GOFL Thursday round up

A busy night in the Greater Ottawa Fastball League - a round up of the four games played.

Ottawa Valley As 8 I4C Victory 7
After losing their first six league games, the Valley As have reeled of three straight victories following their succesful tournament in Pickering. The As walked it off in the bottom of seven in Carp on Thursday as Lindsay Medynski singled to win the game. Ben Broek had the win in relief of Adam Rueckwald while Matt McNish took the loss for Victory.

Quyon Flyers 5 Stittsville 56ers 2
Quyon won at home on the Quebec side versus Stittsville. Dave Hobbs had a homer for the Flyers while Al Read hit one out for the 56ers. Matt Greer earned the win on the slab while Kyle Olson took the loss.

Kars Aces 1 Micksburg Twins 0 (Game 1)
In the first game of the doubleheader up in the 'Burg, it turned out to be a pitching duel with Cory Alkerton earning the shutout win over Corey Costello. Cory Morrison scored the games only run after doubling and being driven in on a Brad Pender double.

Kars Aces 8 Micksburg Twins 8 (Game 2)
The second game of the double dip had a lot more offense than the first game. Corey Costello and Matt McIntyre threw for the Twins while Luke Severson and Brad Porter chucked for the Aces.

Caveman wins silver

For the first time ever since we started keeping score, the Caveman's team didn't win a West Carleton House League title. In a tight 13-11 tilt against Fitzroy 2, his Fitzroy 1 team lost in the U14 Boys A final. He seemed to get over it quickly.

Fitzroy #1 U14

Front row: Cousin Herb, Mini HK, Tyrone, Caveman

Back row: Coach, J.O., No Hat Sam, ConMan, Pampy, Aligator Al, Beastman, Coach #2

OASA U8 5 Pitch event

The OASA is hosting a U8 Softball Event in Grafton on August 11 weekend.

The rules that the OASA will use are the same as what many U8 leagues are using in their own home town. Here are the rules simplified:

1. Five pitch to each batter with a coach pitching to his/her own players.

2. Three outs per inning or 6 runs per inning.

3. No walks.

4. No extra bases on an overthrow.

5. No stealing; runner remains on the base until the ball passes the plate.

6. No infield fly rule.

7. An 11" Rawlings indoor soft ball is used.

8. Game times are limited to one hour and 15 minutes.

9. Sliding is permitted.

10. Coaches are encouraged to play all players as equally as possible.

Each team will play a couple of games of ball and participate in some fun events. We are hoping to have a dunk tank and a bouncy castle at the ball park or some fun skills events!

Please contact me if you are interested in having your team participate.

Karen Mills

OASA U8 Division Coordinator

millsk[at]limestone.on.ca

Algonquin College Speakers Series

from Jamie Bramburger

Danny Gallagher: Blue MondayDates: Thursday, October 25, 2018, at 7 p.m. at the Waterfront Campus Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Register online now >>http://www.algonquincollege.com/pembroke/speaker-series/
Author and Montreal Expos historian Danny Gallagher leads readers up to the unforgettable day in October 1981 when Rick Monday of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a home run off of Montreal Expos pitcher Steve Rogers in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a berth in the World Series. Readers will be taken back to 1976 when a five-year plan for winning the National League championship was set in place by the Expos with the hiring of experienced manager Dick Williams. Gallagher examines old narratives about Blue Monday and talked to all the key players involved in the game, unearthing secrets and stories never before told. The book is a tribute to the Expos and Dodgers, but places emphasis on Rogers and Monday, the two pivotal characters in that final playoff game. 

Danny Gallagher has been writing for media outlets since 1972, either full-time or as a freelancer. Gallagher has written extensively about the Montreal Expos since 1988 when he joined the staff of the Montreal Daily News. He has written five books about the Expos, including one that appeared in French in 1998. In 1985, Gallagher won a Saskatchewan Baseball Association award for a series of stories he did for the Regina Leader-Post on that province’s contributions to the major leagues. Gallagher lives northeast of Toronto in Uxbridge, Ontario with his wife Sherry.

Stittsville and West Carleton tie at 6

West Carleton Electric and the Stittsville 56ers tied at 6 in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play in a drizzly game on Wednesday at the Grove.

Luc D'Entremont went the distance for 56ers while Steve Cavanagh and Andy Barber split pitching duties for WC.

Stittsville scored first on a solo homer by Kyle Gourgon in the third.

Fitzroy answered back with four runs in the fourth. Jeff Barber walked with one out and Steve Cavanagh singled. Barber scored on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, a walk to Jon Daley put two on for Alex Boucaud, whose high fly ball was misplayed allowing two to score. Boucaud also scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2 Trics.

West Carleton added another two in the fifth. Shawn Rebertz walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a ground out. Andy Barber and Neil Murphy walked to load the bases. Boucaud's single drove in two to make it 6-2.

The 56ers tied things up in the bottom of seven. Gourgon singled with one out, advanced to second on Darren Ladouceur's single and the bases were loaded when Tyler Nystedt walked. Jamie O'Hare had a tough at bat and walked to reduce the lead to three. Dan Jessiman's sac fly deep to right-centre scored Ladouceur and advance the other runners 60 feet. When Al Read's grounder was misplayed two scored to tie the game. A ground out ended the rally.

