|
|
 |
Canadians drop opener
May 24, 2009 --
The Whitby Canadians took to the field on Sunday against the Port Hope Flyers for their 2009 season opener.
Lars Clay got the start and was treated to some run support early as Rob Patterson belted a 2 run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Jeff Hardy followed with a solo home run to give the Canadians an early 3-0 lead.
The Flyers responded in the top of the 2nd, scoring 3 runs to tie the game at 3's before the Canadians regained the lead in the bottom of the 2nd as Craig Megill scored Derryl Deneyer with a single.
Clay would maintain the 4-3 lead through to the top of the 6th as he handed the ball over to Chris Sereda. After Sereda worked a scoreless top of the 6th, Sean Tremaine blasted a pinch hit 2 run home run to right field to extend the Canadians lead to 6-3.
Again the Flyers would respond. touching up Sereda for 4 runs in the top of the 7th to take a 7-4 lead. Chris Locke came on in relief, but again the Flyers got to him scoring 3 runs in the top of the 8th to extend their lead to 10-6.
The Canadians would load the bases with 0 outs in the home half of the 9th but could only push across 1 run as the home side lost the game by a 10-7 score.
Pictured above, Rob Patterson connects on a first inning fastball for his 1st home run of the season.
All in all a successful day at the diamond as the Canadians returned to game action for the first time in 3 weeks. The club showed some signs of rust, but were able to get 7 new players into the first game as rookies Jared Mercier and Darryl Deneyer saw action while newcomers Ben Anderson, Craig Megill, Chris Sereda, Andre Steer and Justin Recon all got into their first games with heir new club.
The Canadians will look to redeem themselves on Wednesday as they travel to Port Hope to take on the Flyers.
Offensively for the Canadians:
Rob Patterson: 1/4, 1 run scored, 2 RBI's, 1 home run, 1 intentional walk
Jeff Hardy: 1/4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 home run
Sean Tremaine: 1/1, 1 BB, 1 run scored, 2 RBI's, 1 home run
Craig Megill: 1/4, 1 run scored, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Jared Mercier: 2/4, 2 singles
|
Canadians split doubleheader with Ponies
The Whitby Canadians hosted the Kingston Ponies on Sunday afternoon at Iroquois Park for a doubleheader.
In Game 1, the Canadians sent Mike Arsenault to the hill for his first start since joining the club in the off-season. Arsenault did not disappoint, spinning a complete game 2 hit shutout as the Canadians cruised to a 5-0 victory.
Rob Patterson gave Arsenault all the run support he would need as he launched his 2nd homerun of the year to right field in the home half of the 4th inning. Junior call up Tristan Beadle, who will be playing with the big club when he is not in action with the junior team followed Patterson's homerun with a walk and promptly stole 2nd. Beadle would come around to score on an RBI groundout by rookie Darryl Deneyer.
In the Canadians 5th, Sean Tremaine singled and was replaced by Matt Melissis. Melissis stole second, and after a strikeout and a walk Beadle brought them both home with a triple to the gap in right centre. Ben Anderson brought Beadle in with an RBI groundout to put the Canadians up by 5 runs.
Arsenault took care of the rest, out dueling Ponies ace Brett Gibson.
Of note, the Canadians played one of their best defensive games in recent memory, led by 2 great defensive plays at 3rd base by Chris Sereda that thwarted Ponies rallies.
Offensively for the Canadians:
Tristan Beadle: 1 for 1, 2 runs scored, 1 BB, 1 triple, 2 SB's, 2 RBI's
Rob Patterson: 1 for 2, 2 runs scored, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Craig Megill: 1 for 4
Sean Tremaine: 1 for 3
In game 2, the Canadians sent junior Julian Daligadu to the hill. Daligadu is joining fellow juniors James Rowe and Tristan Beadle with the Canadians this season in addition to their commitment with the Whitby Junior Rep Team.
The Ponies pushed across a run in the top of the 2nd without the benefit of a hit to take a 1-0 lead and got their first hit in the 4th as Jed Vallier lofted a homerun to right field to give Kingston a 2-0 lead.
The Canadians narrowed the gap to 2-1 in the bottom of the 4th as sparkplug Tristan Beadle again tripled, his 2nd of the day and came around to score on a sac fly by shortstop Pete Stefanovic.
