North Dufferin Baseball League - EST. 1930

Juniors enter round two

Innisfil Cardinals 2 catcher Nathan Robinson tags out Christian Fava of the Richmond Hill Phoenix at home plate during Game 3 of the teams' junior division playoff series on July, 20, 2025. (David Anderson Photo)

July 24, 2025

Four teams remain in the junior division of the North Dufferin Baseball League as second-round action gets underway.

Innisfil Cardinals 2 advanced after defeating the Richmond Hill Phoenix in three games. After a 2-0 loss in the opener, the Cardinals bounced back with dominant 16-5 and 12-4 victories to move on.

The Phoenix shut out the Cardinals in Game 1 behind strong pitching performances from Luca Cutrone, who allowed just two hits while striking out six, and Christian Fava, who added six more strikeouts.

Fortunes reversed in Game 2, where Richmond Hill was mercied after 4 1/2 innings. Timely hitting from Innisfil drove in runs across all four innings.

Game 3 followed a similar pattern, with Innisfil outhitting the Phoenix 18-4 to clinch the series.

The Orillia Royals also needed three games to advance, facing off against the Barrie Baycats. Barrie took Game 1 with a 10-5 win, but Orillia responded with 11-5 and 14-4 victories to secure the series.

In the opener, Barrie outhit Orillia 11-6. However, in the next two games, the Royals overcame early deficits with clutch hitting. Ben Barzo's home run and three additional runs in the fifth inning of Game 2 sealed the win. In Game 3, Orillia plated four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-2 lead, eventually mercying the Baycats in the sixth while outhitting them 13-6.

The Creemore Padres and Innisfil Cardinals 1, who placed first and second respectively, received byes in the first round.

Creemore will face Orillia in the next round. Notably, Orillia was one of only two teams to defeat Creemore during the regular season, though Creemore won the other two matchups.

Creemore hosts Game 1 on Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by Game 2 in Orillia on July 29. If necessary, Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for July 30 and 31.

The two Innisfil teams will square off in the other series. In regular season play, Innisfil 1 won two of the three meetings.

The Cardinals' series begins this evening (Thurs.) at 7 p.m. Game 2 is set for Monday, with Games 3 and 4 scheduled for July 29 and 30 if needed.

Each series is a best-of-three or first-to-four-points format.

Padres Clinch Top Spot in Junior Division

July 14, 2025

The regular season for the Junior Division of the North Dufferin Baseball League wrapped up over the weekend with the Creemore Padres securing first place overall.

Creemore capped off a dominant campaign with a record of 15 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie for 31 points - finishing a full ten points ahead of the second and third place teams.

The division featured seven teams competing in an 18-game schedule, with the top six originally set to advance to the postseason.

However, the Bradford Tigers, who were in sixth place, forfeited two games last week, resulting in their suspension and removal from league play. As a result, all remaining teams will now move on to the playoffs including the Richmond Hill Phoenix, who were sitting in seventh place.

Beyond Creemore's commanding performance, the standings were tightly contested. Both Innisfil Cardinals teams finished with 21 points, while the Orillia Royals and Barrie Red Sox ended the season tied at 18 points.

Creemore and Innisfil 1 have earned first-round byes. The opening playoff matchups will feature Innisfil 2 facing Richmond Hill and Orillia taking on Barrie.

Schedules are being finalized with July 16 the earliest the series can start.