McCann, Goebel & Company provided an eventful week
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
By: Michael Willoughby
The Stratford 15U Nationals had an entertaining slate of results this past week, picking up three of the six possible points in the Inter County Baseball Association (ICBA) 15U Tier 1 League standings.
It started when the Stratford 15U Nationals, led by Landon McCann's five-RBI performance, overcame a sluggish start and mounted a late-innings comeback, settling for a draw with the Ancaster Angels at Stratford National Stadium on July 9.
The Angels took advantage of the Stratford defensive miscues and of starting pitcher Carter Cook, scoring eight runs through the first three innings. With the Angels leading 10-0 through four innings, the Nationals got on the board when McCann hit a two-run RBI single and Cook hit an RBI single during the three-run inning.
After Ancaster added two more runs in the top of the fifth, Stratford began their comeback. Facing a potential league-mandated mercy rule in their half of the inning, Will Molenhuis hit an RBI triple, then McCann hit a three-run home run to centre-right field and Reid Mussleman capped off the inning with a two-out two-run RBI single, closing the deficit to four runs, with Ancaster leading 13-9.
In the sixth inning with two outs, Cole Morris’ two-run RBI single pulled the Nationals to within two. Stratford completed the comeback in the final inning of regulation on a bases-loaded walk, allowing Cook to score from third, and Marek Brander tied the game on a fielder’s choice. The Nationals had a chance to win the game, but Jackson Goebel couldn't beat the throw to first.
Ancaster regained the lead in the extra inning after Stratford reliever Goebel issued a bases-loaded walk on a close 3-2 pitch. Max Barter came on in relief and prevented further damage by forcing the Angels to an inning-ending double play.
Stratford responded in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly from Dexter Powell, allowing Goebel to score from third. Cook was issued an intentional walk to load the bases, but a Musselman flyout ended the game.
After the game, Stratford coach Rick Boon highlighted the team’s late-game comeback but stressed that the defensive issues need to be corrected before the SMBA 15U tournament later in the month.
“After the third and fourth innings, I was much happier come the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. We didn't play well in the first three or four innings. We gave them at least six outs to score at least five runs. So we have to cut down on the physical layers on the field better,” Boon said.
“But as far as the last part of the game, we showed a lot of team play. We did a lot of things I've been asking and preaching about: hitting the ball behind runners and hitting fly balls. We did a lot better, and the team got more into it.”
McCann had an outstanding performance, leading the Nationals with a home run, five RBIs on two hits, and two runs scored. Boon commended McCann for his steady hard contact with the ball.
“He comes to play every night. He wants to play well and he swings extremely hard. He makes hard contact,” Boon said.
“There's really never a time when he makes a soft out. So every time he's at bat, that's why they walked him at the end of the game there to get him on, because they knew he was going to put the ball in play and play hard. So I'm more than impressed. I'm really happy that he's come to play for us this year.”
Stratford hosted the Guelph Royals on July 10 at National Stadium, less than 24 hours after the memorable comeback draw. At the bottom of the first, Molenhuis scored from third on a Guelph defensive error, and a Jake Price RBI single put the Nationals ahead 2-1. But the Royals pulled away with a nine-run second inning en route to a 16-5 victory over Stratford in five completed innings.
On July 13, the Nationals faced the Waterloo Tigers Team 2 in Waterloo. The visitors pounced on the Tigers 13-1 in five innings. The batting order of Molenhuis, Goebel and Price provided the heavy offence with a combined seven RBIs, six runs scored and seven hits. Ten different Nationals players scored one run or more in the rout.
With the win, Stratford improved their 2026 regular-season record to 9-8-1.
The Nationals will be hosting the Waterloo Tigers Team 2 on July 16 in their last ICBA regular-season game before the annual SMBA 15U Tournament, scheduled for July 17 to 19 in Stratford.
Stratford will compete in Group A alongside the Brantford Red Sox, the Woodstock Wranglers, the North York Blues, the Martingrove White Sox and the Oshawa Legionnaires. The Nationals start their tournament play on July 17 with an evening game against North York, and then a morning game on July 18 against Martingrove, and wrap up in the evening against Oshawa. All Stratford’s games take place at the National Stadium.
The tournament semifinals and final will both take place on July 19.
Stratford Nationals Round Robin Group A schedule
July 17 – North York (National Stadium, 6 p.m.)
July 18 – Martingrove (National Stadium, 11 a.m.)
July 18 – Oshawa (National Stadium, 6:30 p.m.)
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