In the home half of the 5th inning, with 2 out Mattt Melissis and Jeff Kingdon singled and again Beadle followed with a big hit, this time a single up the middle to bring home 2 runs and give the Canadians a 3-2 lead. Beadle would steal 2nd, and come in to score on a Chambers Middlebrook single giving the home side a 4-2 lead.
Daligadu ran into trouble in the Kingston 5th as he allowed a leadoff single and 2 walks before being replaced by James Rowe. A Jeremy Tisdale single brought in 2 runs, and a 3rd scored on a wild pitch and the 4th Ponies run came in on a groundout to make the score 6-4 for Kingston.
Whitby was unable to mount any other threats over the 6th & 7th inning as the club took a 6-4 loss.
Offensively for Whitby:
Tristan Beadle: 2 for 3, 2 runs scored, 1 triple, 1 SB, 2 RBI's
Matt Melissis: 1 for 3, 1 run scored
Jeff Kingdon: 2 for 4, 1 run scored
Chambers Middlebrook: 1 for 2, 1 RBI
Pete Stefanovic: 1 for 2, 1 RBI
Jared Mercier: 1 for 2 and will also need a new rear window thanks to an errant foul ball (sorry Subway)
The Canadians will now play a game in Port Hope on Wednesday and will use that tilt as a tune up for the annual Tillsonburg Tournament which begins Friday. Another Canadians rookie hurler, Dave McElroy will get the start on Wednesday night in Port Hope.
Whitby's first action in the Tillsonburg tourney is against Glanbrook on Saturday at 11:30am in Tillsonburg.
|
Canadians 2-2 in Tillsonburg
Game 1:
Whitby: 3 vs Glanbrook: 5
LP: Dave McElroy
Offensively:
Andre Steer: 1/2, 1 run, 1 SB, 1 HBP
Rob Patterson: 2/4, 1 run scored
Jeff Hardy: 1/2, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Ben Anderson: 1/2, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
Game Notes: Canadians take a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a Chris Sereda RBI groundout. Glanbrook hits a solo homerun in the 3rd inning to tie the game 1-1. The Grizzlies go up 3-1 in the 4th thanks to a 2 out, 2 run bloop single to right field. Rob Patterson doubles and scores on a Jeff Hardy single in the Canadians 5th inning to narrow the gap to 3-2. Glanbrook takes a 5-2 lead in the 6th inning and the Canadians round out the scoring with a run in the top of the 7th as Andre Steer scores on a wild pitch.
Game 2:
Whitby: 12 vs Tillsonburg: 7
WP: Lars Clay: 3.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 2 K's, 0 runs, 0 earned runs
Offensively:
Justin Recon: 3/5, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI's
Matt Melissis: 1/3, 2 runs scored, 2 BB's
Rob Patterson: 2/4, 1 double, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Jeff Hardy: 2/3, 1 run scored, 2 RBI's, 1 BB
Jon Thiebaud: 1/3: 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Dave Hickey: 2/2, 1 RBI
Andre Steer: 1 BB, 1 run scored, 3 stolen bases
Craig Megill: 0/1, 2 RBI's, 1 BB
Darryl Deneyer: 1/2, 1 run scored
Game Notes: Canadians trail 2-0 after 2 innigs but explode for 5 runs on 5 hits in the top of the 3rd. Justin Recon scores one run with a single, Rob Patterson doubles home 2 more while Dave Hickey and Craig Megill score 2 more runners with sacrifice flies. Tillsonburg responds with a 5 run 3rd inning of their own to knock out Pete Stefanovic and take a 7-5 lead. Whitby adds a single run in the 4th on an RBI single by Jeff Hardy and a single run in the 5th on a pinch hit fielders choice groundout by Sean Tremaine to tie the game 7-7.
The Canadians break the game open in the top of the 6th as they score 5 more runs on 5 hits. Hardy knocks in a run with an RBI single and is followed by a Jon Thiebaud RBI single. After Andre Steer was intentionally walked to load the bases, Ben Anderson brought in a run with an RBI fly out. Justin Recon added an RBI single to close out the scoring and give the Canadians a 12-7 win.
