Joran Graham named to Softball Canada men's national team athlete pool

As per the Softball Canada website:

Softball Canada is pleased to announce the list of forty-four (44) athletes who have been named to the 2020 Men’s National Team Athlete Pool.  Press release: https://softball.ca/news/2020-mens-national-team-athlete-pool.htm

Congratulations to Joran Graham.
 

Fastpitch Clinic on November 11 in Beckwith

A fastpitch skills clinic is being presented on November 11 in Beckwith at their indoor facility.

GOFL trophy presentation

The I4C Consulting Cup, emblematic of Greater Ottawa Fastball League playoff supremacy was presented to the Micksburg Twins on Wednesday night in Manotick.

Player / coach Paul Griffith accepted the trophy from a random stranger who was in the crowd watching the game, live tweeting and drinking Labatt 50.

Photo courtesy of the Eganville Leader

GOFL Champions 2019 - Team Photo

Photo courtesy of the Eganville Leader

Back Row: Jared Steege, Chad Costello, Joran Graham, Paul Griffith, Scott Conroy, Joseph Mick
Front Row: Ryan McIntyre, Andrew McIntyre, Jamey Mick, Matt McIntyre, Connor Moss, John Enright

Pembroke Observer article on GOFL championship

The Pembroke Daily Observer coverage of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League finals in online here, courtesy of Jamie Bramburger who is a tireless promoter of fastpitch in the Ottawa Valley.

Micksburg wins 2019 GOFL playoff title

The Micksburg Twins won the 2019 Greater Ottawa Fastball League playoff title with a 1-0 victory in Game 3 of the final series over the Kars Aces in Manotick on Wednesday night in front of a crowd of about 100 (including many fans who made the trip from up the Valley). While it was a bit cool, given that it was October 9 the weather was decent.


Each game in the best of three final series finished 1-0; Kars won the first game at home, Micksburg won at home, then the Twins took the deciding game last night.


Once again GOFL top playoff performer Joran Graham had the win on the slab, striking out 17 and allowing only one hit and one walk.
Brad Porter also threw very well for Kars, striking out 14, allowing four hits and two walks. Chad Milne had the lone hit for the Aces.


The difference in the game was a first inning solo home run by Jared Steege, driving the first pitch he saw - it was a line shot to left centre just clearing the fence. Steege had an infield hit later in the game. Other Micksburg hits were from Andrew McIntyre and Jamey Mick.


Micksburg were previously champions in 2013, 2016 and 2017.


View the final out of the game here.


Play by play


Micksburg line up: Joran Graham p; Jared Steege 3b; Chad Costello c; Jamey Mick 1b; Scott Conroy rf; Andrew McIntyre ss; Matt McIntyre 2b; Connor Moss cf; Joseph Mick lf


Kars line up: Brad Pender c; Nick Ellis ss; Kristian Knapp 2b; Cory Morrison cf; Dylan Toms lf; Eric Colvin 1b; Chad Milne 3b; Bailey Fife rf; Will Dunk dp; Brad Porter p


Umpires: Ted Metcalfe plate; Steve Fitzsimmons bases


Top 1st:
Graham strike out; Steege home run, RBI, earned run; Costello walk; Ja Mick strike out; Conroy strike out
1 run, 1 hit, 1 left on


Bottom 1st:
Pender strike out; Ellis strike out; Knapp strike out
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on


Top 2nd:
A McIntyre fly to cf; M McIntyre ground out 1b; Moss strike o ut
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on


Bottom 2nd:
Morrison strike out; Toms strike out; Colvin strike out
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on


Top 3rd:
Jo Mick strike out; Graham walk; Steege strike out; Costello strike out
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 left on


Bottom 3rd:
Milne single; Fife sac bunt 3b to 2b, Milne advances to second; Dunk strike out; Pender strike out
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 left on


Top 4th:
Ja Mick single; John Enright in to pinch run; Conroy pop out to 3b; A McIntyre pop out to ss; Enright out for lead off
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 left on


Bottom 4th:
Ellis strike out; Knapp walk; Knapp steals second; Morrison strikes out; Knapp advances to third on wild pitch; Toms strikes out
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 left on


Top 5th:
M McIntyre strike out; Moss ground out 2b to 1b; Jo Mick strike out
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on


Bottom 5th:
Colvin strike out; Milne strike out; Fife strike out
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on


Top 6th:
Graham strike out; Steege infield single; Costello strike out; Ja Mick strike out
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 left on


Bottom 6th:
Dunk strike out; Pender fly out to cf; Ellis ground out to 1b
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on


Top 7th:
Conroy strike out; A McIntyre infield single; A McIntyre thrown out stealing c to ss; M McIntyre walks; M McIntyre advances to second on wild pitch; Moss strike out
0 runs, 1 hit, 1 left on


Bottom 7th:
Knapp strike out; Morrison strike out; Toms strike out
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 left on

2019 Champions: Micksburg Twins

 Scott Conroy at bat with catcher Brad Pender and umpire Ted Metcalfe.

