Major Peewee Nationals Stun Hometown Heavyweight Leamington Lakers to Win OBA Title
In an amazing team effort the TF Industrial Major Peewee's Stunned the hometown favourite Leamington Lakers this past weekend to win their first OBA Championship...
with a little help from an unlikely source.
For the Major Peewee's OBA weekend started off with a special moment. In the opening game of the tournament Stratford would face the Kawartha Cubs. In an unbelievable performance Stratford pitcher Kaden Brame threw 6 perfect innings and just over 60 pitches as Stratford would easily dispatch the Cubs in short order. With the score just 4-0 in the bottom of the 6th Stratford bats exploded for 6 runs led buy Luke Zorgdrager, Karson Stokke and Max Luk forcing the mercy and securing the perfect game for Brame.
Saturday morning the Nat's would face off against the heavy hitting Tillsonburg Otters. Haden Frayne and Jake Hienbuch led the offensive for Stratford both collecting multiple hits and despite out hitting the Otters 12-9 Stratford would fall 10-6 and put the team on the brink of elimination. Strong pitching performances by Hienbuch and Zorgdrager kept the game close thru 7 innings.
In game 3 the Nat's would face division rival Simcoe Giants. Stratford would get off to an early lead and never look back easily eliminating the Giants 9-1. The offence was lead by Ethan Martin with 2 hits and 4 RBI’s with key hits by Bo Schurink and Cole Meadows in the 6th to secure the lead. Great pitching from Jonas Schmidt who went 4 complete innings, striking out 3 giving up just one run and Zorgdrager pitched 3 strong innings securing the win. A play worthy of mentioning, in the top of the 7th with the Giants threatening Liam Parsons made a ridiculous diving catch in right field and then came up throwing and gunned out a Giants runner on 2nd for the double play ending the game and eliminatiing Simcoe from the tournament.
Game 4 of the weekend the Nat’s were looking for revenge in a rematch against the Tillsonburg Otters. The second time around the Otters would not be so fortunate. Tillsonburg got off to an early lead but Stratford would chip away and take the lead for good in the 4th. Stratford’s offence was lead by Jake Hienbuch and Drew Tessmer with multiple hits but the story of this match was defence. Stratford navigated out of a bases loaded jam with none out in the 5th giving up no runs. Cole Meadows and Liam Parsons were brilliant shoring up the defence and Jonas Schmidt made an unbelievable shoe string catch in centerfield in the top of the 7th to save the game and send the Otters home early.
In Sunday quarter final action Stratford would secure a favourable draw and face Exeter while Tournament favourites Leamington Lakers and Wyoming Wranglers would face off in a heavyweight tilt for a birth into the semi final.
Stratford took care of business eliminating Exeter 5-2. Strong pitching by Martin and Hienbuch backed by amazing catching from Stokke secured the win. Tessmer contributed with 3 hits and 2 RBI and Max Luk was instrumental on defence throwing a runner out from right field to protect the lead with Exeter threatening in the 3rd.
With 3 teams remaining a draw was necessary and once again Stratford came up on the winning side as they drew a bye to the final and Leamington would have to face Wyoming again in an elimination match to face Stratford for the OBA title.
In the final game Stratford pitching pulled off an amazing feat holding the powerhouse Leamington Lakers whom had hit over a dozen homeruns on the weekend to just 2 hits in 7 innings. Brame and Hienbuch combined for a brilliant performance on the mound as Stratford would cruise to a 3-1 victory and their first OBA Title. Brame would go on to give up just one hit thru 11 innings of baseball on the weekend. The game was decided in the 5th when Cole Meadows laid down a perfect bunt for a gutsy suicide steal with the speedy Frayne at 3rd to take a 2-1 lead in the game. Jonas Schmidt had a hit and 2 stolen bases in the 6th that gave Stratford a 2 run cushion and they never looked back.
A special thank you to sibling Caellum Parsons who’s “unlucky rock” mysteriously made it into all the opposing teams dugouts before every game. It was a source of laughter and confidence throughout the weekend and something I'm sure we all will remember!