Baseball captures OCAA silver medal

By: Stefan Gerardi
Humber Athletics Communications

TECUMSEH – Humber baseball left Windsor with its second consecutive OCAA silver medal, falling to the St. Clair Saints in the double-elimination final Saturday at Lacasse Park. Despite their stellar defence all season long, the Hawks uncharacteristically made numerous defensive miscues they were able to overcome.

Game One (Humber 6, St. Clair 11)

With Aidan Murphy on the mound and the Hawks coming off 17 straight wins dating back to Sept. 11, the team was looking to avenge last year's squad with a victory over St. Clair to secure their third OCAA Championship in four years. Meanwhile, the St. Clair Saints were looking for a repeat of 2021's gold medal game against Humber to win gold in back-to-back seasons. St. Clair needed to win to force a game two, while a single win for the Hawks would crown them champions.

Humber looked sluggish defensively in the top of the first as St. Clair posted nine runs on seven hits to take a commanding lead. The extra outs forced Aidan Murphy out of the game before he finished the frame, as the Hawks dug themselves into a hole.

The Hawks began chipping away at St. Clair's lead in the bottom of the third. With Hudson Lockwood on third and Aidan Murphy on second, Jaykob Turner smacked a double to left field to cash both runners and chop St. Clair's lead to seven.

 The Saints would regain their nine-run lead in the next half-inning; however, the Hawks wouldn't go away just yet. In the bottom of the fourth, a Tyrus Bath RBI single would cash Justin Groves for the Hawks' third run of the game. Humber would put one more run on the board as Hudson Lockwood would also hit an RBI single to bring Ryan Brodie home.

In the fifth, Jaykob Turner continued his hot day at the plate with a two-run bomb to center to cut the Saints' lead down to five. Turner's four RBIs on the day are his most in a single game this season. The Hawks would continue to put the pressure on offensively, but they could not capitalize any further, leaving two runners on base.

Humber was unable to chip into St. Clair's lead any further and fell to the Saints 11-6. The Saints' victory forced a winner-takes-all game two matchup to crown the 2022 OCAA champion.

Game Two (Humber 4, St. Clair 10)

The Hawks began game two wanting to forget what transpired in their first meeting with the Saints. Only one thing mattered to Humber – win and be crowned OCAA Champions.

The Hawks began the game making a statement by posting the game's first run in the top of the first inning. Jaykob Turner was awarded an RBI fielder's choice cashing Hudson Lockwood to put the Hawks up one run; however, St. Clair would tie the game in their half of the first inning and take a one-run lead in the bottom of the third.

Justin Groves would hit a one-out single in the top of the fourth inning. Two batters later, Tyrus Bath would drive him home after cranking a ball deep into the gap at left-centre field for an RBI stand-up double. Bath's double electrified the Hawks' dugout as the game was now tied at two.

St. Clair would again go ahead by one run in the bottom of the fourth, but Hudson Lockwood would stay perfect in the batter's box and smash a lead-off double to give the Hawks momentum in the top of the fifth. After David Boatto and Aidan Murphy struck out, Jaykob Turner was walked with two outs in the inning. Dylan White would then hit a two-run double to deep right field, putting the Hawks ahead by one and giving them their first lead since the first inning.

Humber's defence would once again be its Achilles heel, allowing the Saints to regain momentum with the defensive miscues. The back-and-forth game continued into the bottom half of the inning as St. Clair would score to tie the game once again. A two-out RBI fielder's choice and double would put the Saints ahead by a score of 6-4. The Saints would add two more to take a four-run lead into the sixth inning. After Humber failed to score, St. Clair posted two more runs in the sixth inning to extend their lead to 10-4.

The Hawks failed to make a miraculous comeback in the seventh inning and were awarded the OCAA silver medal in their loss to St. Clair.

Brandon Deans and Jaykob Turner were named to the all-tournament team.