OSHAWA, ON - Durham College men's baseball opened exhibition play with two university opponents on back-to-back nights at Kinsmen Stadium, hosting the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Wednesday night before facing the University of Guelph Gryphons on Thursday.
The Lords proved resilient and hardworking in a 14-7 loss to the Varsity Blues. Falling behind 11-1 through five innings, Durham powered back and outscored their opponents 6-3 in the final four innings.
Head Coach
Darryl Reid notes that it's good experience for his squad to get a taste of a highly competitive opponent going into the season. The Varsity Blues are defending Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions and have won twice in the last four seasons.
Erik Smith (Whitby, ON) led the way with two runs scored, with
Wendel Johnson (Whitby, ON), Nicholas King (Whitby, ON),
Cruz Lopez (Brooklin, ON), Jacob Mahoney (Toronto, ON) and Blake Jolicoeur (Whitby, ON) each crossing home once.
Five pitchers touched the mound for the Lords against Toronto, ensuring playing time for the rotation. In all cases, pitchers played 1.1 - 2.0 innings, with
Ryan Mattes (Whitby, ON) striking out three over 2.0 innings.
Carter Quinney (Pickering, ON) didn't give up any runs and struck out two of four batters faced.
Durham played the second half of back-to-back nights at Kinsmen against Guelph, falling 9-0 to the visitors.
After pitching the previous night, Mattes started Thursday's game at second base, leading the team with two hits. Jolicoeur and King also registered hits on the scoresheet.
The Lords rotated through five pitchers again against Guelph, with
Ben Spunde (Elmira, ON) seeing the most action with 2.2 innings pitched, striking out three. King also had a notable performance, striking out five of six batters faced.
OVERALL RECORD: 0-2
CONFERENCE RECORD: 0-0-0
NEXT MATCH/GAME: Tuesday, September 6 vs. Waterloo Warriors at Jack Couch Park at 7:00 PM
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