The Junior Creemore Braves are provincial champions for the first time since 1996, after winning the OBA Junior “C” Championship last weekend in Richmond Hill. Impressively, the team accomplished this feat in its first season of operation, the original Junior team having folded in 1999.
In the first game of the tournament, Creemore beat Ancaster by a score of 8-6. With the Braves up 8-3 after the fifth inning and the bases loaded, starting pitcher Kurt Roy ran into some difficulties for the first time in the game. A base hit by Ancaster scored two runs. After a walk by Roy a pitching change was made. Adam Van der Heyden managed to get out of the inning with only one other additional run scored. In the seventh inning Van der Heyden walked the first batter and then struck out the next three batters to end the game. Dyer Boyne blasted a solo home run to centre field.
Creemore then went on to beat Tillsonburg 12-2 with Liam Jacques getting the win and Kurt Roy and Spencer Beelen hitting home runs.
Creemore handily won their third game, against Cambridge, by a score of 9-2. Luke Weir was the winning pitcher.
With that win the Junior Braves moved to the semi finals, where they defeated Vaughn 10-7. Liam Jacques was the winning pitcher.
The Braves were the only undefeated team heading into the final, a rematch against Tillsonburg. If Tillsonburg won this game, another game would have been needed as Tillsonburg had a loss and it was a double loss knock out.
Tillsonburg took an early 4-0 lead in the first inning. A pitching change brought Dyer Boyne into the game in the second inning, and the Braves were able to hold the score at 4-0. In the sixth inning the Braves scored four runs to tie the game. After seven innings the score remained knotted at 4, sending the championship game to extra innings. Boyne had no trouble shutting down Tillsonburg in the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth the Braves managed to load the bases, and with only one out Ryan Lachappelle hit a single to score Ricky Darrell. The team finished the tournament undefeated.
Congratulations to all the players and coaches for a job well done. A special mention and congratulations to Andy Van der Heyden, who brought the team back to the field this season after a 13-year hiatus.
The Junior Braves’ NDBL playoff series against the Richmond Hill resumed Monday, but unfortunately Creemore lost 15-2 on Monday night in Richmond Hill and 7-2 in Creemore on Tuesday night to end their season.