Entering the weekend with hopes of advancing into the OUA Final Four, the Warriors were unable to secure both victories in their pair of must-win games this weekend. A truncated regional playoff structure saw the Western Mustangs advance to represent the OUA West after defeating Laurier and Waterloo following Waterloo's win over the Lancers.
After Saturday's rain forced the initial round-robin style tournament into a one-day, three-game playoff, mandating a pair of wins to survive, the Warriors were set to spar off against the Windsor Lancers. What ensued was a seven-inning pitching duel for the ages. Waterloo's
Evan Morrison (Sebringville/) put on a show, going five and two-thirds strong. He put up five zeros before Windsor scored an unearned run in the sixth inning.
Morrison relied on eight ground outs and six flyouts, the 14 in-play outs were the most for him this season, allowing him to toss just 78 pitches through his five and two-thirds innings. He retired 68% of the batters he faced in fewer than four pitches and struck out three.
His postseason performance tied a bow on an awe-inspiring rookie season both on the mound and at the plate. His value and remarkable talent were highlighted when
Jorden Carthy (Elmira/) came on in relief and rather than returning to the dugout, Morrison trotted out to second base to finish the game there.
But before Morrison shifted to second, in the top of the fifth, he was called to hit when Waterloo chose to sacrifice their designated hitter. Evan notched a single that sent
Tyler Sayers (Sault Ste. Marie/) to third, having already reached on a single of his own. Soon after, a passed ball would plate Sayers to put the Warriors up by one and score the first run of the game.
Jordan Carthy shut the door in relief to complete the sixth and didn't stop there. He'd continue to throw a scoreless seventh, although, not without a little help from his first baseman,
Chris Iltshishin (Kitchener/), whose unbelievable catch saved not only a run, but the game. It was just one of the plays that culminated in a day of defensive wizardry for him at first base. Between Chris and Carthy, the game was headed to extras, tied at one.
Regulations placed runners at both first and second to open the eighth and the Warriors chose to capitalize.
Justin Sargeson (Kitchener/) led the inning off with a walk to load the bases. That forced Windsor to the phone for their first call to the bullpen, removing starter Zach Mann after seven scoreless. A fresh arm posed no challenge for the Warriors. Jordan Carthy and
Varun Kuo (Mississauga/) drew back-to-back walks to score a pair of runs, the Warriors' first since the fifth. Though, they weren't done yet.
Mackenzie Strong stepped to the plate, hungry for more. Strong worked the count full before obliterating a baseball, sending a line drive into the Lancers' bullpen to catapult the Warrior over Windsor 7-1. Strong's slam made a strong statement in front of Western, who awaited Waterloo in game two. Strong was greeted at home plate by his electrified Warriors teammates.
Jordan Carthy was out yet again to throw the bottom of the eighth, and despite allowing one run to score, closed the game out, setting the table for a decisive game against Western, with the regional championship at stake.
Game two saw
Jake Roberts (Scarborough/) atop the mound. Roberts was strong through his first two innings, denying them a hit, despite navigating a few walks. The Warriors got on the board right away thanks to a
Liam Sutherland (Stoney Creek/) solo home run to left-center in the bottom of the first, giving Roberts a lead.
The Mustangs were sharper their second time through the lineup. Their first five hitters reached base in the top of the third. Roberts would allow a pair of singles before
Stephen Gade (Guelph/) came in on relief to try to shut things down. However, Western wasn't phased. They continued to pile on, running the score up to 4-1, which prompted Waterloo to swap Gade for
Jacob English (London/). Another few base runners would score a run and force Nick Levinski in, the Warriors' fourth pitcher of the inning, who induced a strikeout to end the inning.
The Warriors answered their 5-1 deficit with noise. Their first four batters reached base in the inning, ultimately scoring a pair to bring them within two. Western quickly negated those runs in the top of the fourth, and threatened to score more, before
Justin Robinson (Victoria/) came on and promptly got a ground ball to turn two and end the inning with Western ahead 7-3.
The Warriors would go quietly in the bottom of the frame, but pick up a pair in the fifth when, yet again,
Liam Sutherland (Stoney Creek/) mashed a double to score
Varun Kuo (Mississauga/) and
Evan Morrison (Sebringville/).
Justin Robinson (Victoria/) would throw another two innings to finish his day with two and two-thirds, allowing only a walk and a hit, holding the Mustangs at seven, ahead by two through the top of the sixth.
The Warriors would hit a pair of doubles in the bottom of the sixth, putting some pressure on Western, however would be unable to actualize anything. Jordan Carthy came on to pitch the seventh, unphased by his nearly three innings in game one. Western would add some padding in the top of the seventh with a single unearned run to push their lead to 8-5.
Waterloo went quietly in the bottom of the seventh. It would be the first and only inning in which they weren't able to generate a baserunner, ending their season and sending the Mustangs to the OUA semifinals as the western representative.
The Warriors would like to extend their gratitude to all those who supported our organization this year. Despite falling short of our ultimate goal of winning an OUA Championship, we are extremely excited and optimistic about what the future holds for our organization. We'll see you next year - Go Black and Gold!
