Saskatoon Brewers win Masters Men's title

The Softball Canada Masters Men's (40+) Canadian Championship ended Saturday with the host Saskatoon, SK Brewers taking the title with a 2-0 win over Cobourg, ON Force. The GOFL's Drew Hathway and Brad Pender were silver medalists with the Force.

Shakespeare, ON Falcons won bronze and the Waterdown, ON Hammer finished fourth.

Masters Men's tournament down to four

There are four teams remaining at the Softball Canada Masters Men's (40+) Canadian Championship in Saskatoon, SK.

The host Saskatoon Brewers will play Shakespeare, ON Falcons at 1 p.m Eastern time with a trip to the Finals on the line

Cobourg, ON Force the defending champions will play Watedown, ON Hammer, last year's silver medalists, at 3:15 Eastern. Some GOFLers will be involved in this one with Drew Hathway (Pontiac) and Brad Pender (Vars) playing for Force and Matt Greer (Pontiac) and Adam Brown (West Carleton) on the roster for the Hammer.

The winners of the 3:15 p.m. game and losers of the 1 p.m. game will play at 7:45 p.m. Eastern in the semi-final. 

The gold medal game is at 10 p.m. Eastern. 

The schedule was adjusted due to a bad weather forecast for Sunday. 

For more information including streaming, visit https://softball.ca/mens. 

Men's and Masters Canadians

The Softball Canada Men's and Masters Canadian Championships will be held in Saskatoon, starting tonight with Finals on Sunday. 

The Masters (40+) has ten teams: four from Saskatchewan, three from Ontario, two from Alberta and one from Manitoba. Waterdown Hammer Masters have Matt Greer of the GOFL's Pontiac Flyers and Adam Brown (West Carleton Electric) on the roster. The defending champions have Drew Hathway (Flyers) and Brad Pender (Vars Aces) suiting up.

On the Men's side there are 13 teams with entries from Saskatchewan (4), Ontario (4), Newfoundland and Labrador (2), British Columbia, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories. The Waterdown Hammer have Joran Graham, Joe Mick (both Micksburg), Conner Hopper (WC Electric) on the roster and Jamey Mick is helping coach. The U23 Toronto Junior Batmen are also playing in the event. They have Tyler Branchaud (Manotick Brewers) and Colton Lecuyer (WC Electric) playing for them.

Information about the event, including links to streaming, are available on the Softball Canada website.

Batmen, Falcons win in Tavistock (updated)

The Toronto Junior Batmen won the five-team Ontario Amateur Softball Association U23 Men's Elimination tournament in Tavistock this weekend with a five win no loss record. They defeated the Tavistock Merchants in the final by a score of 8-5 on Sunday. Dale Schweyer, who won top pitcher at the event, had the win while Will Schlotzhauer took the loss. Gavin Brooks from Tavistock earned Most Valuable Player honours. Tyler Branchaud of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League's Manotick Brewers hit two home runs (one inside the park) in the final. 

West Carleton Electric participated at this event, losing all four of their games but being competitive in each. 

In the Friday opener, they lost 4-0 to the Champs, with Ryland Hill throwing very well for WC. 

On Saturday morning, the Junior Trics were up 4-3 on Tavistock after six but lost the lead in the seventh and went down to defeat 8-4. Noah Fleurie pitched well for WC and Colton Lecuyer had a three run homer.

West Carleton also lost to Fingal Storm 10-7 and the New Hamburg Mustangs 4-2.

West Carleton Electric U23 had seven players from the West Carleton Electric GOFL team (Colton Lecuyer, Finn Barton, Bryce Rebertz, Dylan Rorwick, Gabe Brown, Ryland Hill, Conner Hopper), as well as the Micksburg Twins (Noah Fleurie), Kingston Axemen (Kaden Fowler) and the Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League (Hayden Khan, Sam Hopper).

The 40+ Masters Provincial tournament was also in Tavistock over the weekend.

Shakespeare Falcons took top spot, beating the Waterdown Hammer in the final of the four-team event. Also participating were Huron County Angels and Cobourg Force. Drew Hathway of the GOFL's Pontiac Flyers pitched for Cobourg.