Game 3:
Whitby: 8 vs Windsor: 5
WP: Marc Nolan: 5IP, 0 ER, 6 hits, 1 BB, 2 K's
Offensively:
Andre Steer: 2/3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI's, 3 stolen bases
Justin Recon: 2/3, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Rob Patterson: 1/1, 1 walk, 1 home run, 3 RBI's
Craig Megill: 1/3, 2 runs scored, 1 stolen base
Jason Fleming: 1/3, 1 run scored
Jared Mercier: 0/1, 2 walks
Game Notes: Whitby jumps out to a 7-1 lead after 2 innings of play. After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the 1st inning Andre Steer leads off the home half of the inning with a single and after 2 stolen bases comes in to score on an RBI single by Sean Tremaine. Ben Anderson brings in a run with an RBI groundout to give the Canadians a 2-1 lead. An error, single and walk load the bases with 0 out in the bottom of the 2nd. Steer singles to score a run, Recon singles to score a run while the 2nd run is cut down at the plate on a great throw by the Windsor CF. After a pop out, Rob Patterson belts his 3rd homerun of the year (this one a 3 run shot) to deep right field to run the lead to 7-1. Another Steer RBI single gives the team an 8-1 lead as they cruise to an 8-5 semi final win.
In the Consolation Final:
Whitby: 4 vs Woodslee: 5 (8 innings)
LP: Lars Clay: 7 2/3 IP, 11 hits, 5 runs, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Offensively:
Justin Recon: 1/1, 1 RBI
Jon Thiebaud: 3/4, 1 run scored
Craig Megill: 1/3, 1 run scored
Jason George: 2/3, 1 double, 2 RBI's
Game Notes: Canadians trail 3-0 after 3 innings but scratch across a run in the top of the 4th as Andre Steer walks, steals 2nd and moves to 3rd on a ground out. Steer comes in to score on a sac fly by Rob Patterson. After allowing a run in the bottom of the 4th, the Canadians trailed 4-1. A 2 run double in the 5th by Jason George narrowed the lead to 4-3 . The game then moved to the top of the 7th inning. After 2 quick outs, Jason George worked a walk and was replaced on the bases by Jared Mercier. Steer drew a walk and with 2 strikes and 2 out Justin Recon lined a single up the middle to score Mercier and send the game into extra innings. Woodslee scored the winning run in the bottom of the 8th after 3 straight 2 out hits, the final hit coming off of reliever Jeff Kingdon who had relieved starting pitrcher Lars Clay who had battled through 7 2/3 innings of work.
With the loss, the Canadians ended the tournament with a 2-2 record.
Next action is Tuesday night in Kendal against the Eagles as the Canadians prepare to take on the Markham Pioneers in Game 1 of the Oshawa Royals Invitational Tournament on Friday night.
|
Canadians: 7 vs Flyers: 6
The Whitby Canadians beat the Port Hope Flyers by a 7-6 score on Friday night at Iroquois Park.
The game was the first game in 2 weeks for the Canadians as they dealt with rain outs and re-scheduled games over the past 2 weeks.
Mike Arsenault picked up the win on the mound for the Canadians as he battled through 8 complete innings allowing 6 hits, 6 runs (3 earned) while walking 5 and striking out 7. With the win, Arsenault moved his record to 2-1 on the year with a 2.42 ERA. Kent Howe closed out the Flyers in the 9th inning, with 2 k's for his first save of 2009.
Offensively, Jeff Hardy belted a 2 run homerun in the 1st inning, his 2nd of the year and added a double to finish 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's. Leadoff man Andre Steer continued his hot hitting with a 3 for 4 evening, scoring 1 run and narrowly missed his first homerun of the year as he belted a double off the wall in left centre. Sean Tremaine was 2 for 3 with a walk, and RBI and a run scored.
The club will host the Kendal Eagles on Sunday for a doubleheader, with game 1 starting at 12 noon.
Also of interest, the Leaside Leafs do a very good job on their site. Please visit www.leaguelineup.com/leasideleafs for information and statistical leaders for senior A teams across Ontario.
You will see several Canadians amond the top performers in Ontario including:
Andre Steer, leading all teams with stolen bases at 12
Jon Thiebaud, leader in batting average at .519 and 2nd in OBP with .606
Rob Patterson, tied for 4th with 4 longballs, tied for 4th with 16 RBI's and is 4th in slugging % with his .722 mark
|
Canadians Split DH, go 2-1 over the weekend
The Whitby Canadians hosted the Kendal Eagles on Sunday afternoon at Iroquois Park in EOBA action.