 Decent crowd on hand for a nice fall evening.

The teams shake hands at the conclusion.

Game 3, winner take all for GOFL on Wednesday night - TONIGHT

Game three of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League finals, winner take all for the I4C Consulting Trophy, will be played Wednesday October 9 (TONIGHT) at 7:30 p.m. in Manotick with the first place Kars Aces hosting the second place Micksburg Twins.

The series is tied 1-1 after two consecutive 1-0 games.

Gee-Gees Win Silver at OIWFA Championships

From Steph Bouchey

This past weekend the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees captured a silver medal at the Ontario Intercollegiate Women's Fastpitch Association Provincial Championships hosted by McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Heading into the weekend the Gee-Gees had a 9 - 7 record and were the third place team in the East Division. At the OIWFA banquet on Friday night Camille Dubé and Mireille Dubé were named league all-stars and Camille was awarded the top hitter award for the East Division with a .519 batting average.

In the double knockout format tournament the uOttawa had a tough draw matching up against the 14 - 1 Laurier Golden Hawks for their first game. In the top of the first inning the Gee-Gees came out strong and scored 3 runs on 3 hits, a walk, a hit by pitch and an error. Laurier responded in the bottom half of the inning and scored 2 runs to bring the score to 3 - 2. Those two runs were all that Laurier would get against the Gee-Gees tough defence and an amazing pitching performance by Camille Dubé. Dubé pitched all 7 innings and surrendering only 6 hits and striking out 4. The Gee-Gees went on to score 2 more runs in the 3rd on a single by Katrina Guenter, a triple by Vanessa Tinlin and a single by Megan Dupuis. In the 4th inning Mireille Dubé walked and came around to score on a single by Arianne Lévesque. Dubé struck out the final Laurier batter to secure the 6 - 2 upset win for the Gee-Gees.

Game two of the tournament saw the Gee-Gees facing the University of Toronto Varsity Blues (8 -8) who were also coming off of an upset win against Queen’s. The Gee-Gees again got off to a great start as they scored a pair of two out runs on a string of singles. Camille Dubé started on the mound again and pitched two scoreless innings before being replaced by Mireille Dubé. In the bottom of the 2nd the Gee-Gees loaded the bases with none out but were only able to score 1 run to make the score 3 - 0. The game ended in the bottom of the 6th inning when the Gee-Gees pushed across a pile of runs to win 7 - 0 on a walk off double by Tinlin that scored Lévesque all the way from first base. The win guaranteed the Gee-Gees a medal and put them in the undefeated game against the 9 time champion Western Mustangs. The Dubé sisters pitched a combined 5 hit shutout and the Gee-Gees stellar defence was on display including an amazing diving catch by Kaitlyn Flear in left field.

On Sunday morning after a long rain delay the Gee-Gees faced off against the Western Mustangs. Western got off to an early lead scoring 1 in the bottom of the 1st and 2 in the bottom of the 2nd. The Gee-Gees scored 1 run on a wild pitch to keep the score close. Mireille Dubé got the start on the mound and held the really tough Mustangs squad to only 5 runs. Although the game ended 5 - 1 for the Mustangs there were several Gee-Gees successes including two triples by Lévesque. Unfortunately second baseman Jessie Cameron, who was 1 for 1 in the game, was injured on a hit by pitch and was unable to continue playing. The loss meant that the Gee-Gees had to face the host team McMaster for another shot against the Mustangs in the finals.