Stittsville

Luc D'Entremont 7IP 6R 3ER 7H 5K 7BB

Tyler Nystedt 1-3, BB< R
Jamie O'Hare BB RBI
Dan Jessiman Sac Fly RBI
Scott Parsons 1-3, RBI
Kyle Gourgon 2-3, HR, RBI, 2R
Darren Ladouceur 1-3, R

Fitzroy

Steve Cavanagh 3IP 1R 1ER 1H 1K 0BB
Andy Barber 4IP 5R 3ER 4H 6K 4BB

Trevor Barton 1-4
Jeff Cavanagh 2-4, 2B
Jeff Barber BB, R
Steve Cavanagh 1-2, R
Andy Barber 2BB, R
Neil Murphy 1-3, BB
Jon Daley 1-2, 2BB, R
Alex Boucaud 1-4, 2RBI, R

West Carleton Softball Fun Day last weekend

West Carleton Softball held their Fun Day this past weekend in Carp. The U8 teams (8) and U10 teams (7) each played two games.

Also at this same event was Championship day for the West Carleton U12 league. Kinburn were A Champs, defeating Carp #1.  Carp #2 were B Champs defeating Constance Bay-Dunrobin. Other teams participating were Fitzroy #1 and Fitzroy #2.

There was a special guest coach on hand during the West Carleton Softball U12 "A" Championship game . Tim Raines was in Carp to cheer on his friend Finn Barton from Kinburn!

U16 Eliminations in McNab/Braeside this weekend

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association U16 Boys Elimination tournament will be held this weekend in McNab/Braeside to determine the teams that will represent the province at the Nationals in Innerkip, ON in August.

Games will be  held at McNab Centre Park on Calabogie Road starting at 3 pm on Friday June 29, with the final game scheduled to start 1 pm on Canada Day.

There are 14 teams participating, including the Osgoode Chiefs. Osgoode is made up of players from the Osgoode, Fitzroy and Micksburg areas. Several relatives of GOFLers past and present are playing including Hudson Collins (Kevin's son), Tyler Branchaud (Mike's son), Joseph Mick (Jamey's son), Conrad Daze (Charlie Ross' nephew) and Owen Brown (some blogger's kid).

More information about the event is available at https://oasa.ca/tournament/u16-bantam-eliminations/.

Softball Canada announces inductees to the Hall of Fame (updated)

Softball Canada has announced the most recent crop of inductees into their Hall of Fame. Among the inductees are the 1993 to 1996 Toronto Gators in the team category. This team included former GOFL great Randy Peck of Danford Lake, QC as well as Grant Skinner, another local fastball legend from the Ottawa area.

Update: I forgot to also acknowledge two other local players with the Gators hall of fame team - Bruce Casselman is from the Morrisburg area and played for local teams including Kemptville. Don Burnett is also from eastern Ontario and played in old West Carleton league. Thanks to T.M. for alerting me to this oversight!

Softball Canada Announces 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees

25 June 2018 Gilles LeBlanc

Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada is pleased to announce the list of inductees to the 2018 Hall of Fame Class who will be inducted at the Softball Canada Congress and Annual General Meeting taking place November 7-10 in Montreal, Que. The inductees are Sophie Bedard (Builder – Quebec), Serge Laflamme (Official – Quebec), Larry Lynch (Coach – Ontario), Gisele Vezina (Builder – Quebec) and the 1993-1996 Toronto Gators (Team – Ontario).

Softball Canada will also be inducting Cam Ecclestone (Ontario) as the first inductee in the Pioneers category, which was established in 2015 to recognize those who compiled outstanding accomplishments or made significant contributions to the sport prior to Softball Canada’s inception in 1965. Ecclestone’s induction will take place at a separate event to be determined later.

SOPHIE BÉDARD (Longueil, Que.) has been active with Softball Québec for almost 30 years and has been at the forefront of many of the Federation’s programs, including the highly successful Quebec Rebelles high performance program. Since the 1990s, she has organized 24 International tournaments (including the Montreal Challenge and the Quebec Rebelles tournament), 13 Canadian Championships and several other notable events in the greater Montreal area. Her expertise in administration and project management has allowed Softball Quebec to achieve a healthy organizational and financial stability. She has donated significant amounts to the federation's excellence program through her events, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and tourist benefits for the greater Montreal area. She was inducted to Softball Quebec’s Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2013 and was recently awarded the Égale Action Recognition Award for her excellent lifetime contributions to sport.

SERGE LAFLAMME (Levis, Que.) worked his way up the ranks and built an excellent reputation as one of the top umpires in the world highlighted by working the 2000 Sydney Olympic Summer Games and the 2015 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship in Saskatoon, Sask. He began umpiring at the age of 13 and obtained his Level V status in 1994, with his WBSC certification coming a year later in 1995. He worked a total of seven Canadian Championships and four international events between 1994 and 2016. Since 1987, he has served as an instructor and umpire supervisor at a number of clinics and events at the regional, national and international level. He served on Softball Canada’s Officiating Development Committee (ODC) from 2001 to 2004 and has been an Umpire Instructor for the WBSC since 2001. He has been a presenter at eight Softball Canada Blue Conventions and has actively participated in the French translation of Softball Canada’ Rulebook, Case Book and many other documents for the training of umpires in Canada.

LARRY LYNCH (Kitchener, Ont.) has been a field manager and coach of a senior men’s team for the past 29 years, leading the Kitchener/Waterloo Twins organization to a long stretch of national success. Between 1993 and 2009, he earned a total of seven Men’s Canadian Championship medals including three Gold (2004, 2009 and 2010), two Silver (2000, 2003) and two Bronze (1993 and 2007) medals and has most recently been involved with the Toronto Gators Master Men’s team competing at the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) Provincial Championships and World Master’s Games. His level of involvement in the game goes beyond coaching, as he has been a strong supporter and builder of Men’s Fast Pitch in the Kitchener/Waterloo area, including the development of Peter Hallman Ball Yard in Kitchener, several local associations and ran the Legends of Fastball Classic for over 25 years, with proceeds from that event going towards the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.

