First tournament, first championship
The Farm from Dundas County won the Smiths Falls Minor Wooden Bat Tournament on Sun., July 21. The champions are front from left, Brody Buttivant, Reed McCadden, Wyatt Williams, Emmett Lemire and Wyatt Bowers. Middle from left, Beckett Campbell, Kaleb Cunningham, Donovan Shaver, Holden Porteous, Liam Barton, John Nadobny and Luke Larussa. Back from left, coaches – Brian Shaver, Clarence Holmes, Josh Larussa and head coach – Kevin Williams. Courtesy photo
SMITHS FALLS—The newly formed baseball team from Dundas County, The Farm, travelled to the Smiths Falls’ Wooden Bat Tournament on the weekend of July 19-21. They were comprised of the two minor Sox teams from Winchester and Williamsburg Minor Pioneers. The Farm opened the tournament against Pembroke Pirates and lost a squeaker 4-3. Scoring for the Farm were Donovan Shaver, Reed McCadden and Holden Porteous.
The Farm followed up the loss to the Pirates with a 13-2 win over the Smiths Falls’ Bears. Scoring for the Farm were Shaver, McCadden, and Kaleb Cunningham with two runs each, Luke Larussa, Beckett Campbell, Emmett Lemire, Wyatt Bowers, Wyatt Williams, Porteous and John Nadobny.
In their third game of the tournament, the Farm took on Ottawa South and blew them out 15-2. Scoring the runs were Bowers with three, Larussa, Campbell and Lemire with two each and Shaver, McCadden, Liam Barton, Porteous, Williams and Cunningham.
Championship game
The Farm made it to the championship game but it was going to be a tough one as they faced the team that beat them in the tournament opener, the Pembroke Pirates. The Farm went three up and three down in the top of the first inning but their defence held the Pirates at bay in the bottom of the inning. The Farm only got four to the dish in the top of the second, leaving one on second base.
The Pirates opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead into the third inning. The Farm’s bats were just not working early in this game as they only managed to get four to the dish again in the top of the third inning, none of which made it home.
The Pirates took advantage scoring three runs in the bottom of the third taking a 4-0 lead. The Farm went three up and three down in the top of the fourth inning being shutout through four innings. The Farm’s defence allowed just three Pirate batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth but trailed 4-0 heading into the fifth inning.
The Farm got to within three, scoring a single in the top of the fifth inning but the Pirates cancelled that run out with a single of their own and took a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning. The Farm’s bats came to life in the final inning letting loose a five run top of the sixth taking a 6-5 lead.
All the Farm had to do was hold the Pirates off the score sheet for a victory in their first ever tournament and they did, allowing just three batters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth as they hung on for a dramatic 6-5 victory.
Scoring the runs for the Farm were Campbell with two, McCadden, Larussa, Brady Buttivant and John Nadobny. The tournament awards went to the Farm’s Lemire for the top defensive player and Reed McCadden for the top offensive player.
