The Warriors dropped both ends of the Battle of Waterloo, but continued to show that they can compete with the best teams in the OUA.
After dropping two one-run games last Sunday to a powerhouse Guelph Gryphons team - both in walk-off fashion - the Warriors headed to Bechtel Park this Saturday to play their cross-town rivals, the Laurier Golden Hawks. On the mound, the Warriors started team captains Jorden Carthy (Kitchener/) in game one, and Stephen Gade (Guelph/) in game two, and brought with them a roster that included a total of 14 rookies.
In game one, Carthy was set to play both sides of the ball, but a blister hindered his ability to grip and command the baseball, so he was forced to exit the game with one out in the third inning. The Warriors bullpen did a good job of keeping the Golden Hawks off balance, with Luis Grisanti (Maturin/), Rayman Singh (Woodbridge/), and Mitchell Kay (Mannheim/) combining for five and two thirds innings of relief, yielding just four hits. The Golden Hawks did make the most of their hits, with first-baseman Keifer Quick connecting for his first of two homers on the day, as Laurier took game 1, 5-0. Rookie second-baseman, Varun Kuo (Mississauga/) led the way for the Warriors offensively, collecting a pair of hits.
Game two saw Warriors ace Stephen Gade (Guelph/) take the ball and he again showed why he's one of the premier pitchers in the OUA. Without his best stuff on the day, Gade threw a complete game for the Warriors, allowing just 2 earned runs in a 4-2 loss. Again, Keifer Quick did the majority of the damage, connecting for a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. In the top of the second, the Warriors threatened, as rookies Mackenzie Strong (Mississauga/) and Nate Snider walked to begin the frame. After veteran backstop Josh Clark (Elliot Lake/) walked to load the bases with nobody out, the Warriors were only able to push one run across, grounding into a double play and striking out to end the threat. Varun Kuo (Mississauga/) remained red-hot at the plate for the Warriors, chipping in with another three hits, as the Warriors managed just four hits in game two.
The Warriors will finish their 10 game road trip this upcoming weekend with two games against the defending champion U of T Varsity Blues, and defending bronze medallists Queens Golden Gaels before returning home for double-headers with Ryerson and Laurentian on October 5th and 6th. Waterloo will look to use their remaining 8 games to prepare for the OUA Championships which run from Oct. 19-21 in Ajax.