GISÈLE VÉZINA (Delson, Que.) contributed a large portion of her life to the sport of softball in Quebec and in Canada. She was a coach and administrator for her South Shore regional softball association for more than 30 years, served on the Competitions Committee and supervised Softball Quebec Provincial Championships for over 30 years and served on Softball Quebec’s Board of Directors for nearly 20 years. She attended a total of 14 Softball Canada Annual General Meetings as a delegate of Softball Québec between 1988 and 2002 and served on Softball Canada’s Board of Directors for six years from 2003 to 2008. Vezina supervised a total of five Canadian Championships and was a member of Softball Canada’s Canadian Championship Committee, while also serving as the Board liaison of the Officiating Development Committee (ODC) for the Board of Directors. In 1997, she was named Sport Quebec’s Builder of a Quarter Century and was inducted to Softball Quebec’s Hall of Fame in 1998.

The 1993-1996 TORONTO GATORS won the Gold medal at three Men’s Canadian Championships in a four-year period, winning the Canadian title in 1993 before going an undefeated 11-0 in back-to-back Championships in 1995 and 1996. During this four-year period, the Gators won over 300 games which included over 20 invitational tournament wins. Led by sponsor/owner Jack Fireman, the Gators included several members of the Canadian Men’s National Team and the club team represented Canada at the 1993 Pan American Qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico, winning the Gold medal at the event. In addition to the incredible amount of success the team had on the field, their contributions have carried with several team members developing the game at the grassroots level throughout Ontario.

1993-1996 TORONTO GATORS

ATHLETES

Brad Baker	Mark Bendahan	Don Burnett
Bruce Casselman	Terry Challis	Mike Crawford
Rob Gray	Bob Green	Chuck Hendricks
Dave Hoffman	Chris Jones	John Kemp
Ted Koscienza	Brian Paton	Randy Peck
Mike Sedore	Grant Skinner	Adam Smith
Ray Tilley	Terry Wallin	Ron White
Rod Wetherell	Darren Zack

COACHES 

Terry Baytor	Todd Idenouye
Peter Kostin	Bob Richardson

SPONSOR/OWNER

Jack Fireman

Individual members of the Softball Canada Hall of Fame indicated in BOLD

CAM ECCLESTONE (Toronto, Ont.) had a lengthy playing career that ran from 1928 to 1962 and was named Canada’s Softball Player of the Half Century (1900-1950). He played for five Ontario teams throughout his career including the Tip Top Tailors, Canada D, Cities Service, British Consols, Daltons and People’s Credit Jewelers, competing on several Toronto and Ontario Championship teams and in four ASA World Softball Championships. He threw a total of eleven no-hitters including two in back-to-back games in his first ASA World Championship in 1936 and recorded over 500 wins in his professional career. In newspaper clippings from his era, he was referred to as “The Babe Ruth of Softball” and “Mr. Softball” and was “in a class of his own in an era when softball was more popular than hardball”.

WC Electric comes back to defeat Quyon

West Carleton Electric came back from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Quyon Flyers 7-6 in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play on a rare Monday game in Fitzroy Harbour.

Andy Barber earned the pitching win in relief of Jeff Cavanagh who had his first ever GOFL pitching start. Matt Greer took the loss and went the distance for Quyon.

Jeff Cav, a veteran thrower in Harbour Ball, got the emergency call for West Carleton when Barber was tied up at work. Quyon scored five runs off Cavanagh, all driven in on home runs.

The Flyers got on the board early. Dennis McCleary walked to start the game. After a strikeout and fly out, Steve McCord homered to put the Flyers ahead early 2-0.

Quyon extended their lead to 5-0 in the third. David Hobbs started the inning with a solo shot. Greer then hit a high fly ball that was misjudged by a blogger in left field and he was promptly driven in on another McCord homer.

Fitzroy got one back in the bottom of the third. Alex Boucaud doubled to start, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on Adam Brown's sacrifice fly to left field.

Barber's arrival meant he was inserted in to pitch, and Cavanagh returned to his more familiar surroundings in the outfield.

West Carleton got another two runs in the fourth. Shawn Rebertz doubled and scored when Chris Costello doubled. Costello moved to third on a ground out, then scored on Jon Daley's infield hit to make it 5-3 for the visitors.

Two more runs tied the game at five in the fifth. Kevin Shonfield singled, but was put out on a fielder's choice to Trevor Barton. Cavanagh then drove a homer to left field to tie things up.

Fitzroy went ahead briefly in the sixth. Daley singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Barber, and scored on Barton's RBI triple.

Quyon rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Hobbs drew a lead off walk. Greer then walked as well. McCord hit a ball through the infield. scoring Hobbs. Greer was put out in a run down and a strike out and ground out ended the threat.

West Carleton managed to pull out a win in the bottom of seven. With one out, Costello singled. Greer got a strike out. Boucaud then hit a sharply hit ball to right field. It took a bad bounce, got by the fielder and Costello scored to end the game.

Fitzroy

Andy Barber WIN 4IP 1R 1ER 2H 3BB 5K
Jeff Cavangh 3IP 5R 4ER 4H 2BB 1K

Kevin Shonfield 1-3, BB
Trevor Barton 2-4, 3B, RBI, R
Jeff Cavanagh 1-4, HR, 2RBI
Shawn Rebertz 2-4, 2B, R
Chris Costello 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2R
Alex Boucaud 2-4, R, RBI
Jon Daley 2-3, RBI, R
Adam Brown sac fly, RBI

Quyon

Matt Greer LOSS 6.2IP 7R 7ER 12H 12K 1BB 6K

Dennis McCleary 1-3, BB, R
Dave Hobbs 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, 2R
Steve McCord 3-4, 2HR, 5RBI
Zach Trudeau 1-3, 2B

GOFL week #8

There are seven games on the Greater Ottawa Fastball League schedule this week.