In game 1, the Canadians received a great complete game effort by rookie starting pitcher Dave McElroy. Mac turned in his best game of the year, throwing 7 innings allowing 8 hits, 0 walks and 2 earned runs while striking out 9. McElroy struck out the side in the first inning and retired 5 of the first 6 outs by strikeout.
Unfortunately for the Canadians, they allowed 2 unearned runs thanks to 2 misplayed fly balls, while a 3rd run scored on a wild pitch in a 4-2 loss. The club's offense had a hard time adjusting to a steady diet of offspeed pitches, as they only managed 6 hits in game 1. Matt Melissis swung a hot bat, belting 2 doubles to left centre field in the loss.
Standout Performers:
Dave McElroy: 7 IP, 8 hits, 2 ER, 9 K's
Matt Melissis: 2 for 4, 2 doubles, 1 RBI
Sean Tremaine: 1 for 2, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Chris Sereda: 1 for 2, 1 run scored
In Game 2, the club welcomed back RBI leader Rob Patterson to the lineup. Patty showed no effects of a much needed vacation in his first game back as he went 2 for 3 with a double and 4 RBI's as the Canadians rolled to a 7-1 victory.
Lars Clay tossed 6 innings, allowing only 3 singles (2 on check swing bloopers) for the victory. Closer Kent Howe worked the 7th inning, striking out the side after hitting the lead off batter.
The score was knotted at 1's after 2 innings before the Canadians broke the game open with a 4 run 3rd inning. Leadoff man Andre Steer opened the inning by singling and then stole 2nd and 3rd base. Matt Melissis followed with an infield single, and Patterson scored them both with a double. Leftfielder Jason Fleming added 2 more runs as he scored Patterson with a 2 run blast to left field.
In the home half of the 4th, Melissis continued his hot hitting with his 3rd double of the day, and came in to score on a single by Patterson to make the score 6-1.
Andre Steer finished off the scoring, blasting a solo homerun to left field in the bottom of the 6th to make the final 7-1 for the home side.
Standout Performers:
Lars Clay: 6 IP, W (his 3rd of the year), 3 hits, 1 walk & 3 k's
Andre Steer: 3 for 4, 1 homerun, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored, 3 stolen bases (his 13,14 & 15th of the year)
Rob Patterson: 2 for 3, 1 run scored, 1 double, 4 RBI's
Matt Melissis: 3 for 4, 2 runs scored, 2 doubles
Jason Fleming: 1 for 2, 1 walk, 1 homerun, 2 RBI's
The club will now take on the Port Hope Flyers in Port Hope on Wednesday before returning home on Sunday to host the Oshawa Royals.
|
Canadians swept by Royals
The Whitby Canadians hosted the Oshawa Royals at Iroquois Park for a doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
In Game 1, Canadians sent lefty Mike Arsenault to the hill looking for his 3rd win of the season. The Royals scored a run in the top of the 1st thanks to a walk and a 2 out single to take a 1-0 lead. In the home half of the first, with one out the Canadians strung together 3 straight singles to load the bases but could not push a run across against Royals lefty Adam Anderson.
The Canadians finally got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd as they scored 2 runs on an RBI ground out by Chris Sereda and another run coming home on a wild pitch. The lead was short lived, as the Royals scored single runs in the next 4 innings, and put the game away with 3 more in the top of the 7th. Final Score: Oshawa: 8 Whitby: 2
Offensively for the Canadians:
Jon Thiebaud: 2 for 3, 1 walk
Tristan Beadle: 1 for 4
Ben Anderson: 1 for 4
In game 2, Dave McElroy got the start and again the Royals got out to a fast start as a lead off triple and a ground out put them up 1-0. In the home half of the 1st inning, Royals starter Derek Howe struggled with his control as 2 walks and a single loaded the bases with nobody out. Rob Patterson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and another walk loaded the bases again. Justin Recon scored the Canadians 2nd run as he flew out to left giving the Canadians a 2-1 lead.
The Royals would score 2 in the top of the 3rd to take a 3-2 lead before a long homerun to straightaway centrefield by Canadians rookie Tristan Beadle tied the score at 3's. Oshawa added single runs in the 4th and 5th innings and then scored 2 in the top of the 6th to take a 7-3 lead.
