of Mark Wright)

Notables:

Flyers: Greer, 1B, 3B, 2 HR, 7RBI’s

  McCleary, W, HR, 2RBI

56ers:

Scott Jessiman, 2W, Grand Slam

Scott Herriot, W, 1B, 3B, RBI

Stittsville scores five in the 7th to beat Quyon 11-10

The Stittsville 56ers won their final game of the GOFL season in dramatic fashion, scoring five runs in the top of the seventh to win 11-10.

Scott Jessiman hit a grand slam in the rally in the final frame for Stittsville.

Dan Konkle earned the win for the 56ers working six innings of relief for Darren Featherstone. Matt Greer took the loss in relief of Mark Wright.

West Carleton EMC Review story on "The Gil"

Jeff McGuire of the West Carleton EMC Review provides some great coverage of the The Gil.

Andy Barber's photo graced the cover of this week's edition of the paper.

Photo by Steve Newman

GOFL playoff breakdown - UPDATED AGAIN

Alright people, you asked for it so here it is. The annual GOFL standings review and playoff possibilities.

Micksburg Twins 11-5 = 22pts
Micksburg lost Wednesday night to Kars, so they need to beat Barrhaven in their make up game to clinch first. The could finish second if they lose or tie and Carp wins their last game against Quyon.

Carp I4C Victory 10-5-1 = 21pts
Carp has one game remaining, a to be scheduled match up with Quyon. Carp can finish first if they win their remaining game and the Twins lose their remaining game. Carp also has the tie-breaker with Micksburg. They cannot finish lower than second place.

Kars Aces 8-4-5 = 21pts
With their win in Micksburg on Wednesday night, the Aces are tied with Carp in points, but I4C has more wins, so the Aces are firmly in third place.

Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric 8-8-1 = 17pts
The 'Trics have finished their season with a .500 record. They have no games left and nobody can pass them. They are solid in fourth place and will face Manotick Taylor's Blitz in the first round.

Manotick Taylor's Blitz 6-8-3 = 15pts
With the Quyon loss to Stittsville on Thursday, the Blitzos have clinched fifth and will play West Carleton Electric in the first round.

Stittsville 56ers 6-10-1 = 13pts
The 56ers won their final game of the season against Quyon to leapfrog over the Flyers and Barrhaven. They could finish in sixth, but could still fall as far as eighth if Quyon and Barrhaven win their remaining games.

Quyon Flyers 6-10 = 12pts
The Flyers lost Thursday to Stittsville, and have one make up game left versus Carp. If they win they seal sixth spot. If they lose and Barrhaven wins, they drop to to eighth. Or they could stay in seventh they both lose.

Barrhaven Broadway Blues 5-10-1 = 11pts
Barrhaven lost to Manotick on Wednesday night, and they only have one game left against Micksburg. They could finish as high as sixth since they hold the tiebreaker with Stittsville. But they could also be seventh or eighth.

Note: If Quyon ties Carp and Barrhaven beats Micksburg, then we have three teams at 6-10-1. That would pose a mathematical challenge!  Paper rock scissors perhaps to decide the seedings?

Ottawa team at World Masters Games in Torino, Italy

from Eric Rosenquist

What do you call a team of 14 guys from Ontario, Quebec, PEI, and Florida?

 

The Ottawa 13s are at the World Masters Games in Torino Italy for the next 12 days, hoping to have a good showing in the 35+ competitive division.

 

Fastball fans from Eastern Ontario will recognise most of the team members from GOFL and tournament play in the region.

 

Ottawa-area players include Neil Cooke, Kevin McGuire, Mike Money, Cory Morrison, and Eric Rosenquist.

 

Bobby Jack Hart hails from nearby South Mountain; Cornwall is represented by Darryl Beck, Dan Loney, and Jason Woodside; and Terry Redden from Kingston round out the Ontario contingent.

 

Quebec has two representatives, both mainstays of the Donnacona Blue Sox team. Patrice Leclerc and Luc Thibault will share the pitching duties with Neil Cooke as well as play other defensive positions and contribute their coaching skills.

 

Curtis Reilly is the lone PEI representative, playing his intermediate ball in the Maritime leagues and joining fellow Islander Cory "Spud" Morrison in tournaments from time to time.

 

Jeff Lane lives in Florida, but plays several  tournaments a year with the Knoxville/Ontario squad that plays in the Elkland PA and Au Sable NY annually.

Competition for the 13s in the 35+ competitive division consists of one team from each of Australia, the European Union, and New Zealand, plus the Toronto Gators. The Gators entered in the 35+ premier division due to having several former national team members, but got bumped down a level when there were no other premier level teams in the 35+ age bracket. Each team in the division also has three crossover games against teams in the 35+ recreational division, making for 7 preliminary round games in 8 days. After the preliminary round, the top 2 seeds play for gold/silver while seeds 3 & 4 play for bronze.

