Historic day for Deans as Baseball sweeps Lambton

By: William Shoukri
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – On an unusually warm October day, Humber (11-2, 2nd OCAA) showed its dominance, sweeping the visiting Lambton Lions (7-5, 4th OCAA). Humber took the first game 5-4 in extra innings, as Caleb Eguren walked it off for the Hawks with an RBI single. Brandon Deans was the story of game two; the fourth-year pitcher threw the second perfect game in program history and became Humber's all-time leader in strikeouts. 

Game One (Humber 5, Lambton 4 - 8 innings) 

Humber came out steady in the first game. Aidan Murphy would get the start on the mound for the Hawks, and he earned it, retiring the first three batters with a fly out, a ground out, and a strikeout to send the Hawks on offence. The Humber bats were dialled at the dish right away. With two men on and two outs, Murphy would hit a single, scoring David Boatto to put Humber up one. 

Humber's defence would start to struggle slightly in the third, allowing a steal before Lambton would score on a wild pitch. Not to be outdone, though, the offence would get two men on base before another Murphy single would score David Boatto once again. The run would put Humber ahead, 2-1. 

The Lions would come out hot to start the fourth, loading the bases quickly. Lambton would score two runs off of a Logan Buntrock double. Maxim Skoropadsky would come in to replace Murphy, shutting the door defensively in the fifth inning. Humber would tie the game 3-3 in the fifth inning, with Caleb Eguren scoring on an extra base hit from red-hot Justin Groves. 

Thanks to a shutout inning from Skoropadsky, Humber would have a chance to walk it off in the seventh. Lambton refused to give an inch, though, with left fielder Brayden Taylor robbing the Hawks with a diving catch. 

Down 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Humber would face a do-or-die scenario. With runners on first and second, Caleb Eguren would smash a walk-off single to right field, scoring Xavier Whittle to win the game for the Hawks. 

Game Two (Humber 11, Lambton 0 - 5 innings) 

Ace Brandon Deans toed the rubber in game two, chasing the all-time Humber strikeout record. The Humber bats came out hot, scoring four quick runs in the first, thanks to back-to-back doubles from Justin Groves and Aidan Murphy. Murphy would score shortly after off a Ryan Brodie sacrifice fly. 

With Humber up 4-0, Deans was hot when he returned to the mound, striking out his first three batters consecutively. 

Humber rewarded Deans' effort with a huge offensive second inning. The Hawks loaded the bases twice and scored four runs. Deans was the story tonight though, as he once again struck out his first three batters, increasing his total to six on the day and ending the inning before Lambton could put donuts on their bats.

Deans wouldn't stop there, though, as the pitcher would return for the fourth and set the new career strikeout record, collecting his 79th strikeout.

With an 11-run lead in the fifth inning, Deans had a chance to make his afternoon even more historic. The Mississauga native struck out the side for the fourth consecutive inning and recorded the second perfect game in program history.

Brandon Deans makes history. 

Deans made some comments after his perfect game, remarking how he has been focusing on his health after a long summer with Guelph (IBL).

"My focus now is on trying to help this team win a championship". 

After a second-place finish last year, Deans and the Hawks look to grab gold in 2023 finally. The Mississauga native wants to become one of the best pitchers in the program's history. 

Humber Highlights 

• Needing to face only 12 batters to reach ten punchouts, Deans broke Hall of Famer Steven Hough's program record of 78 career strikeouts.
• Brandon Deans joins James Byrnes (2014 vs. Seneca) as the only pitchers in program history to throw a perfect game. 
• Over his last four games, Justin Groves has recorded eight hits - including five for extra bases.
• Aidan Murphy needs four more RBIs to become Humber's all-time leader in runs batted in. 
• Humber improves to 9-0 all-time against the Lions and now has three no-hitters against Lambton.

What's Next?

Humber baseball will travel to Ajax to face Centennial (7-8, 7th OCAA) on Friday, October 6. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 pm.