Chepstow goes undefeated
Ontario team wins Canadian under-18 fastpitch championship
Chepstow Lang Farms had just been presented with the 2017 Canadian under-18 male fastpitch championship trophy Sunday afternoon, when coach Greg Fischer invited his team to home plate for a special dedication.
The Ontario One team had already dedicated their tournament to the late father of one of their players. Bruce Bell passed away Aug. 11, just days before Chepstow left for P.E.I.. He was the father of Logan Bell, the tournament’s all-star second baseman.
After the presentation, the team gathered to dedicate the trophy to Bruce Bell, too.
“It became a focal point, a rallying cry, for everybody,” Coach Fischer said in describing the impact Bruce Bell’s death had on the team. “Everybody wanted to remember him; he was a big supporter of the team for three years.
“It was very important to everybody, and to all of us. It was for him. That was the bottom line.”
Chepstow rolled through the tournament undefeated, picking up six round-robin wins and then two crossover wins on a rain-soaked Saturday, before coming up against Napanee, Ont., on Championship Sunday. It was their only game of the day, and Napanee’s third. The Napanee Express, fourth in the black pool at 3-3 (wonlost), picked up two wins on Saturday, and then scored wins of 6-2 over Nova Scotia and 3-0 over Prince Albert, Sask., on Sunday to reach the afternoon final.
Another Ontario team, Caledonia Haldimand Athletes, finished 6-0 in their pool, but lost two straight playoff games Saturday and were eliminated.
Host P.E.I., as well as Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland were scheduled to play a consolation round, but the rain knocked those games right out of the schedule. Chepstow had posted Saturday wins over the two Saskatchewan teams – 8-1 over Prince Albert and 5-1 over the Delisle Pride – and its undefeated record sent them right to Sunday’s championship game.
They started their march to the title with a run in the second, and then pounded the ball around in the third, scoring four more runs en route to a 5-0 victory. “Three games on Sunday is tough for any team, and it’s nice to see them battle all the way through,” said Jamie Thompson, an Express coach. He added the team got a good day out of their ace, Riley Manion.
”He kept us in every game and gave us the chance to win, and the guys scored some runs when they needed to,” added Thompson.
Manion was pulled in the third inning of the championship game after Chepstow scored two runs, and had two more runners on with no outs. Brighten Marcell took over and got two outs, before a Logan Tolton triple drove in runs four and five.
Cole Pavey pitched a complete game for Chepstow, and was named playoff most valuable player.
He allowed four hits while striking out six of the 25 batters he faced.
Top batters were Owen Torrie (2-2, two runs scored), Mac Fischer (1-3, run scored two RBIs), Noah Baker (1-3, run scored) and Robbie Black (1-3). Mac Mulvey, Tyronne Jenkins, Andrew Tucker and Finn Pierce registered Napanee’s only hits against Pavey.
It might not be the last time fastpitch fans see Chepstow at the under-18 nationals.
“If they want it, the whole bunch of them, they could be back next year,” said Fischer.