MISSISSAUGA – The Al Bez-era is officially here.
Head Coach Al Bezaire and the Lambton Men’s Baseball Program opened their 2023 OCAA regular season with a pair of six inning wins over the Sheridan Bruins on Saturday afternoon in Mississauga.
The Lions opened the day with a 15-3 win in Game One, thanks in part to an eight run sixth inning. They followed that up with a 10-0 win in Game Two to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Cole Brydges got the ball to start Game One on the mound and he got right to work. He sat down the first three Sheridan batters in order in the bottom of the first to get his season off on the right foot.
However, the offense took some time to get warmed up in the new season. They were held without a hit through the first three innings, giving the home side a chance to build a bit of a lead. The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the second inning before Brydges stranded a runner at third to limit the damage.
In the fourth inning, the Lions offense got some help from the Sheridan pitchers.
Logan Buntrock and Tyler Gould opened the inning with back-to-back singles for their first hits in a Lambton uniform. After Gavyn Vrbos-Clarkson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, it was only a matter of time before the Lions got on the board. Two walks and a wild pitch later, the Lions had a 3-2 lead and showed no signs of looking back.
With Brydges in a groove on the mound, the Lambton lineup continued to be patient and capitalized on mistakes made by the home side. The first five Lambton batters in the fifth inning reached base safely, and the Lions added four runs in the top of the fifth to stretch their lead to 7-2.
The Lions added eight runs in the sixth inning to take a 15-2 lead, putting the wheels in motion for a six-inning mercy rule win. The Bruins got one run back in their half of the sixth, but Brydges held things down from the first pitch and the Lions came away with a convincing 15-3 win.
Brydges went the distance for the second time in his career against the Bruins. He allowed five hits and three runs, two earned, over six innings while striking out seven and walking just one. Buntrock and Gould each scored three runs apiece, while Noah Lester, Eric Steeves, and Gould all picked up a pair of RBIs.
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In Game Two, first-year pitcher Beau Elliott took to the mound for his first start in a Lambton uniform.
The offense continued right where they left off in Game One, putting up a six-spot in the top of the first to give Elliott a cushion early. Buntrock opened the game with a triple to right field, and he later came around to score on a double from Jake Prudom. Lester added the Lions’ second triple of the inning to keep things rolling in the first, and the Lions would send 11 batters to the plate in the frame.
On the mound, Elliott kept the Sheridan offense at bay and off the scoreboard. He would throw five innings of shutout baseball, allowing just five hits while striking out four. He worked his way out of a pair of jams towards the end of his start, one of which was a bases loaded situation where he forced a ground ball to himself to end the inning, and came away with his first win as a Lion.
Reid King came on in relief and pitched a scoreless sixth inning to close out the game.
The duo of Buntrock and Lester paced the offense in Game Two, both racking up a double and triple each while scoring a pair of runs in the process. The bottom of the order (Colby Ferguson, Cody Johnston, and Denver Manning) went a combined 4-for-11 at the dish and scored three runs.
Now, the Lions turn their attention to their home opener on Friday, September 15th. The Centennial Colts come to town for a pair of games under the lights at Errol Russell Park.
First pitch in Game One is set for 5:30 p.m.