Avery powers N.S. Midgets to second win
 
BY PAT HEALEY
 
BRANTFORD, ONT. – Patrick Avery of Larry's River had the hot bat, driving in five runs, including four in the top of the eighth inning, leading Nova Scotia to its' first win in four games here with an 8-4 defeat of Newmarket Wednesday night at the Canadian midget boys fastpitch championship
Avery banged a 2-1 pitch to the gap that cleared the bases, and then came home when the throw to the plate went astray to make it 8-4. He was 3-for-5 at the dish.
Rene d'Entremont of Guysborough did the rest, striking out two and getting the third Newmarket batter to fly out to end the game. d'Entremont struck out 10 in throwing the complete game.
The win improves Nova Scotia's record to 2-4 in the 11 team event with two games left to play for the squad. The team still has a chance with teams around them and will likely be playing in Friday's tiebreaker games to determine who moves on.
Also leading the Bluenosers at the plate was Trent MacDonald of Arisaig who had a triple, scored twice and drove one run in and catcher Travis Cavenaugh of Musqudobit Harbour had a double, two runs scored and two runs batted in.
Cavenaugh made a bang-bang play to get the runner attempting a steal of second in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings and Avery's heroics.
"We needed something good to happen," head coach Jeff Fraser of Nine Mile River said. "We haven't been playing the way we know we can. This win maybe just the spark we need."
 
Earlier Wednesday, Avery surrendered three runs in the third and fell 5-2 to the host Brantford Heat. Nova Scotia scored two of their own in the top half of the fifth to make it 3-2, but it wasn't enough.
MacDonald had a double and run scored to lead the team at the plate. d'Entremont pitched in relief of Avery. Both N.S. throwers combined for 11 strikeouts.
The two teams were scheduled to play in the feature game Tuesday night, but that was canned when heavy rains cancelled play for the night.
N.S. plays twice on the last day of round robin play, at 10 AM AST against Sooke Smoke of B.C. and finish off against Saskatoon Aspen Selects at 3 p.m. AST.
 
*At the Junior Men's Nationals in Owen Sound, Ont., East Hants Henchmen improved to 3-4 with a 7-5 defeat of British Columbia's Sooke Royals Wednesday afternoon.
Adam Day of Enfield scored twice and drove in one, Aaron Harvey of  Hardwoodlands scored twice and Trent McKiel of Enfield had two hits and a run scored.
Sooke committed five errors accounting for four of East Hant's seven runs in the contest.
Steve Thomas of Milford pitched a complete game striking out three and giving up 14 hits.
The Henchmen were playing Scarborough Wolverines Wednesday night
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PAT HEALEY
Freelance Sports Reporter
Enfield Weekly Press

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