A rare Monday night game in Fitzroy Harbour at 7:30 pm features the Quyon Flyers (4-0-2) visting West Carleton Electric (3-4-1).  Happy "Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste" to all players.


On Wednesday, I4C Victory (4-3-1) will play Kemptville Black Sox (0-0-2) in K-Town at 8:30 pm. Also that night the Stittsville 56ers (3-5-1) will host WC Electric at 9 pm.


Thursday night sees the Kars Aces (4-3) make the trip up to Micksburg to face the Twins (4-3-1) for a doubleheader at 7 pm and 9 pm. Also that night sees the 56ers in Quyon to play the Flyers at 7:30 pm and I4C Victory in Carp to play Ottawa Valley As (2-6) at 8 pm.

Cheshire Cat Pub wins Harbour Ball tournament

The Cheshire Cat Pub from the Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League won the "Harbour Ball" 12 team men's fastball tournament this weekend in Fitzroy. There were eight league teams from the FHMFL plus teams representing Shawville, Bancroft, Carp and Ashton.

The Pub defeated Shawville 10-2 in the finals. Father and son duo Jim and Shawn Ryan throw for the Cat, while Shawn Laframboise, James O'Brien and Lenny Burger were the chuckers for the team from the PQ.

2018 Harbour Ball "A" Champions - Cheshire Cat Pub

Quyon & I4C tie

The Quyon Flyers and I4C Victory tied at 5 in west Quebec on Thursday night in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play.

Matt Greer threw for Quyon. Neil Cooke and Matt McNish pitched for I4C.

Shawn Laframboise had a homer for Quyon, while Ty Alexander and Curtis Scurr hit homers for I4C.

Valley As defeat Micksburg

The Ottawa Valley As won their second straight Greater Ottawa Fastball League game on Thursday night with a 11-1 win over an understaffed Micksburg Twins team.

Ben Broek had the win for Valley. Brennan Hennessy took the loss with relief from 15 year old Joseph Mick.

Kars Aces win at the Grove

The Kars Aces won 5-3 at the Grove on Wednesday night in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play over the Stittsville 56ers.

Brad Porter earned the win, while Kyle Olson took the loss. Kristian Knapp had a solo homer for Kars, while Al Read had two solo homers for Stittsville.

Broek leads Valley to 8-6 win over WC Electric

The Ottawa Valley As won their first game of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League season with a 8-6 over West Carleton Electric on Tuesday night in Fitzroy.

Ben Broek had the win in relief of Adam Rueckwald. Steve Cavanagh took the loss.

The As got on the board in the top of the first. Ben Wade singled to start the game. Jackson Vance them doubled, and Wade scored on a bobbled ball in the outfield. After two ground outs, an error on another ground ball allowed Vance to score to make it 2-0.

WC answered right back in the bottom of the first. After Jeff Cavanagh and Mike Cavanagh reached on singles, Chris Costello hit a three run shot to put the home team up 3-2.

The lead did not last long as Valley got another two in thet second. With two out, Lindsay Medynski singled. Wade reached on an error and Jackson Vance walked to load the bases. This was followed by a two RBI single by Clayton Vance.

Valley added another two in the fourth. Wade reached on an error, followed by a Jackson Vance single. after a passed ball, Wade scored on a wild pitch. Vance subsequently scored on an RBI single by Kyle Couvieau.

Fitzroy tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. A walk to Mitch Taylor was followed by a Jon Daley single. Valley then removed Rueckwald to put in Broek. After a ground out, Trevor Barton hit a three run homer to tie the game at six.

In the top of the seventh, with two out, Shane Boyd worked the count and walked. Broek then hit the first pitch he saw over the fence for a line drive two run homer to make it 8-6 for the As.

Broek shut down the Electric in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.

Fitzroy

Steve Cavanagh LOSS 7IP 8R 3ER 10H 2BB 4K

Trevor Barton 2-4, 3RBI, HR, R, SB
Jeff Cavanagh 2-4, R
Mike Cavanagh 1-2, 2BB, R
Chris Costello 2-4, 3RBI, HR, R
Steve Cavanagh 1-4
Jon Daley 1-2, BB, R
Alex Boucaud 1-3, SB

Valley

Adam Rueckwald 3IP 3R 5ER 6H 2BB 4K
Ben Broek WIN 4IP 3R 1ER 4H 2BB 8K

Ben Wade 1-4, 3R, SB
Jackson Vance 3-3, 2x2B, 2R, BB
Clayton Vance 1-4, 2RBI
Kyle Couvieau 1-4, RBI
Gavan Boyd 1-4, SB
Ben Broek 1-1, HR, 2RBI, R
Lindsay Medynski 104, R

Stafford Steelers bring fastball back to town

An article from the Pembroke Daily Observer about Stafford in Laurentian Valley Township, near Pembroke, reviving minor fastball in their area. The Caveman played in their tournament this past weekend with the Kinburn Crush.


By Celina Ip


LAURENTIAN VALLEY TWP. - After more than 20 years, fastball has made a comeback and kids are ready to play ball again at Stafford Park.