The Canadians bats finally came around in the 6th against reliever Gary Rose. Matt Melissis led off with a single, but was called out on a pick off throw from the Royals catcher that he appeared to beat back to the bag. With 1 out, Jay George walked and Chris Sereda singled. leadoff man Andre Steer grounded into a fielders choice and with 2 out Jon Thiebaud singled, bringing in George. Tristan Beadle then drove a double into the gap in right centre scoring another run and narrowing the score to 7-5. Cleanup man and Canadians RBI leader Rob Patterson was walked intentionally to load the bases and with the winning run on base, pinch hitter Ben Anderson was retired on strikes to end the game due to curfew. Final Score: Oshawa: 7 Whitby: 5
Offensively for the Canadians:
Andre Steer: 1 for 2, 1 run scored, 1 HBP, 1 BB
Jon Thiebaud: 2 for 4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
Tristan Beadle: 2 for 3, 1 run scored, 1 double, 1 HR, 1 SB, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Rob Patterson: 0 for 1, 1 sac fly, 1 RBI, 2 walks
Jason George: 1 for 2, 1 run scored, 1 BB
The Canadians will face these same Royals on Friday night in the opener of the St. Catharines tournament
|
Canadians 0-3 in St. Catharines
The Whitby Canadians had a tough time in their first appearance in the Hap Walters Memorial Tournament this past weekend.
In game 1, several miscues in the field led to 4 unearned first inning runs as the Oshawa Royals cruised to an 11-1 victory. All told, the team made 5 errors on the night and against high calibre teams such as the Royals, you can not play like the Canadians did defensively and expect the game to be remotely close.
Game 2 was a different story as the team played much better defensively and lefty Mike Arsenault threw 7 solid innings against the Markham Pioneers. The Canadians bounced back from an early 3-0 hole to tie the game at 3's and force extra innings. The Pioneers pushed across a run in the top of the 8th and took the game by a 4-3 score. Arsenault allowed only 6 hits in his 7 innings of work, walking 1 and striking out 7. Kent Howe took the loss in relief, allowing 1 run on 0 hits including a walk and a hit batter.
Game 3 was a matchup against Etobicoke, with both teams having lost their first 2 games. The Rangers won this contest 9-3 and the Canadians left St. Catharines with an 0-3 record.
Points to note:
Jon Thiebaud continued his hot hitting as he was 5 for 9 in the 3 games, and notched his first extra base hit of the year.
Chris Sereda's bat started to heat up as he was 4 for 9 with a double and 2 runs scored
Mike Arsenault picked up a hit in his debut in right field against the Etobicoke Rangers
Andre Steer shifted to 3rd base for game 4 and responded by going 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base
The team will now look to redeem themselves on Wednesday as they travel to Oshawa to take on the Royals. Game time is 7:30pm
|
Canadians lose 6-0 to Oshawa
The Whitby Canadians dropped another game against the Oshawa Royals, this one by a 6-0 score at Kinsmen Stadium on Wednesday night.
Mike Arsenault took the ball on 3 days rest after pitching on Saturday and battled through 7 innings, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs (4 earned). Lars Clay worked a scoreless 8th in the loss.
The Canadians were unable to sustain any pressure against Oshawa, as they only managed 3 singles on the evening against Royal's lefty Adam Anderson.
Offensively;
Chris Sereda: 1 for 3
Dave Hickey: 2 for 4
The team will now host the Port Hope Flyers at home on Sunday night in their last tune up before the elimination tournament on the Civic long weekend.
|
Long Ball clips Flyers
The Whitby Canadians hosted the Port Hope Flyers in their final tuneup before they open the Elimination tournament on Fruday against Oakville.
The Canadians sent Dave McElroy to the hill, and he limited the Flyers to 5 hits and 2 runs over 5 1/3 innings before being removed from the game after he was struck on the leg with a line drive. McElroy walked 1 and struck out 3 on the evening.
Jeff Kingdon picked up in relief, with the club trailing 2-0 and offensively still looking for their first hit. That hit finally came in the home half of the 6th as Tristan Beadle led off with a single and was brought home by another Rob Patterson home run, Patty's 5th on the year and his 24th and 25th RBI's. The 2 run blast tied the game, and was the spark the Canadians needed.