Force repeat as Masters champs

Cobourg Force repeated as gold medalists at the Softball Canada Masters (40+) Men's Canadian Championship in Kitchener on Sunday. The Force beat Waterdown Hammer 7-5 in the final. 

Former Greater Ottawa Fastball League player Gregg Garrity earned the win, with relief from Don Scott. Kevin Buckley and Dan Martin pitched for Waterdown. 

Drew Hathway (GOFL - Quyon Flyers) hit a homer in the final and was named playoff round most valuable player. Brad Pender (GOFL - Vars Aces) also won gold with Cobourg. 

Adam Brown (GOFL - West Carleton Electric) was on the Waterdown team.

Saskatoon Brewers finished third in the seven-team event.

L to R: Brad Pender, Adam Brown, Drew Hathway. Photo courtesy of Erin Durant.

Cobourg advances to Masters final

The Cobourg Force advanced to the final with a 6-3 win last night over the Waterdown Hammer at the Softball Canada Masters (40+) Men's Canadian Championship in Kitchener.

Waterdown will play the Saskatoon Brewers at 10:30 a.m. in the semi-final to determine which team plays the Force in the final and which team gets bronze.

Brad Pender (GOFL - Vars Aces) is playing shortstop for Cobourg and was named an All-star Infielder for the event.

Canadians in Kitchener

The Softball Canada Canadian Championship tournaments in Kitchener at U23, Masters Men's and Men's continue today.

In the U23 division, the semi-final will be played at 11 a.m. and will be streamed. Tavistock Merchants will face New Hamburg Mustangs. Joe Mick is playing with Tavi and Conner Hopper is with NH. The loser of that game gets bronze. The winner plays Toronto Jr. Batmen at 3:30 p.m., also a streamed game. Tyler Branchaud is with the Batmen.

For Masters Men's, pool play continues today. Waterdown Hammer Masters lead the seven teams with a 4W 0L record.

In Men's, pool play is also continuing. Bear Creek Express (3-0) and Toronto Batmen (4-0) remain undefeated. Micksburg Twins lost two games on Thursday to Saskatoon and the Batmen and have a 1-3 record. Micksburg needs to win at 9 a.m. this morning against Waterdown to have their best shot to make Saturday's playoff round. That game will be livestreamed.

Local players at the Canadians

The Softball Canada Canadian Championships for Men's (open), Masters Men's and U23 Men's are being held this week in Kitchener. 

The U23 Men begin today and there are 7 teams total - four from Ontario, one each from Saskatchewan, Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Local players participating and their Greater Ottawa Fastball League teams are:

Toronto Jr. Batmen: Tyler Branchaud (Manotick)

Tavistock Merchants: Jack Becker (Manotick) and Joe Mick (Micksburg)

New Hamburg Mustangs: Adam Roth (Manotick) and Conner Hopper (West Carleton)

Équipe Québec: Hunter Beauregard (Quyon)

Masters Men's (40+) begins Tuesday night. There are seven teams at this level - four from Ontario, two from Saskatchewan and one from Alberta.

Local players in this event are:

Cobourg Force: Drew Hathway (Quyon), Brad Pender (Vars) and former GOFLers Gregg Garrity and Dan Loney.

Waterdown Hammer: Adam Brown (West Carleton)

The Men’s open division starts up Wednesday with ten teams in the mix - five from Ontario, two from Newfoundland and Labrador, and one each from British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. 

Local players on rosters include:

Kitchener Hallman Cubs: Tyler Branchaud (Manotick)

Micksburg Twins: Joran Graham, Matt McIntyre, Joe Mick, Andrew McIntyre, Scott Conroy, Paul Griffith, and Jared Steege (Micksburg), Dylan Rorwick, Adam Rueckwald and Conner Hopper (West Carleton), Matt Greer (Quyon),  Andy Barber (Vars).

Did I miss anyone? If so, let me know in the comments.

Jr Batmen win U23 provincials

The Rostock Toronto Junior Batmen won the six-team Ontario Amateur Softball Association Men's U23 Elimination tournament in Wingham on Saturday, finishing with a perfect four win record.

The Batmen defeated Tavistock Merchants 3-0 in the final, handing the defending champions their only loss of the event.  Brad Barker, the tournament Most Valuable Player, earned the shutout win, tossing a two-hitter. Reese Yantzi took the loss and had relief from Will Schlotzhauer.  Tyler Branchaud of the Greater Ottawa Fastball League's Manotick Brewers is a member of the gold medal winning team, while the Brewers' Jack Becker plays for Tavistock. 

