Cardinals spoil party taking OBA B 15U title
Defeat host team, 11-9, in an eight inning final
SIMCOE, Ont. - The St. Thomas Cardinals spoiled the party.
The 15U Cardinals disappointed supporters of the host team, by defeating the Simcoe Giants, 11-9, in the Ontario Baseball Association B 15U championship final at Memorial Park Sunday.
St. Thomas scored four times in the top of the eighth inning for a 11-7 lead, after Simcoe tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, the equalizer on a two-out error.
In the home half of the eighth, the Giants had runners on second and third base with two out, but Cardinals reliever Noah Marr struck out the batter.
In the top of the eighth, Marr singled in two runs in the eighth, to finish four-for-five in the game, driving in four runs. Lewis Dodge and Knox Thorogood also delivered key singles.
The Cardinals led 6-3 after four innings and held a 7-4 advantage heading into the home half of the seventh.
St. Thomas pounded out 16 hits, but made five errors.
Thorogood finished with two singles and two RBIs, while Dodge had two singles and one RBI.
Ryan Serratore went three-for-five, with one RBI and Bryce Friesen, chipped in with two singles and drew a base a balls.
Serratore started the game on the mound, going 6.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks, while striking out five batters.
Marr picked up the win, finishing the game, giving up five runs, only two earned, on two hits and one walk, striking out two.
St. Thomas opened the 11-team tournament dousing the Tillsonburg Otters, 18-7, before knocking out the Caledonia Bears, 21-3, on day one.
The Cardinals produced back to back mercies, taking care of Woodstock, 13-3 and Simcoe, 26-2. The host Giants handed the Cardinals their lone loss, 4-2, Sunday morning.
An 11-run explosion in the fifth inning carried the Cardinals in their opening game.
Marr hit for the cycle and added a single, with three RBIs. Serratore had three hits, including a home run and four RBIs,
Boyd, four hits, two RBIs, Dodge, three hits and Fehr, a home run, single, two RBIs.
The St. Thomas batted around the order a few times, during a 14 run second inning against Caledonia.
Serratore had three hits, four RBIs and three runs scored. Marr, Dodge and Boyd, each drove in three runs and Thorogood walked to first base three times.
A pair of four run innings help the Cardinals finish Woodstock in six innings.
Serratore continued his hot bat, with a triple, double and single, driving in three runs. Dodge had two RBIs and Marr and Thorogood, both two hits.
The Giants cried mercy after three innings, when the Cardinals scored 19 times. Six errors did not help the host team.
Thorogood went four-for-four, with four RBIs. Serratore hits a pair of doubles had four RBIs and Marr, Dodge and Cal Ambrose, three RBIs each.
Simcoe was a different team Sunday, in a low scoring game, with only 11 hits total, handing the Cardinals their first loss.
The Giants did commit three errors leading to unearned runs by the Cardinals.
Thorogood had three of the Cardinals' four hits, two for doubles.
Simcoe eliminated Caledonia to meet St. Thomas in the final.