Kingdon shut down the Flyers in the 7th and 8th innings, and with the score tied Andre Steer led off the 8th inning with a single. Steer then promptly stole 2nd and 3rd, his 3rd and 4th steals on the evening bringing his season total to 20. Tristan Beadle followed with a line drive blast to left centre field that cleared the wall, Beadle's 2nd home run on the year and a clutch hit that gave the Canadians a 4-2 lead.
Kingdon allowed a double and a walk in the 9th, but a strike out and a groundout ended the game with the Canadians coming out on top 4-2. Jeff Kingdon was the winning pitcher, picking up his 1st win of the year to go with 2 losses.
Offensively on the night:
Andre Steer: 1 for 2, 1 run scored, 4 stolen bases
Tristan Beadle: 2 for 3, 2 runs scored, 1 homerun, 2 RBI's, 1 stolen base
Rob Patterson: 1 for 4, 1 homerun, 2 RBI's
|
2009 Elimination Tournament
The Whitby Canadians traveled to London, as they returned to the Senior A Elimination tournament for the first time in 12 years. After finishing as runner up at the B OBA's the last 3 seasons, the club felt it was time to step up a level, and compete against the best teams in Ontario.
In game 1, the club drew the Oakville A's from COBA. An ironic twist to this match up was that Oakville's ace pitcher, Gord Robertson was set to join the Canadians in the off season however Gord's plans changed at the last minute and he returned home, remaining with the A's.
Robertson got the ball in game 1 for Oakville and took on the Canadians' ace lefty Mike Arsenault. In the top of the 1st inning, with 2 out Arsenault hit the A's 3rd batter with a curve ball, and then allowed a double to the gap in right centre that put the A's up 1-0.
In the home half of the first inning, Andre Steer led off with a single and stole second, but 2 strikeouts and a ground out ended the inning. in the bottom of the 2nd, Matt Melissis led off with a double and moved to 3rd on an infield single by Sean Tremaine. After a strikeout, Jason George came to the plate and with a 1-0 count the Canadians attempted a suicide squeeze. George got the bunt down, but it bounced foul into the right handed batters box. Seeing the ball was foul, Melissis pulled up on his way to the plate and George didn't attempt to run to first. Unfortunately, the home plate umpire ruled the bunted ball fair; the Oakville catcher picked up the ball, tagged Melissis and threw out George at first base ending the inning and keeping the score 1-0 for the A's.
A leadoff single in the 4th inning by Tristan Beadle and stolen base put the tying run in scoring position, but again the Canadians could not get the timely hit to tie the game.
While the Canadians offense was sputtering, all Arsenault did on the mound was completely dominate the A's batters. After the first inning double, Arsenault didn't allow another hit for the remainder of the game pitching a complete game, 1 hitter, striking out 12 batters. Robertson wasn't as dominant on the hill for the A's, but got the big strike out when needed and was able to pitch out a couple of jams and give the A's a 1-0 victory in game 1.
With the loss, the Canadians were set to take on the Markham Pioneers in game 2 after they lost a 6-5 game in 12 innings to the Thornhill Reds.
Saturday morning, Lars Clay got the ball for Whitby as they took on the Pioneers and hoped to fight off being eliminated from the tournament.
Markham tallied 1 run in the top of the 1st inning to take the lead before the Canadians replied in the 2nd inning. Rob Patterson led off the inning with an infield single, and a Matt Melissis fielders choice erased Patterson at 2nd. Melissis then stole second and moved to 3rd on a single by catcher Ben Anderson. Sean Tremaine then brought home the tying run with a sac fly to centre field.
In the Pioneers 3rd inning, a fly ball to right field that was dropped and a sac fly resulted in a run, giving the Pioneers a 2-1 lead. Again the Canadians would reply in the 4th inning as Patterson led off with a walk and was sacrificed to 2nd. A hard single by Anderson put runners at the corners and another RBI by Tremaine, this time on a single, tied the game at 2's.
A 2 run homerun by Pioneers SS Steve Anderson in the 5th gave the Pioneers a 4-2 lead, and Markham tacked on 3 more runs in the top of the 7th to put the game away. With the 7-2 loss, the Canadians were eliminated from the tournament with an 0-2 record.
