West Carleton advances to Sunday at U20 Eliminations

West Carleton Electric advanced to Sunday at the Ontario Amateur Softball Association U20 Eliminations in Cobourg based on their three wins and one loss during the first two days of the event.

On Friday night, WC defeated the Oshawa Double Bs 10-3. Gabe Brown threw five innings to earn the win and Noah Fleurie threw two in relief. Conner Hopper had a homer for WC and Alex Strathern was a single away from the cycle with a double, triple and homer.

The first game Saturday morning was a tough test as WC faced the tournament top seed the Rostock Braves. Rostock's club features six players who were recently members of Team Canada U18. The Braves won 14-2 in a game that was 5-2 into the fourth inning. Blake Bramburger threw well for the Electric despite the score.

West Carleton rebounded with a 14-11 win over the Elmira Expos. Fleurie had the complete game win. At one point in the third inning WC was up 12-2, and the scrappy Expos climbed back but the Trics held on for the win in a two hour and forty five minute marathon. A key play in this game was when the Expos elected to intentionally walk three hitter Hopper and clean up hitter Strathern subsequently hit a bases-clearing triple.

The third match of the day was another long game, an eight inning win of 14-10 over the Kaladar Kings on a diamond that didn't have lights and was completed just before darkness set in. Kaladar is comprised of players from Springbrook and Westport teams from 2023. Brown started and threw four innings, Bramburger relieved for two innings, and Fleurie got the win in two innings of relief. WC got out to 5-0 lead at one point only to see things tied at 6 after four. With the game tied at 9 in the bottom of the seventh, the Kings loaded the bases with none out. Fleurie got a pop up, a strike out, then threw out the runner from third who tried a delayed steal of home to put things into extra innings. West Carleton scored five in the top of the eighth and Kaladar could only respond with one, with the game ending when a Kings runner tried to stretch a double into a triple and left fielder Dylan Rorwick threw him out at third.

Next up for West Carleton is Sunday morning game at 9 a.m. vs Plattsville Lightning. Other remaining teams are undefeated Rostock as well as Napanee Express, Chatsworth Longhorns and New Hamburg Mustangs.

The top two teams at the event earn a berth to the U20 Canadian Championship in Carp in August, joining hosts West Carleton and defending champions Napanee as well as teams from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.