West Carleton Electric entered the U23 level for the first time and went winless in three, losing to the Batmen, New Hamburg Mustangs (bronze medalists) and finishing with a narrow 5-4 quarter-final loss to Shallow Lake. In that game, Noah Fleurie (Micksburg Twins) threw very well despite taking the loss. Cole Hodges (Manotick Brewers) was 2-4 with 3 RBI, and Dylan Rorwick (West Carleton Electric GOFL) had an RBI. Ryland Hill also threw for WC at the event. Other WC U23 players were Gabe Brown, Owen Brown, Conner Hopper, Sam Hopper, Joe Mick, Hudson Collins, and Aiden Reddick.

The other U23 team at the event was from Fingal.

There was also a masters 40+ event in Wingham with four teams playing a round robin. Cobourg, Waterdown, Shakespeare all finished with two wins and a loss, while Huron County went winless.

OASA schedules announced for various levels

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association has announced schedules for various boys' and men's levels. 

U15 - Eliminations in Napanee - July 4-6

There are 14 teams entered in this event which will determine which teams will go to the Canadian Championship in Winkler, Manitoba. Napanee is hosting and other teams from the eastern part of the province include Peterborough, Springbrook and Campbellford. Schedule: OASA U15 Elimination Napanee 2025.

U17 - Eliminations in Elmira - June 27-29

There are 7 teams entered at this tourney in Elmira, and the teams to play at the Canadian Championship in Napanee will be determined. Napanee and Amherstview from the eastern part of the province are entered. Schedule: OASA U17 Elimination Elmira 2025.pdf

U20 - Eliminations in Chepstow - July 4-6

There are 10 teams entered in this tournament to determine the representatives at the Canadian Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Chatsworth are the host team. West Carleton Electric will be there, as well as the Southeastern Ontario Screaming Eagles and Stone Mills Thrashers. Schedule: OASA U20 Elimination Chepstow 2025.pdf.

U23 - Eliminations in Wingham - June 27-29

There are 6 teams entered in this round robin event to determine the teams to be entered in the Canadian Championships in Kitchener. West Carleton Electric will have a team at this level for the first time, joined by five teams from the western part of the province. Schedule: OASA U23 Elimination Wingham 2025.pdf

Masters - Provincials in Wingham - June 27-29

Defending Canadian champions Cobourg Force will be joined by three other 40+ teams at this tournament. All teams are expected to be offered berths at the Masters Canadian Championship in Kitchener. Schedule: OASA Masters Elimination Wingham 2025.pdf

Men's and Masters Canadian Championships start Wednesday (updated)

The Men's and Masters Canadian Championship tournaments get started on Wednesday August 30 in Surrey, British Columbia. Pool play continues until Friday, with playoff rounds and championship games on the weekend.

The event will be held at Softball City, a premier location which will also be hosting the International Softball Congress World Tournament in August 2024. 

The Men's event has 13 teams participating from six provinces. Schedule available here. There are three Greater Ottawa Fastball League players with the Niagara Stompers: Matt Greer (Quyon), Joran Graham (Micksburg) and Brad Pender (Kars).

Tyler Branchaud (Manotick) will also be at the event, playing as an "import" for the East Hants, NS Shooters Bar and Grill Mastodons.

On the Masters side of the event, there are 8 teams from four provinces. Schedule here. 

For more information, you can also visit the Softball Canada website.

Hallman tournament and Masters Provincials in Kitchener

This weekend at the Peter Hallman Ballyard in Kitchener there are two tournaments being played - an eight team International Softball Congress event as well as the four team Ontario Amateur Softball Associaton Masters (40+) provincials.

ISC teams include Hill United Chiefs, Bear Creek Express, Grand Prairie Pirates, Kingston Axemen, NY Gremlins, Kitchener Hallman Twins, Niagara Stompers and Toronto Batmen. The Masters teams are St. Thomas Storm, Waterdown Hammer, Port Elgin Blue Devils and Waterloo Jack Slammers. 