Despite losing both games, the Canadians showed in the eliminations, as well as the Oshawa and St. Catharines tournaments that they could play with the elite teams in the province, and are already looking at making improvements for next years return to the elim's.
|
Canadians drop 4-2 contest to Flyers
The Whitby Canadians hosted the Port Hope Flyers on Sunday in their final home game of 2009.
The Canadians scored 2 runs in the first inning on an Andre Steer walk, a stolen base, a RBI double by Matt Melissis and an RBI infield single by Rob Patterson.
Unfortunately, this was all the offense the team could muster on the afternoon.
Defensive blunders led to 3 Flyers runs, and a 4-2 Canadians loss.
Dave McElroy was again effective on the mound tossing 6 1/3 innings allowing 7 hits, 2 earned runs and 2 walks. McElroy struck out 8 in his appearance and has improved every start out in his rookie season with the Canadians.
|
Canadians ground Flyers
The Whitby Canadians travelled to Port Hope on Wednesday night, and came away with a 6-1 victory over the hometown Flyers.
Lefty Mike Arsenault went the distance in this one, and lost his bid for a shut out in the bottom of the 9th when the Flyers scratched out a run thanks to a couple of walks and a hit batter.
More details to follow.
The Canadians will take on these same Flyers on Friday night in game 1 of the EOBA tournament.
|
EOBA Tournament: Canadians thump Flyers in game 1
The Whitby Canadians kicked off the 2009 EOBA Championship Tournament by laying a 7-3 beating on the host Port Hope Flyers.
Mike Arsenault threw a complete game in picking up the win, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits over 7 innings of work. Arsenault walked 4 and struck out 7.
The Canadians threatened in the top of the 1st, loading the bases with 2 out but could not come away with any runs. The Flyers scored 2 runs with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st to take a 2-0 lead. The Canadians responded in the top of the 2nd, scoring 3 runs to take a 3-2 lead. Catcher Jason George led off by reaching on an error, and Justin Recon walked. With 1 out, centrefielder Tristan Beadle was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sean Tremaine blooped a single to left to score the first run, and first baseman Rob Patterson scored the other 2 runs with a double to left centre, giving the Canadians a 3-2 lead.
The Flyers scored a run on a passed ball in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game at 3's heading into the 6th inning. In the top of the 6th, the Canadians took advantage of a 2 out error by the Flyers 2nd baseman that left runners at the corners and leftfielder Jeff Hardy followed with a line drive up the middle to give Whitby a 4-3 lead.
The Canadians then put together a rally in the top of the 7th, scoring 3 more runs off of Flyers starter and losing pitcher Mike McNaught. With 2 out, Justin Recon singled, stole second and came in to score on a double to deep left by shortstop Chris Sereda. Tristan Beadle scored Sereda with a single and the stole 2nd base. Tremaine drove Beadle home with a single giving the Canadians a 7-3 cushion.
Arsenault allowed a 1 out double in the 7th before closing the door on the team's first win of the tournament.
The Canadians will now receive a bye in round 2, and will face either Oshawa, Kingston or Kendal at 5pm in Port Hope on Saturday.
|
Canadians drop game 2 to Oshawa
After rain delayed the tournament games by 4.5 hours, the Whitby Canadians took on the Oshawa Royals at 9:30pm. Dave McElroy took the mound for the Canadians still looking for his first win in his rookie season. McElroy has pitched well enough to win several games this year, but has had tough luck and at times a lack of offensive support.
Unfortunately, this game would be a typical Canadians game in 09, as the offense struggled to produce and ground balls by the opposition seemed to find all the holes.
The Royals jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the 3rd, however the Canadians responded in the home half as Andre Steer led off with a single, stole second and came in to score in a single by Tristan Beadle.
The Royals would add 2 runs in the 5th and single runs in the 6th and 7th to win by a 5-1 score.
Dave Anderson pitched very effectively for the Royals, limiting the Canadians to 1 run on 6 hits in 7 innings of work. McElroy threw a complete game for Whitby as well, logging 7 innings allowing 5 runs on 11 hits.
The game concluded just after 11:30pm, and the 2 teams would face each other again at 10am as the Kingston Ponies received a bye as the other remaining team.
|
Canadians defeat Royals in extras to stay alive....
August 30, 2009 --
In a must win game, the Canadians faced off again against the Oshawa Royals, a team that had beaten them 4 times in all 4 matches in 2009.
