18U Nationals’ downward spiral continues for six games

Daniel Hovius of the Stratford Nationals throws the strikeout pitch in the first inning against the Guelph Royals at Stratford National Stadium on June 8.

The Stratford 18U Nationals kept pushing this week to get closer to winning but couldn’t overcome their mistakes, resulting in six consecutive losses. Five of these losses occurred during the Intercounty Baseball Association regular season, including all three games on June 7 and 8.

Stratford’s recent losses began with a doubleheader against the Simcoe Giants at Stratford National Stadium on June 7. In the afternoon game, the Nationals led by one run twice, but a five-run seventh inning collapse led to their defeat.

Despite a spirited effort to cut the deficit to one with four runs on their own half of the final inning, and with the bases loaded and one out, Daniel Hovius struck out, and Owen Brooks grounded out to a fielder’s choice to seal the loss. Dawson Davidson led the Nationals with two RBI’s, while James Robinson led the team with a pair of runs.

Stratford’s starting pitcher Robinson went five-and-two-thirds innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and five walks, while tallying three strikeouts. Hovius pitched the rest of the game for the Nationals, but gave up four earned runs on one hit and five walks, while striking out two.

In the evening game of the doubleheader, the Nationals again lost an early lead, then re-took the lead by one late in the game, but ultimately lost a close contest, 9-6. Davidson contributed two RBIs for the Nationals in this game. Cole Morris, called up from the 15U Nationals, also recorded an RBI for Stratford.

Stratford hosted the Guelph Royals on June 8 at the warm National Stadium. Unlike most of their previous five games, this game wasn’t down to the wire. Guelph scored four runs in the first three innings before eventually pulling away with a five-run fifth inning to seal the game en route to the Nationals losing 11-2 after the game was called after the seventh inning.

Hovius and Brooks scored the lone runs for the Nationals in the seventh, averting the mercy rule after the team had been trailing by more than the league minimum of ten runs before the bottom of the inning. Jackson Goebel, a call-up from the 15U Nationals, picked up an RBI on a single.

Following the game, Stratford assistant coach Carter Koch addressed the team's state after the latest slate of losses and what it would take for the team to get back to their winning ways.

“We're just missing a couple of people. We've had to call up some players. We were in a double header yesterday, so we're short pitching tonight, got what we could, what we had, and we didn't really hit the ball tonight,” Koch said.

“They just gotta be ready to come to the ballpark every day, they got to show ready every game, so everybody's gonna have to come together as a collective and get it done as a team.”

According to the Game Changer app, during the losing streak, the Nationals’ offence has been underwhelming, posting a .202 batting average, a .346 on-base percentage, and a .232 slugging percentage. The pitching and defence have been equally ineffective, with a 6.03 earned-run average and a .887 fielding percentage.

In comparison to the first four completed games (3-1 record), the Nationals' offence had a respectable .242 batting average and .312 slugging percentage. Pitching and defence were the key factors in the promising start, with a 3.81 earned-run-average and a fielding percentage of .914.

Stratford's next game is on June 15 against the Kitchener Hassan Panthers at National Stadium.