Laurentian Valley’s Stafford Park had a rich history of fastball that was originally sparked and fuelled by the hard work of the late Don Nagora.
“Don started fastball at Stafford Park when he built the ball diamond. The Township had helped to pay for it, but Don had the fill hauled in and we graded it with the old grader, pulling it with his bronco,” said Vicki Hoffman, member of Stafford Recreation Council. “It was in 1985 that the diamond officially opened and Don took are of it until 1994.”
The sport was a big hit among kids, with many local residents fondly remembering their childhood days – from the 1985 through to the 1990s – of playing fastball with their teams and walking over to Brum’s Dairy to get a scoop of ice cream after their game.
Unfortunately, after Nagora passed away, interest in fastball began to fade until the sport had completely disappeared from the area by 1998.
Over the years, with kids beginning to take interest in other sports, fastball continued to fall to the wayside and Stafford Park’s ball games remained a distant memory.
It wasn’t until this past year when Stafford Recreation Council and other residents began a rousing discussion about forming a new peewee team – with Hoffman serving as the team’s manager – and bringing Stafford Park back to life.
“For a long time, we were short on volunteers and there wasn’t enough interest in the area. But this past year, we had coaches and other people who decided to step up, so we asked the league if we could try it out for a year an if all goes well we’ll keep it going,” said Hoffman, team manager.
With 13 eager kids on the team, the new Stafford Steelers peewee team was formed and fastball was brought back to Stafford Park.
Jason Laronde, one of the team’s coaches, said that he honoured to be involved with the team and is eager to see more youth take in interest in fastball over the years.
“It's been more than 20 years since fastball has been here and it's nice to see it coming back in the valley and the support from the township has been great. It took awhile to convince everyone but now the kids are thrilled and the community is really onboard with it – which we see by the fanbase that comes out to our games,” said Laronde. “It's also nice to see the kids get out of the house, especially in the summertime, and to try a different sport.”
Along with the hard-working coaches and volunteers, Hoffman said that their team is more than grateful to Brum’s Dairy who signed on as the sponsor.
“Brum’s has been very supportive and we want to make them proud of us,” said Hoffman. “Whether it’s with respect on the field or winning a game, our goal is to make Brum’s and the community proud of us.”
Shauna Wagner, manager of Brum’s Dairy, said that she played fastball at Stafford Park when she was a kid and she’s more than pleased to support its comeback.
“We like to support healthy active lifestyles and it was nice to see the league come back into this area of Stafford after 20 years – so whatever we can do to promote that we wanted to,” said Wagner.
On June 16, the team took advantage of the beautiful weather and hosted a friendly tournament with eight other Ottawa Valley teams. Along with serving as a friendly competition, the day served as a fundraiser to support the newly formed Stafford team.
While the kids played ball, their family and friends cheered them on from the stands and enjoyed a hotdog and a cool drink from the canteen. The Stafford Steelers won their two games to score a spot in the B Championship where they were ultimately defeated 5-1 by Alice 1. The A Championship saw -the Greely Eagles come out on top (10-0) against Kinburn Crush.
After the games, all 130 participants were treated to free ice cream cones at Brum’s Dairy – a Stafford tradition.

U16 Boys' Elimination Tournament in McNab (June 29 - July 1)

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association will be hosting their U16 Boys' (Bantam) Elimination tournament in McNab/Braeside from June 29 to July 1.


There are fourteen teams attending, including the Osgoode Chiefs. The Chiefs include players from Osgoode, Fitzroy Harbour and Micksburg areas.


The top finishers from this tournament will represent Ontario at the Canadian Championship tournament in Innerkip in August.


Games start at 3 pm on the Friday. For the full tournament draw schedule, visit this link: https://oasa.ca/tournament/u16-bantam-eliminations/.

GOFL Week #7

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League for Week 7 features four games on the schedule.




Tuesday sees the Ottawa Valley As (0-6) in to Fitzroy Harbour to play West Carleton Electric (3-3-1) at 8:30 pm.


The Kars Aces (3-3) will visit the Grove in Stittsville play the 56ers (3-4-1) at 9 pm on Wednesday.


Thursday night games are I4C Victory (4-3) travelling to Quyon to play the undefeated Flyers (4-0-1) at 7:30 pm, as well as the Valley As travelling up the line to play the Micksburg Twins (4-2-1) at 8 pm.

Valley As go 3-1 in Pickering: WITH DETAILS

The Ottawa Valley As of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League played in the six team Pickering Tournament this past weekend. The As won three straight in the round robin and lost a close game in the semi-finals to finish the event at 3-1.

from Adam Rueckwald

The Valley As played their first game of the Pickering Tournament on Friday at 9pm against the Oshawa Wranglers. The Valley As won 10-0 in 6 innings. Adam Rueckwald was the winning pitcher.

The As then had a great game at 10am on Saturday against the host team the Pickering Panthers. Pickering led for the majority of the game, until the 6th inning where some defensive errors by Pickering, and the bats coming alive by the A’s to take lead 6-3, which they held onto for the rest of the game. Trevor Lahey pitched a great game in earning the win.

To finish off the round robin, the As played Frankford at 1pm and won this one 5-2. Highlight of the game was Dave Baird hitting a massive home run. Rueckwald had the pitching win in this one.

After coming out of the round robin in 1st place, the As then faced Scarborough in the semi final game. Although they got down by a run early, Lahey was again having a great game, and Valley finally tied the game in the 4th, eventually getting up a run in the 5th, and adding another in the 6th. Then in the top of the 7th, Scarborough up to bat, with Valley being up 2 runs, with two outs, the visiting team was able to tie it up. The game went to extra innings. Scarborough came alive in the 9th inning to score 4 runs which Valley couldn’t come back from.

Kingston Axemen win ISC Qualifier in Mitchell, ON

The Kingston Axemen won the 24-team International Softball Congress tournament this past weekend in Mitchell, ON with a perfect five wins and no losses record.



