Team Canada opened up its Ontario exhibition tour Thursday night in Fingal, Ontario by sweeping both ends of a doubleheader from the St. Thomas Evergreen Centennials. The opener saw the visiting National Team scratch out a 2-0 victory while a seven-run second inning was the highlight of a 12-1 decision in Game Two.

Game 1
Ian Fehrman’s (Townsend, ON) second inning homerun opened the scoring and it was completed in the fifth when first baseman Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, BC) led off with a single, was bunted to second by Dale Levy (St. Mary’s, ON) and scored on a single by catcher Craig Crawford (Markham, ON).

Trevor Ethier (Saskatoon, SK) picked up the win in the pitcher’s circle, hurling four innings of no hit ball, striking out four in the process. Nick Underhill (Campbell River, BC) threw the last three innings, allowing two hits and striking out five. Rob Schweyer pitched the game for St. Thomas, allowing only two runs, striking out seven and walking one.

Leading the 14-hit attack were Kevin Schellenberg (Squamish, BC) with a home run and two singles, Colin Abbott (Portugal Cove, NL) who reached base safely all four times (three singles and catcher’s obstruction), Ian Fehrman (Townsend, ON) with a single as well as his second home run of the evening, driving in three in total and catcher Sean O’Brien (Brockville, ON) with a three run blast. Wolfe would also add a second home run to lead off the fourth inning..

Todd Martin (Bracebridge, ON) started the game on the mound, allowing one hit and one unearned run, striking out eight in three innings of work. Dean Holoien (Melfort, SK) finished by striking out four and walking one while not allowing a hit over the final two frames.

Game information coming soon...

Despite a day of steady rain, the field in Fingal was ready for action when Team Canada  took on the Ontario All Stars in an evening doubleheader. The National squad came out on the winning end by a pair of 4-0 scores

Game 1
Canada opened the scoring in the top of the first inning when leadoff hitter Ryan Wolfe (Melbourne, ON) drew a walk from All Star starter Grant Patterson, advancing to third after a wild pitch and a passed ball and scoring on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Jody Eidt (Mitchell, ON).

Colin Abbott (Portugal Cove, NL) made it 2-0 in the top of the fourth when he pulled a line drive solo home run down the right field line.

The scoring was completed in the visitor’s half of the seventh on a two-run homerun by Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI), plating Craig Crawford (Markham, ON), who had reached safely on a fielder’s choice, ahead of him.

Top hitters for Team Canada were Rob Giesbrecht (Landmark, MB) who went two-for-two (both singles) with a walk and Ryan Wolfe who reached safely three times with two walks and a base hit.

Todd Martin (Bracebridge, ON) threw five innings of one-hit ball for the victory, striking out eight in the process. Trevor Ethier (Saskatoon, SK) finished the game to pick up the save, allowing only a walk while striking out three over the final two innings.

Chris Payne’s double was the lone hit for the All Stars.

Game 2
Dale Levy (St. Mary’s, ON) led off the second inning with a base hit to left field off All Star starter Don Scott. He would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch.

Team Canada added two in the next frame. Shortstop Kevin Schellenberg (Squamish, BC) walked to start the inning and would score on an All Star error. Keith Mackintosh (Melfort, SK) would also score on a single by starting pitcher Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, BC).

Schellenberg also scored the final run of the contest. After leading off the top half of the seventh inning with a single, he would come in to score on a ground out by Mackintosh.

Mayson was able to effectively pitch out of a couple of jams to pick up the victory including striking out three in a row in the fifth after Mike Pullin had doubled to start the inning and had moved to third on a single by catcher Chris Wismer. The base hit was Wismer’s second of the night.

Nick Underhill (Campbell River, BC) pitched the final two innings to earn the save. 

A team of All-Stars from Ontario defeated Team Canada in both ends of a doubleheader that was played in Jarvis on Sunday, winning the first by a 4-3 margin and prevailing 8-7 in the second game. The games were shortened to 6 innings to accommodate Team Canada’s schedule..

The tour of southern Ontario saw Team Canada play eighht games in four days finishing with six wins and two losses.

Team Canada will be glad to have current players Jeff Ellsworth (St. Lawrence, PEI) and Ian Fehrman (Townsend, ON) back in the red and white after the damage they handed out while playing for the Ontario All-Stars in a doubleheader held in Jarvis on Sunday. Ellsworth went four-for-five with two home runs over the course of the contest which featured two six inning games. Fehrman wasn’t far behind with a four-for-six performance.

Game 1
The All-Stars came flying out of the gate in their half of the first inning as Ellsworth led off by launching his first home run over the fence in left centre field. Fehrman would score shortly afterward on a single by Chad Staats off of starter Trevor Ethier (Saskatoon, SK).

Canada got one of the runs back in the top of the second inning when shortstop Kevin Schellenberg (Squamish, BC) singled home Dale Levy (St. Mary’s, ON) who had earlier singled himself.

The All-Stars would get that one back in a big way when Ellsworth hit a shot to right field that left no doubt for the spectators as to which side of the fence it would land.

Team Canada tied the game in the fifth inning when Ryan Wolfe (Melbourne, ON) led off with a single and scored soon afterward on a double by second baseman Keith Mackintosh (Melfort, SK). Mackintosh would later score on a single by Derek Mayson (North Vancouver, BC).

The Ontario side plated the winning run without the aid of a hit in their half of the fifth. Third baseman Nick Dambrosio reached safely on a bunt attempt when the throw popped out of Mackintosh’s glove. He would eventually score after pitcher Dean Holoien struck out Fehrman but the ball got by catcher Sean O’Brien and rolled too far away to make a play at the plate.

Grant Patterson was the winning pitcher. Holoien took the loss despite not allowing a hit or walk in his two innings of work, striking out three. Ethier allowed three runs in three innings, giving up five hits and striking out five.

 

Game 2
Andy Skelton’s three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth sealed the second game victory for the All-Stars. It looked like Team Canada might have been going away with a split after opening up a 6-2 lead in the top of the fourth inning but the All-Stars chipped away to make it 6-5 after five. Ryan Wolfe added what looked to be an insurance marker when led off the top of the sixth with a homerun. Derek Mayson, who had come in to pitch the previous inning in relief of Nick Underhill (Campbell River, BC), retired the first All-Star batter but singles by Mark Coleman and Pat Graham set the stage for Skelton’s blast.

The National Team got out to an early 2-0 lead when third baseman Jody Eidt (Mitchell, ON) hit a two-run homerun off All-Star starter Matt Leahey, scoring Wolfe who had led off the inning with a single.

Ontario replied quickly when Ellsworth singled off starter Todd Martin (Bracebridge, ON) and was driven home on Fehrman’s double. Fehrman would score on a double by Chad Staats.

A four run fourth inning for Team Canada was highlighted by a two out two-run single by Keith Mackintosh, plating Craig Crawford (Markham, ON) and Wolfe. Derek Mayson and Dale Levy had both scored earlier in the inning after hitting singles.

Rob Schweyer picked up the win for the All-Stars.

 

The Senior Men's Team will regroup in Saskatoon on July 13th before they take on the Czech Republic in an exhibition doubleheader in Melfort, SK starting at 6:30pm on July 14th. The following night, Team Canada will host Japan in a doubleheader in Prince Albert.