A full schedule of games is available here: Peter Hallman Memorial Returns (iscfastpitch.com)

There will be several GOFLers at this event playing for the Stompers and the Axemen, as well as a couple on the Masters side of the event. 

I am not much of a photographer, but I will do my best to get some photos of GOFLers in action this weekend.

Men's and Masters in BC in 2023

Softball Canada has awarded the Men's and Masters national championship tournaments to Softball City in Surrey, British Columbia in 2023. The event will be held August 30 to September 3. 

Possible 50+ men's fastball league

Dwayne "Woody" Cameron is looking into starting a men's 50+ fastball league in eastern Ontario.

If you are interested, contact him on Facebook or at 613-913-9927.

Roebuck wins the North Augusta Old Timers Tournament

Roebuck won the A final of the North August eight team old timers tournament on Monday, with a 7-6 victory over Spencerville in eight innings.

Matt McNish, the tournament MVP, had the pitching win, hit two homers, and had the game winning RBI on a bases load walk for Roebuck. Jason Smith, Kurtis Summers and Todd Templeton pitched for Spencerville.

The B final saw Domville defeat Maitland. Other teams participating were Kingston, Maynard, and two teams from North Augusta.

"A" Champions from Roebuck

North Augusta tourney this weekend

The annual Labour Day weekend oldtimers men's fastball tournament will be held in North Augusta with eight teams. Several GOFLers past and present anticipated to be playing.

The local league had a four game season starting in August and wraps up with this event.

ISC tournament starts August 14

The International Softball Congress World Tournament and Legends Tournament are a go for this year in Quad Cities, with 22 teams in the WT and 8 in the Legends.

Former elite Indigenous fastball pitcher continues to enjoy the sport (Darren Zack)

 An article about about Darren Zack, Indigenous fastball pitching legend and ambassador of our game. (Hat tip to TC for the article link):

Sports Series: Former elite Indigenous fastball pitcher continues to enjoy the sport (anishinabeknews.ca)

West Carleton named "co-champions" at rain-shortened Masters Provincials

West Carleton Electric Masters 40+ team, made up of a core group of players from the WC team in the Greater Ottawa Fastball League plus some other GOFL "old timers", had a good showing at the Ontario Amateur Softball Association provincials in Cambridge.

The team defeated the Petersburg As on Saturday morning by a score of 4-0. Corey Costello had the win for WC, throwing a one-hitter with ten strikeouts. Mike Crawford threw for the As.

The second game of the day saw West Carleton beat the Waterdown Hammer 4-3. Martin Mauviel, a pick up from the Kitchener Fastball League had the win for the Electric, with Costello getting the save. Neil McDonald and Doug Hoffman threw for the Hammer. Mike Cavanagh played some fantastic defense for the Trics in this one.

The final game of Saturday had West Carleton narrowly losing 4-3 to the Wellington Sox. Costello took the loss, while Mel Ross earned the win. This game had an exciting end with the Sox up 4-1 in the seventh. After key hits from Jamey Mick and Jon Daley, Trevor Barton doubled to make it 4-3. With two out Costello came to bat and mashed a ball about 290 feet - unfortunately, the fences were 300 feet at the complex and the centrefielder caught the ball to end the game.

With a 2-1 record, the Electric were scheduled for a fourth round robin game against St. Thomas on Sunday morning, followed by playoffs. However, a major storm came through the area and the remainder of the event was cancelled. The tournament director named both West Carleton and Wellington (each two wins, one loss) as co-champions of the Masters A title.

Back row: Scott Jessiman, Neil Murphy, Jeff Cavanagh, Corey Costello, Kevin Humphries, Chad Milne, Adam Brown

Front row: Jamey Mick, Cory Morrison, Jon Daley, Martin Mauviel, Mike Cavanagh, Shawn Rebertz, Trevor Barton

Two local teams to compete at OASA Provincials this weekend

West Carleton Electric will be competing at the Ontario Amateur Softball Association 40+ Masters provincial tournament in Cambridge this coming weekend, July 21-22. There are five teams participating. The team will have seven roster regulars from the 'Trics GOFL squad, with some additions from other league teams.

The Ottawa Spiders will also be competing at the four team 50+ Legends provincials in Cambridge this same weekend with many local players participating.

For information on both tournaments, visit https://oasa.ca/tournament/40-masters-a/.