GOFLers Matt Greer (Quyon), Joran Graham (Micksburg),  Nick Ellis and Brad Pender (both Kars) play on the team which will be appearing at the ISC World Tournament in Kitchener in August.



The Axemen won the final game 2-0 over the Elmira Expos. Graham had the complete game win and had a hit. He was named the Top Pitcher at the event. Greer played a solid second base, Pender had a hit as well as played outfield and Ellis pinch ran and scored a run in the sixth inning.

Fitzroy Harbour tournament features 12 teams

The Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League is hosting a 12 team men's fastball tournament from June 22 to 24 at the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre.

There are the eight "Harbour Ball" teams from the league, plus clubs from Bancroft, Carp, Ashton and Shawville participating.

Micksburg and I4C Victory split doubleheader

The Micksburg Twins and I4C Victory split their Greater Ottawa Fastball League doubleheader on Thursday night up in the 'Burg.

In the first game, it was all I4C, as they defeated the Twins 14-1 in five innings. Neil Cooke had the win. Veteran lefty Lenny Burger took the loss with relief from rookie John Enright and Corey Costello. Chris MacFarlane and Matt McNish had homeruns for Victory.

The second match saw the Twins walk it off with a 6-5 win in the bottom of the seventh courtesy of a clutch hit from Scott Conroy. Burger picked up the win in this one, in relief of Costello. McNish took the loss. MacFarlane had another homer in this game.

Stittsville beats Valley

Stittsville 56ers won 4-3 at home on Wednesday night over the Ottawa Valley As in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play.

Kyle Olson had the win while Ben Broek took the loss. Jamie O'Hare hit a 2 RBI walk off single in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the 56ers victory.

Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards

For the past decade, with the help of many of you in every part of Ontario, we have been able to tell the story and celebrate a long list of incredible Ontario community sport coaches.  Once again, we are looking to celebrate coaches who stand out in their community for how well they lead in sport, inspire and deserve provincial recognition.  We are looking for Ontario coaches who embrace diversity, push the envelope and break through barriers; those unsung coaching heroes, men and women who continue to be great role model for citizenship and those who inspire and instill a life-long love of sport in their teams and athletes. 

Nominate them for an Ontario Coaching Excellence Award who should be celebrated as part of the 4th annual National Coaches Week celebration, September 22-30, 2018.  The Coaches Association of Ontario is accepting nominations up until June 28, 2018.    

More information is attached.   Please share this call for nominations with your community sport networks.

Coaches can be nominated in one of the following six categories:

-         Grassroots (1 male, 1 female)

o  Coaches recognized in this category are inspirational role models in the community who measure their daily success in the number of smiles achieved.

-         Good-to-Great (1 male, 1 female)

o  Coaches recognized in this category have a coaching focus on performance excellence and competing to win and achieving a higher level of success in competition over a period of time.

-         Trailblazer

o  The Trailblazer coach is an innovative out-of-the-box thinker who inspires others to follow and has made a difference in their sport or for their athletes

-         Everyone Matters

o  The “Everyone Matters” Award recipient has influenced the culture of their team, organization or community by embracing diversity.

-         Aboriginal Impact

o   The “Aboriginal Impact” Award recognizes a coach who has made a significant impact by advancing the Indigenous Sport system/community in Ontario.

-         Andy Higgins Lifetime Achievement Award

o  An outstanding coach who has made a significant contribution to coaching in Ontario over a long sustained period of time—20+ years. 

As mentioned above, nominations are due by June 28th, 2018. Nominations can be completed online at www.coachesontario.ca/awards or submitted via the attached form.

Contact: Brooke Leonardo at brooke@coachesontario.ca or call 416-426-7427

Thank you for helping recognize and celebrate the coaches all across Ontario!   As always, feel free to reach out to me with any Coaching related questions, or suggestions from your Region.

Yours in Coaching,

Susan Kitchen | Executive DirectorCoaches Association of Ontario
Suite 200A |  1 Concorde Gate | Toronto, ON M3C 3N6 | 416-426-7088

www.coachesontario.ca    

Manotick doubleheader postponed

Tonight's doubleheader in Manotick between the Kars Aces and Quyon Flyers is postponed due wet conditions and a bad forecast. Make up date to be announced.

West Carleton wins 2-0 over Stittsville

West Carleton Electric won 2-0 over the Stittsville 56ers in Greater Ottawa Fastball League action Tuesday night in Fitzroy Harbour. The game was quickly played, clocking in at about one hour and twenty-seven minutes.

Andy Barber had the win for the 'Trics, throwing a two hitter and striking out nine. Luc D'Entremont threw well for Stittsville, allowing only six hits and striking out seven.

The Electric got on board in the first. Kevin Shonfield reached on an error, tagged up and took second on long fly ball to left, and scored on a sharply hit single by Shawn Rebertz.

The 56ers had their best chance to score in the top of the second. Scott Jessiman started with a single, followed by another single by Al Read. Two subsequent fielder's choices which erased runners at third, plus a strike out ended the threat.

West Carleton got their second run in the fourth, Chris Costello singled, advanced to second on Neil Murphy's sacrifice bunt, took third on a ground out and scored when the throw attempting to throw him out on the grounder was errant.

Barber allowed only one base runner (on an error) in the final five innings. D'Entremont pitched out of bases loaded jams in both the third and fifth.