Lars Clay took to the hill for the Canadians looking for his 4th win of the season, and more importantly looking to keep the Canadians alive in the tournament.
The Canadians took a 1-0 lead after 1 inning as Andre Steer led off and stole 2nd base. Steer moved to 3rd on a fly out by Tristan Beadle, and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Rob Patterson. Steer jammed his knee on the stolen base attempt and had to be removed from the game after the bottom of the 1st inning.
Whitby went ahead 2-0 in the 2nd inning as third baseman Matt Melissis walked and was bunted to second. With 2 out, Justin Recon blooped a single to left, scoring Melissis and extending the Canadians lead.
The Canadians defense helped maintain the 2-0 lead in the top of the 4th, as Doug Wright was thrown out by Canadians LF Dave Hickey to end the inning.
From there, Clay shut down the talented Royals lineup, keeping them off balance and holding a 2-0 lead into the 6th inning. Darryl Reid got the Royals on the board with a solo homerun to right centre.
With the Canadians clinging to a 2-1 lead, the Royals rallied in the top of the 7th to tie the game. An error to open the inning put a runner on first, and after a bunt a single and a groundout the Royals had tied the game forcing extra innings.
In the top of the 8th, Ben Anderson, Sean Tremaine and Justin Recon all singled to load the bases with 0 out. SS Chris Sereda then drove a ball into the gap in right centre, scoring 2 runs. Hickey then followed with a single through a drawn in infield to put the Canadians up 5-2. The Canadians were unable to tack on any additional runs as Patterson hit a screamer down the first base line that ended up being a double play, and a strikeout ended the inning.
Clay went back out to try and finish up the game, but a walk a single and a fielder's choice score a run and narrowed the score to 5-3. Clay was replaced by Kent Howe who closed out the game by getting 2 pop outs, preserving the win for the Canadians.
There was then a draw for the bye directly to the finals, with the loser facing the Kingston Ponies. The Canadians lost the draw, and would need to beat Kingston to earn another shot at the Royals in the finals.
|
Canadians make big comeback, blow game in 7th
August 30, 2009 --
After an extra inning win against the Oshawa Royals to stay alive, the Canadians faced the Kingston Ponies with the winner moving to the tournament finals.
Chris Sereda took the ball for the Canadians and struggled in this outing allowing 4 runs in the 1st inning, and another 4 in the top of the 2nd before he was replaced by closer Kent Howe. Howe found himself in the game a little earlier than normal but the Canadians needed to stop the bleeding and try to find a way back into the game.
Howe allowed a run in relief in the 2nd, and after one and a half innings the Canadians trailed 9-0.
The Canadians took advantage of 2 Ponies errors in the 2nd to plate 1 run yet still found themselves down by 8 runs, In the bottom of the 3rd with 1 out Rob Patterson and Jeff Hardy singled. After a pop out, Sean Tremaine singled loading the bases with 2 out for 2 bagger Dave Hickey. With the count full and the runners moving on the pitch, Hickey lined a pitch into right centre for a double, clearing the bases and narrowing the score to 9-4. DH Jason Fleming then singled to left to score Hickey and make the score 9-5. RF Justin Recon then lined a ball over the right fielders head for a double, scoring Fleming and bringing the Canadians within 3 runs. Matt Melissis then walked and Tristan Beadle reached on an error with Recon scoring on the play making the score 9-7. Patterson then came up and launched a huge 3 run home run to right field which completed the comeback and gave the Canadians a 10-9 lead. All 9 runs in the inning came with 2 outs, and was the most runs the Canadians have scored in 1 inning this season.
A Melissis double and Patterson single plated another run in the bottom of the 5th extending the lead to 11-9.
Kent Howe, in his longest outing of the season shut the Ponies offense down through to the 6th inning when an error allowed a run to score, closing the gap to 1 run at 10-9.
Howe returned in the top of the 7th and retired 2 quick outs before a line drive single and a home run to right field gave the Ponies the lead again at 12-11.
A single by Jeff Hardy was all the Canadians could muster in the bottom of the 7th as the Canadians gave one away after coming back from 9 runs down.
With the loss, the Canadians were eliminated from the tournament - ending their 2009 season.
A season recap and player awards will follow shortly.
| |
|
