15U Nationals pounded Simcoe in ICBA action

After winning against the Clinton Mustangs in exhibition play, the Stratford 15U Nationals continued their winning streak by beating the Simcoe Giants 22-8 on June 16 at Simcoe.

In the first inning, Cole Morris scored for the Nationals with a two-run RBI triple. Dexter Powell’s RBI single extended the lead to 3-0 as they headed into the second. Reid Musselman added an RBI single, making it 4-0 through two innings. The Nationals then dominated with five runs in the third, taking a 9-0 lead before Simcoe responded with four runs off starter Jackson Goebel, cutting the Stratford deficit to 9-4 going into the fourth.

Morris increased the Nationals' lead to 10-4 with a bases-loaded walk by Quintin Parr. In the fourth inning, Simcoe answered with two runs, narrowing the gap to six. Goebel’s double drove in Will Molenhuis, boosting the Nationals' advantage to 11-6, followed by Morris's RBI groundout that made it 12-6 for Stratford before the bottom of the fifth. Simcoe scored two more runs, reducing the Stratford lead to 12-8 after five innings.

After both teams remained scoreless in the sixth, the Nationals launched an offensive rally, scoring ten consecutive runs in the seventh. They then withstood a late rally by their opponents in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory.

Morris, Powell and Landon McCann delivered a strong performance in Stratford's middle batting order, contributing eight RBIs, seven hits and eight runs.

Stratford increased their record to 6-4 and now holds fifth place in the Intercounty Baseball Association 15U T1 Division as of press time.

Next for the Nationals is a doubleheader with the Simcoe Giants at Stratford National Stadium on June 28.