Camille Dubé started on the mound for the Gee-Gees in what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel as both teams were held scoreless through the first two innings. In the bottom of the 3rd the Gee-Gees pushed across the first run of the game on a triple by Flear and a safety squeeze bunt by Mireille Dubé In the top of the 4th inning McMaster strung together a series of hits to knot the score up at 1 - 1. The Gee-Gees quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning by taking advantage of a 2 out error by the Marauders and following it up with a double by Dupuis and a single by Jenn MacKay to take a 3 - 1 lead. The Gee-Gees defence combined with Dubé’s pitching shut down the McMaster bats and secured the 3 - 1 win for the Gee-Gees. Dubé pitched all 7 innings giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 4.

 

The final game was a rematch of the undefeated game from earlier that morning. The Western Mustangs scored early with 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Gee-Gees answered in the top of the 2nd with a single by Lévesque, a walk by Tinlin and a bunt by Dupuis. Unfortunately that was the only run the Gee-Gees would score against the Mustangs as they would eventually go on to lose 7 - 1 and earn the silver medal. Camille Dubé pitched the complete game and offensive highlights included a 2 for 3 performance by Flear. This was the first podium finish for the Gee-Gees since their bronze medal in 2017 and was the 10th consecutive gold medal for the Western Mustangs.

Al's Corner Store wins Harbour Ball Finals

Al's Corner Store, sixth place finishers in the regular season for the eight team Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League, ended their playoff run with a championship, defeating second place finisher Cheshire Cat Pub 11-3 in game three of the best of three final.


Al's, lead by captain Gary Charlebois had upset first place finisher All in One Septic & Excavating in the semifinals, and third place Clouthier Custom Carpentry in the quarter-finals.


The finals saw Dave Bahm and Danny Nash pitch for Al's while Jeff Cavanagh and Adam Rueckwald threw for captain Geoff Falls' team representing the Cat.


This wraps the 39th season of Harbour Ball.

Harbour Ball deciding game on Monday

The deciding game for the Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League best of three championship series will be played tonight (Monday) at 7:30 p.m. with the Cheshire Cat Pub playing Al's Corner Store.

GOFL playoff series schedule & results - including Finals

Finals
2nd Micksburg Twins vs 1st Kars Aces
Game 1: Kars 1 Micksburg 0
Game 2: Micksburg 1 Kars 0
Game 3: Micksburg 1 Kars 0
Micksburg wins 2-1

Semi-Finals

4th Orleans Rebels vs 1st Kars Aces
Game 1: Kars 3 Orleans 2 (8 innings)
Game 2: Kars 10 Orleans 0
Kars wins 2-0

3rd Quyon Flyers vs 2nd Micksburg Twins
Game 1: Micksburg 8 Quyon 0
Game 2: Micksburg 5 Quyon 0
Micksburg wins 2-0

Quarter-Finals

5th Ottawa Valley As vs 4th Orleans Rebels
Game 1: Orleans 5 Valley 2
Game 2: Orleans 9 Valley 4
Orleans wins 2-0

6th Stittsville 56ers vs 3rd Quyon Flyers
Game 1: Quyon 8 Stittsville 0
Game 2: Quyon 9 Stittsville 1
Quyon wins 2-0

7th Kemptville Black Sox vs 2nd Micksburg Twins
Game 1: Micksburg 5 Kemptville 0
Game 2: Micksburg 3 Kemptville 0
Micksburg wins 2-0

8th I4C Victory vs 1st Kars Aces
Game 1: Kars 4 I4C 3
Game 2: I4C 4 Kars 3 (8 innings)
Game 3: Kars 8 I4C 1
Kars wins 2-1

Micksburg evens GOFL final with Kars - Details added

Micksburg tied the Greater Ottawa Fastball League final at a game apiece on Saturday night with a 1-0 win.

Joran Graham had the win, his fifth shutout of the playoffs. He allowed two hits and struck out 15. Brad Porter took the loss, allowing only four hits, striking out 12 and the one run given up was unearned.

Matt McIntyre lead off with a triple in the second and two walks loaded the bases but Porter got out of the jam.

Micksburg got their only run in the third when Quinton Rook doubled, stole third and subsequently scored when the throw sailed into left field.

The Aces had their best chance to score when Brad Pender tripled to lead off the sixth but was stranded after two Ks and a fly out.

A great article with all the details by Jamie Bramburger is available online at the Pembroke Observer site.

Deciding game three in Manotick to be announced soon.

More details to follow.

Game 2 of GOFL finals in Micksburg on Saturday

Game two of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League best of three final series will be played Saturday October 5 at 6:30 pm in Micksburg.


