Provincial Tournament Recap – Aug 15-17, 2003 at Fitzroy Harbour
The
WC Electric surprised many in their efforts the OASA Men’s Intermediate “C”
Provincial Tournament.
The
team played in front of large crowds all weekend as the weather cooperated and all
eleven teams attending put on a great display of ball.
In
their first game, the Electric defeated the surprisingly strong Blackburn team
3-1. Bud Hanlon got the win as he allowed only five hits and had eight Ks. Blackburn’s only run was driven in by first
baseman Randy Peck. Catcher Steve
Johnson, who picked a good time to hit his first home run of the season, led
the WC Electric offensively. A great
start in front of a great crowd.
Fitzroy
beat the Twins for the first time all season in a game that saw the Electric
defeat the hard throwing Costello cousins, both Shawn and Corey. Shawn Rebertz led the Harbour with a line
drive home run that got the crowd to its feat.
The Electric also manufactured several runs using bunting and the team
speed. Veteran pitcher Jim Ryan threw a
game that had the crowd in awe, as his rise ball worked wonders. Bud Hanlon came on in relief in the seventh,
as the two throwers combined for a no-hitter and 11 strikeouts. Keeping in mind the #4 Ontario ranking of
the Twins, this win was very impressive and put the Electric into the Winner’s
bracket final vs. Jarvis.
A
big let down after the Micksburg win – the WC Electric made three costly errors
in losing to Jarvis. The Electric bats
could not touch the pitching of veteran rigthy Dave “Farmer” Martin who threw a
two-hitter with 14 strikeouts. Bud
Hanlon took the loss, while only giving up eight hits; he didn’t have much help
defensively or offensively from the team.
This loss put Fitzroy into the Loser’s Bracket final.
After
Micksburg worked their way up through the loser’s side, a rematch with the
Electric was set up. Jim Ryan wasn’t as
untouchable as the previous game, but he still threw very well. Defensive plays by Mike Cavanagh and Neil
Murphy had the crowd roaring their approval.
The bats for the Electric were working as they had a combined ten hits
against the Costello cousins and chased Corey Costello in the fourth. The lead seesawed
throughout the game. The Harbour had to
come back to tie in the bottom of the seventh where Trevor Barton drove in
Jason Armstrong to send the game into extra innings. However the Cinderella
story was not to be, as the Twins scored three in the top of the eight on two
home runs off of Bud Hanlon who came on in relief, and the Harbour could only
respond with a single run, driven in by Neil Murphy. This second loss meant no more games for Fitzroy, but they
certainly couldn’t hang their heads as they played what was likely the most
exciting game that the Ottawa Valley had seen in quite some time in front of an
audience that still gave them a standing ovation at the end.
Micksburg went on to lose 9-1 in the tournament final, as Jarvis became OASA Men’s C Champs for 2003.