Orillia Royals clinch NDBL junior championship
The Orillia Royals had a stellar season in the North Dufferin Baseball League’s junior division, which culminated in a championship title after a 13-2 victory on Aug. 16 over the Creemore Padres.
Orillia swept the best of five series winning 5-3 and 10-3 in the first two games played last week.
The championship pitted the first place regular season finishers Orillia, against the second place Padres who were also defending league champs. The Royals suffered only two losses in the 20-game regular season and won all five games in the two rounds of playoffs enroute to the title.
The Royals opened the final game by scoring two runs in the first inning and quickly added a third in the second frame. Creemore answered with a single run in their half of the second, before a homer from Chase Brennan in the third scored two more for Orillia.
Orillia scored two more in the fifth inning including a solo home run from Brennan, four in the sixth and finished with two in the seventh frame.
Creemore plated a lone run in the sixth frame to remove the mercy rule and went down swinging in the seventh inning.
Orillia silenced Creemore bats all series and in the final game Creemore managed only one hit by Brady Reynolds.
The Royals on the other hand recorded 16 hits. Brennan was clutch with his two homers and a single as was Whyatt Winkel with two doubles and two singles. Teddy McCollum-Kuntz hit a single and two doubles with teammate Jhett Winkel contributing a double and a single. Owen Kaczanowski hit two singles and lone hits came from Nolan Ness- Thomas and Kobe Geofroy.
Geofroy started on the mound for the Royals. He pitched four no-hit innings, giving up one run, walking two, hitting one and striking out four Padres.
Max Rutherford came in for relief and pitched the remaining three innings, giving up one run on one hit, walking one, and striking out five batters.
Tait Lightheart pitched for Creemore and over his five and one- third innings gave up nine runs on 13 hits, walked three and struck out four.
Anson Dupuis pitched one and two-thirds of the game, giving up three runs on three hits, walking one, and striking out one.
David Anderson photo: In a post-game presentation, North Dufferin Baseball League secretary Scott Anderson (second from left) presents the Anderson Trophy to Ben Barzo, Chase Brennan and Wyatt Thompson of the Orillia Royals as junior division champions in a post-game presentation Aug. 16.