Fitzroy
Andy Barber WIN 7IP 0R 2H 9K 0BB

Kevin Shonfield BB, R
Trevor Barton 2-3
Jeff Cavanagh 1-2, BB
Shawn Rebertz 1-3 RBI
Chris Costello 1-3, R
Steve Cavanagh 1-3

Stittsville
Luc D'Entremont LOSS 6IP 2R 0ER 6H 7K 3BB

Scott Jessiman 1-3
Al Read 1-3

GOFL week #6

There are six games on the schedule for the sixth week of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League season.

Tuesday night at 830 pm in Fitzroy has the Stittsville 56ers (2-3-1) against West Carleton Electric (2-3-1).

Stittsville hosts the Ottawa Valley As (0-5) on Wednesday at 9 pm in the Grove.

Also that night, Quyon Flyers (4-0-1) are in Manotick for a doubleheader vs Kars Aces (3-3) at 7 and 9 pm.

On Thursday I4C Victory (3-2) travels to Micksburg (4-1-1) to face the Twins in a doubleheader at 7 pm and 9 pm.

Micksburg and Team Quebec results

The Micksburg Twins and the Quebec U23 provincial junor team played a doubleheader today in Micksburg.

In the first game, the Twins prevailed 4-0. Joran Graham had the win while Marc-Andre Villeneuve took the loss.

The second match also saw the Twins win, this time by a score of 7-0. Corey Costello had the win in this game while Guillaume Fournier took the loss with relief from Villeneuve. Graham had two homers for Micksburg.

Select provincials

2018 Softball Ontario Female and Male Select Provincial Championships for the U12, U14, U16 and U19 age groups. Registration information and rules can be found at www.softballontario.ca .

The Softball Ontario/PWSA Female Championships will be hosted by Rosedale Youth Softball on August 11-12 in Hamilton. The Softball Ontario/OASA Male Championships will also be hosted by Rosedale Youth Softball on August 25-26 in Hamilton.

The cost per team is $395.50. If your team or Association is a Softball Ontario member already, there are no additional charges. If not, there is an additional $30 & hst fee to become a member that covers up to 10 teams in your Association. Please got to www.softballontario.ca for more information on member registration and member services.

Don Cherry's wins Glen Cairn Men's League tournament

from Helene Rivest

• Friday:
  • 6pm = Laurysen (16) vs KSC (0 ) Mercy 5 inn
  • 7:45pm = OHS (13) vs B4T (4)
  • 9:30pm = UCE (2) vs Rogues (2) lights went out with 2 outs and the bottom of the 7th.
• Saturday
  • 8:30 = Osgoode (2) vs Bancroft (9)
  • 10:30 = Bytek (3) vs Don Cherry's (4)
  • 12:30 = UCE (9) vs B4T (7)
  • 2:30 = Bancroft (13) vs KSC (16)
  • 4:30 = Rogues (7) vs B4T (4)
  • 6:30 = UCE (18) vs OHS (3)
  • 8:30 = Laurysen (10) vs Bancroft (2)
• Sunday
  • 10am = B1 Wild Wings (3) vs B4 Braves (0)
  • 12pm = A1 Laurysen (9) vs A4 Rogues (16)
  • 2pm = B Final Wild Wings (6 ) vs B4T (2) (WP = Kyle Olsen)
  • 4pm = A Final Rogues (3) vs Don Cherry's (12) (WP = Matt McKay)

Brian Bruce obituary

Condolences to the Bruce family.

The family of Brian Bruce are sad to share the news of his unexpected passing last week, at the age of 63. Brian started playing fastball as a young boy in Kemptville and Ottawa. He played on many teams in several leagues across the city before transitioning to coaching intermediate ball in the late 80's. In the early 90's he left men's fastball to coach his son Andrew in Orleans, eventually going on to coach bantam through junior in Kanata and Kemptville.

Past teammates are invited to share the celebration of his life on Monday June 11, 2018 at the Heritage Funeral Complex located at 1250 Trim Road in Orleans from 10 am to 12 pm followed by the Celebration of Life in the Heritage Chapel.

Shawville and Quebec U23 play doubleheader

A team of local league players - the Shawville Scrappers - played host to the Quebec U23 provincial junior team in a doubleheader on Saturday in Shawville, QC.

In the first game, Team Quebec won 9-4. It was a close, back and forth game, with the score 5-4 after six complete innings, but four unearned runs for the Juniors in the top of the seventh widened the lead.

Gabriel Desilets was the winning pitcher, while Matt Greer took the loss. Greer had a homer for Shawville, while Shawn Laframboise was 3 for 4 with two homers for the home team. Samuel Desmarais and Anthony Bouchard had homers for the Juniors.

The second game saw the teams tie 1-1. Trevor Lahey threw very well for Shawville, allowing the only run in the first inning. Guillaume Fournier also had a solid game pitching for the Juniors.

Marc-Andre Villeneuve had a strong game at the plate for Team Quebec, while Marc "Kayser" Lavigne had a solo homer for Shawville in the fifth.

Team Quebec will be facing the Micksburg Twins in another doubleheader on Sunday in the 'Burg with games at 11 am and 1 pm.

Post game photo of Team Quebec U23 Juniors and the Shawville Scrappers

Quyon wins 5-0 over Valley As

The Quyon Flyers won 5-0 over the Ottawa Valley As in Greater Ottawa Fastball League play on Thursday in west Quebec.

Matt Greer had the win, allowing only one hit and facing the minimum 21 batters. Adam Rueckwald took the loss and had relief from Ben Broek.

Greer had a two run homer and Dave Hobbs had a solo shot. Jackson Vance had the lone hit for Valley.

Quebec Juniors to play Shawville, Micksburg this weekend

The Quebec Junior Men's Fastpitch team will be travelling to West Quebec and Eastern Ontario this upcoming weekend (June 9-10) to take on teams from Shawville, Quebec and Micksburg, Ontario. 