 

Stay tuned for updates during the tourney, or follow @rosenqui on Twitter.

 

Good luck to the guys over in Italy - I will try and post results to the blog as they come in.

Harbour Ball happenings

The Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League is winding down its regular season, with playoffs starting soon in the 10 team recreational league. Regular blog readers know that "Harbour Ball" can be a bit quirky. A couple more incidents for your amusement.

Fashion sense: There are nine men's teams (plus a midget team) in the league, and each team is issued a specific coloured T-shirt with sponsor's name on the back. For instance, last night my Red team (sponsored by Dunrobin Meat Market) played the Black team (sponsored by Clouthier Custom Carpentry). It is hit and miss on whether guys wear their shirt or not. I'd say about 80% on any particular night. You wouldn't think it would be that tough to have your team shirt clean and ready to go once a week, but oh well it is a rec league. And not everyone wears ball pants (some shorts, track pants, etc.), though most do.

Last night, the game following ours was the Blue team vs the Orange team. One of the Orange team players was wearing a Hydro safety shirt in orange - one with a reflective "X". So a little different, but since he is on the orange team, not completely out of uniform....but the lower half was something to be seen. He was wearing black shiny wind pants - tucked into knee socks! A strong look I highly recommend. (Just picture that. Then picture yourself trying to pitch to the guy without laughing.)

Y'er outta here!: As you can imagine in a recreational league, the officiating is essentially at the same level as the play. Good guys, trying their best, without always achieving perfection. There are at least two guys that work the plate in the league with their shinguards OVER their pants. The guy that worked our game last night is 70 and smoked a half pack of darts between innings. You get the idea.

Anyway, it is rare in Harbour Ball, but in any league with almost seventy games to date this year, there are bound to be a couple of ejections. Last week one of the players on the Green team was displeased with the call by an ump. He barked and was told that was enough. He decided to persist and was told:

"If you open your mouth again, you're out of here!"

So he did what any rationale ball player would do in that situation. Turned to the ump, opened his mouth wide....and didn't say a word.

He got kicked out.

Long live Harbour Ball!

Blitz end season with a win over Barrhaven - DETAILS

from Trevor Power, Derek Bergeron

Manotick Taylor's Blitz won their final game of the season with a 2-1 squeaker over the Barrhaven Broadway Blues in Manotick on Wednesday night GOFL play.

Jamie Blakely had the win while Trevor Lahey took the loss.

The Blues got on the board in the first inning. Aaron Amo blooped a base hit over second based and was moved over by a Kevin Shonfield sac but. Don Cox's fly out moved Amo to third, and he scored on Trevor Power's single to make it 1-0 for Barrhaven.


With player of the game Blakely keeping Barrhaven off the scoreboard, Manotick scored the only two runs they needed for the win in the sixth. Matt Bowman lead off with a double. Derick Bulley then walked. Jon Ferguson's single scored Bowman. Lahey got the next two batters to strikeout out Tony Searle was then inserted in the lineup to pinch hit, and he was intentionally walked to load the bases. A walk to Ryan Mitts when brought in the game winning run.

The Blitzos finish the season with 15 points and will finish fifth or sixth, depending on how Quyon does in their remaining two games. Barrhaven has one game left to make up against Micksburg.

more to follow

Kars beats Micksburg 1-0 in pitchers' duel

from Chad Milne

In their final game of the regular season, Kars Aces travelled to Micksburg Wednesday night to take on the GOFL-leading Twins. In a well-pitched, well-played game for both teams, Cory Alkerton outduelled Joran Graham in leading the Aces to a 1-0 win.

The Twins looked to jump out to an early lead in the bottom of the 1st, loading the bases on a hit and a couple of walks, but with two out Alkerton was able to settle in at the right time to strike out the Micksburg batter. 

This game was scoreless through 4 innings, with both pitchers racking up the strikeouts.

In the top of the 5th, Kars managed to push across what turned out to be the only run of the game. Matt Alkerton led off the inning with a single. Danny Powers then tried to sacrifice Alkerton over to second, but couldn't get the bunt down in his first two attempts. After a passed ball allowed Alkerton to advance to second, Powers battled Graham and was able to get just enough of a 3-2 pitch, lifting it over the infield into short right field to bring home Alkerton and put the Aces in front 1-0. Kars couldn't get any more runs in the 5th as Graham set down the Aces in order to close out the inning.

The Twins threatened to tie the game in the later innings, getting runners on in both the 5th and 6th innings, but some fine defensive plays by the Aces and shut down pitching from Alkerton kept the Twins off the board, preserving the big 1-0 road win for Kars and sending close to 70 Micksburg fans home disappointed.

Alkerton was selected as player of the game for his outstanding pitching performance.