Lords eliminated from the OUA/OCAA Championship


OCAA Baseball Championship
Game Two: Brock defeated Durham 6-3
 
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Durham College men's baseball team's season came to an end Saturday morning after a 6-3 loss to Brock University at the 2013 OUA/OCAA Championship in St. Catharines.

The Lords finished the tournament in fourth place after earning a silver medal in the inaugural OCAA Championship the week prior.

Both Durham and Brock battled the elements as the morning saw light rain and high winds that would reach over 30 km/h. Despite the rough weather, starting pitcher Dale Valade (North Bay, Ont.) opened the game with a three strikeout first inning which would foreshadow the low-scoring battle that would take place.

Neither team found success at the plate through the first five and a half innings as Brock carried a 1-0 lead to that point after capitalizing on a Lords throwing error in the third inning. However, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Brock successfully strung together a series of hits and walks that would lead to a five run inning.

Valade would pitch six innings in total with five strikeouts and five earned runs.

The Lords would respond in the top of the seventh inning as they looked to prolong their appearance in the OUA/OCAA Championship. Patience at the plate, pitching miscues and timely hitting allowed for the Lords to close the gap to just three runs.

2013 OCAA all-star Aaron McQuillen (Ajax, Ont.) led the team at the plate going 2-for-3 while recording a timely RBI in the seventh inning. However, the Lords final rally came up short ending their run at the inaugural tournament.

Despite the loss, head coach Sam Dempster was optimistic about the future of the team. "We have thirteen freshman on our roster which bodes well for us in the future," said Dempster.

Dempster went on to praise the veteran leadership and play of several potential graduating players including Valade, Ryan George (Whitby, Ont.), and Michael Cyr (Whitby, Ont.).

Overall, the Lords recorded a 10-6 conference record and 14-14 overall record along with their OCAA silver medal and OUA/OCAA fourth place finish. The successful 2013 campaign sets a high bar for the team as they now will enter their offseason preparation for 2014.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE LORDS
Overall Record: 14-14
Conference Record: 10-6

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