The Kars Aces lead the series by a game after a 1-0 match up in Manotick on Thursday night which featured Joran Graham and Brad Porter combining for a total of 30 strikeouts and three hits.

NAPA Shockers "3-peat" in Ashton

From Eric Rosenquist

The NAPA Shockers scored three runs in the bottom of the 7th inning against the Ashton Farmers on Thursday night to earn a 12-11 walk-off win and claim their third straight Ashton Men's Fastball League championship.

With the temperature hovering around 6 degrees, gusty winds and heavy drizzle made it challenging at times for the pitchers to hit their spots and for fielders to make clean throws.

The Shockers got off to a quick start, scoring 3 in the bottom of the first, then tacked on some insurance runs to carry a 9-1 lead through three innings. The resilient Farmers team however put up a huge 4th inning, hitting two home runs and scoring 7 to narrow the margin to 9-8.

The 9-8 score held until the top of the 7th, when the Farmers pushed three runs across the plate to take an 11-9 lead. In the bottom of the 7th, the Shockers got back-to-back doubles to start the frame and make it a one-run game. After a strikeout, Curtis Scurr singled home the tying run and later moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Ryan Clare then hit a sharp single to centre field, causing Scurr to round third and head home. Farmers' centre fielder Jordan Hansen made an incredible one-hop throw from the outfield that beat Scurr to home plate, but the wet ball was bobbled just enough by the catcher that Scurr was ruled safe and the Shockers won the game 12-11.

The cold drizzly weather had grown steadily worse during the course of the game, so the B Final scheduled for 9PM was postponed and will be played on October 10th at 7PM.

 

 

Kars Aces wins game one over Micksburg Twins

The Kars Aces won game one of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League best of three final series by a score of 1-0 over the Micksburg Twins in Manotick on Thursday night.

It was a chilly 5 degrees Celsius with a light rain for this pitchers' duel.


Brad Porter earned the win, allowing only two hits, two walks and striking out 13. Joran Graham allowed his first run after four straight shutouts - however, he only allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out 17 of the 18 batters he faced.


Andy McIntyre had a hit as the first batter of the game for Micksburg, but a well executed 5-4-3 double play ended that threat. Chad Costello hit a double to lead off the second, but a pop up and two strikeouts stranded the Twins' catcher. Graham and Costello both walked in the fourth with one out, but two straight strike outs ended the rally.


Brad Pender hit a double for the Aces to lead off the bottom of the fourth. He got to third on a wild pitch and ended up scoring the game's only run on another wild pitch. Every other Kars batters, two through nine in the order, had two at bats and struck out in both appearances. Pender walked in his third appearance, the only other baserunner for Kars.


Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday October 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Micksburg. Accuweather is predicting 11 degrees and partly sunny.

Al's Corner Store evens Harbour Ball final series vs Cheshire Cat

Al's Corner Store defeated Cheshire Cat Pub 7-5 in game two of the Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League playoff final series on Wednesday night to even the series at a game apiece.


With the lower diamond too muddy to play on 7 degree Celsius evening, the game moved to the upper diamond after a quick bit of creative groundskeeping to remove some standing water using a goaltender's stick (pictured below).


The Cat got out to a 3-0 early lead, but two big innings put Al's up 7-3. Cheshire Cat clawed back to get the score to 7-5 in the top of the sixth. After Al's couldn't respond in the bottom of the sixth, the Cat loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but couldn't push a run across.


Dave Bahm and Danny Nash threw for Al's, while Adam Rueckwald and Jeff "J-Cav" Cavanagh pitched for the Cat.


The deciding game three for Harbour Ball supremacy will be played soon on a date / time to be announced on the blog.

Harbour Ball finals tonight

The Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League playoff final could wrap up tonight at the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre. First pitch is at 7:30 p.m. as the Cheshire Cat, leading the best of three series one game to none face off against Al's Corner Store.

Tuesday night GOFL game postponed - try again Thursday

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League playoff finals game is cancelled tonight due to field conditions.

Game one - Micksburg Twins vs Kars Aces to be rescheduled for Thursday October 3 at 7:30 pm in Manotick.

GOFL Finals start tonight (CORRECTED TIME)

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League playoff final starts tonight with the first place Kars Aces hosting the second place Micksburg Twins at 7:30 pm in Manotick.

The series is best of three, with Game Two being played in Micksburg on a date to be determined, but possibly this upcoming weekend.