The Quebec Juniors, hosts of the Softball Canada U23 national championship this August, are led by Jean-Yves Doucet who is also a member of the Junior Men's Team Canada coaching staff.

Games and times are as follows:

• Saturday June 9th in Shawville at the Elwood Dale Park at 10AM and 12PM
• Sunday June 10th in Downtown Micksburg at 11AM and 1PM

Former athletes to be honoured

The Shawville Men's team will be wearing memorial jerseys donated by Ralph Horner to the Shawville Recreation Association. Former athletes who have been honoured and remembered are:

From Hamilton

• Tom Roach 
• Brian Kotar 
• Kenny Lawrence 
• Dave Reinhart 
• Bill Selby 

From the Pontiac

• John Duff 
• Randy Powell 
• Edgar Dagg 
• Brian Holt 
• Arthur Dean 
• Dave Pilgrim 
• George Russell 
• Peter Horner
• Bryan Murray
• Bill Keuhl
• Dwight Rebertz
• Donnie Knox

See you at the Park!

Stittsville wins two in Manotick

The Stittsville 56ers won both games on Wednesday night in Greater Ottawa Fastball League action in Manotick.

Stittsville 5 Kars 4

In the opener, the 56ers defeated the Kars Aces 5-4. Kyle Olson had the win on the slab, while Nick Ellis was pressed into service to pitch for the Aces. Brad Porter threw in relief. Brad Pender had a two-run inside the park homer for Kars.

Stittsville 9 I4C Victory 8

The late game saw Stittsville beat I4C Victory 9-8. Luc D'Entremont had the pitching win while Matt McNish took the loss in relief of Neil Cooke. Derek Martin had a solo homer for I4C while McNish 3 for 4, with 3 RBIs and a triple. D'Entremont was 2 for 5 for Stittsville with 2 RBIs and triple.

Kemptville and West Carleton tie at 5

Kemptville Black Sox 5 West Carleton Electric 5

Dan Thompson pitched three for Kemptville while Will Lowe threw four. Steve Cavanagh threw 6.1 innings for WC and Andy Barber finished the game.

West Carleton got on the board in the first. Trevor Barton was drilled with a pitch, moved to second a walk to Jeff Cavanagh and scored on a Jeff Barber single.

The Black Sox evened the game in the second on a solo shot from Matt Healey.

The Electric took a 3-1 lead in the third. Barton dropped a bunt single with one out, and Chris Costello reached on an error. Jeff Cavanagh's swinging bunt loaded the bases. A walk to Jeff Barber brought in a run, then Mike Cavanagh was hit by a pitch to bring in another. A fielder's choice out at the plate and line out ended the inning.

Kemptville got within one in the fifth. With two out, Gord Earl singled, followed by a single by Dusty Lavier, and an RBI single by Andre Mainville.

The Sox took a 4-3 lead in the sixth. Healey doubled (his third hit of the game) and was brought in by a homer from Hugh Murray.

The changed again in the top of the seventh. Jeff Barber walked with one out, took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on Mike Cavanagh single, and scored on another wild pitch. Cavanagh scored on a Kevin Shonfield single to make it 5-4 for the Trics.

The home team tied it up in the seventh. Lavier doubled with one out, prompting a pitching change with WC replacing Cavanagh with Barber. Lavier took second on a wild pitch and then scored from third on a run down to tie things at 5.

Pickering Tournament seeks one team

Pickering Fastball Association Intermediate Men's tournament is looking for an 8th team for next weekend. Tournament runs Fri & Sat only June 15th - 16th. 3 game guarantee. 1 Fri night and 2 Sat. Top 4 make it to the semi's / finals Sat at 6pm and 8pm. $450 entry fee. Contact me by email dave.northern1@gmail.com for more details.

Three (3) NCCP Professional Development Point Opportunity

Three (3) NCCP Professional Development Point Opportunity! OASA U19 Boys Elimination Provincial Championships The Ontario Amateur Softball Association hosts the U19 Boys Elimination Provincial Championship to qualify male softball teams to participate in Softball Canada’s U19 Boys Canadian Championships and to declare a provincial champion(s) annually. Softball Napanee will host male softball teams from across to participate in this 2018 provincial tournament. This event will provide an opportunity for softball Coaches will learn about; Scouting, Game Management, and Peak Performance Strategies while obtaining one (1) PD Point per session. The objectives for Coaches in attendance will be: 1) Coaches will understand the role of Scouting to Peak Performance 2) Coaches will develop a process to create Scouting Plans for Performance 3) Coaches will learn a process to help "pick" Pitches 4) Coaches will identify Strategies and Tactics used in High-Performance games Where: Napanee Fairgrounds – Napanee, ON When: Saturday June 16, 2018 before, during and after the undefeated game Cost: $25 All Softball Coaches who have been certified in any Softball’s NCCP you will be required to obtain Professional Development (PD) points to maintain your NCCP certification. This is a part of a multi-sport initiative required by all 67 sports within the Coaching Association of Canada. Here's an overview PD Point Requirements: Context Minimum Professional Development Credits required for a period of 5 years Community Stream- Learn2Coach/Community Softball Coach N/A Competition, Introduction, Softball 20 points Competition-Development, Softball 30 points To register, interested Softball Coaches should email Paddy Fitzgerald-Nolan:fitznol@hotmail.com If you have any questions specifically about this 3 PD Point Opportunity, email Scott Searle: scottsearle@rogers.com If you have any questions about Softball’s NCCP or Softball Ontario’s Coaches Program, please email Steph Sutton: ssutton@softballontario.ca