15U Nationals offence comes alive in weekend split

Stratford’s Cole Morris throws the pitch, with James Antonio (10) looking on from first base against the Simcoe Giants at Stratford National Stadium on June 28.

By: Michael Willoughby

On June 28 at Stratford National Stadium, during a doubleheader against the Simcoe Giants, the Stratford 15U Nationals braved the heat and delivered a scorching offensive performance, scoring 17 runs over the two games but ultimately splitting the series. Including their 16-7 defeat on June 23 to Guelph Royals Team 2 on the road, the Nationals secured just one win out of three games for the week.

In the midday game, the Nationals opened the scoring on an RBI single from Dexter Powell in the bottom of the first inning. Simcoe tied the game at one apiece in the next inning and had the bases loaded with one out, but starting pitcher Cole Morris and the defence thwarted further disaster and got out of the inning. In the third inning, Stratford put on their offensive downpour with six runs in the inning, en route to a 7-2 win over the Giants.

Powell led the Nationals with three RBIs and two hits in the win, while Morris gutted out six innings, gave up one run, two hits and four walks, but recorded five strikeouts. Reid Musselman gave up a run of his own, but prevented further damage and sealed the win for Stratford.

The team had a barbecue after game one and had a well-deserved rest in time for game two of the series.

In game two, the Nationals got on the board first on a sacrifice fly from Powell, allowing Jackson Goebel to score from third in the first inning. In the latter half of the inning, the Giants tied the game and took the lead with three runs, all scored with two outs, off starter Jake Price.

The next inning saw the Nationals pour on six runs for the second straight game, all of those runs came with two outs as well. Max Barter, Goebel (2x) and Morris recorded the RBIs for Stratford, while the other two runs came off Simcoe defensive errors. Simcoe closed the Stratford lead to two in their half of the inning, but Barter’s two-out RBI single in the next inning put the Nationals ahead 8-5.

Morris’ home run and Musselman’s RBI double gave the Nationals a five-run lead in the fourth inning. Simcoe gradually narrowed the gap in the following innings and ultimately completed the comeback in the sixth off reliever Jake Mogk, taking the lead before the final inning.

Stratford tried to mount a comeback when Quintin Parr singled and advanced to second on an error. Marek Brander also singled, but Parr’s aggressive attempt to score was unsuccessful, as he was tagged out at home, ending the game.

Price pitched five innings, gave up four runs on four walks and four hits, and struck out one on the mound for Stratford. Mogk was credited with one earned run allowed in relief, as two of Stratford’s defensive errors contributed to the other five runs in the sixth.

Goebel and Barter led the Nationals with two RBIs. Nine of the ten members of the Nationals' starting lineup reached first base in the game.

After the game, Nationals coach Rick Boon expressed his satisfaction with the team’s overall performance. He also highlighted the difficulty of playing a doubleheader in hot weather, stressing the necessity of proper hydration and rest.

“I'm very happy with our batch. We're choosing better pitches to hit, and we're making better choices of the play. So, we're hitting the ball really well in the last two or three games. I'm really quite happy with that,” Boon said.

“It's good to give them a break in between, because it is a hot day, and they've got to keep hydrating and make sure they've got lots of fluids. It's important to have a break in between, kind of regroup, and then refocus, which I thought we did a decent job of for the first part of that game.”

Next up for the Nationals is a July 2 game against Waterloo Tigers Team 1 at the National Stadium and a July 3 road game against the Ancaster Angels.