Aug 22, 2023 | Trevor Russwurm | 93 views
18U OBA Semi-Finalists in Provincial Championships
The Mitchell Quadro Communications 18U OBA Astros competed in the OBA 'A' Provincials this past weekend, compiling a record of 3-2 and reaching the semi-finals before being eliminated by the Simcoe Giants. It was a remarkable achievement for this age group, having never competed higher than 'C' at this event.
The locals learned pre-tournament that Mitchell had drawn a first round bye, and would face Sault Ste. Marie Black Sox in round two on Fri Aug 18th in St Marys. Starter Luke Murray went the distance on the mound, striking out six and leading the Astros to an opening 5-4 victory. Mitchell struck early in the opening inning, as Dawson Dietz walked and came around to score on Jack Small's RBI double. Kellen Russwurm struck the big blow in the top of the third with a two-run triple into the right field corner, then scoring on Joel Meinen's base hit. Russwurm tripled again down the line in the fifth inning, and was driven in on Will Korver's RBI groundout. Kale & Luke Murray would each also cross the plate.
Game two was the one to forget about, as the Astros were dumped 11-1 on Saturday morning by eventual provincial champion Cambridge Cubs. Luke Murray would score the lone run for Mitchell driven in by Small.
Regrouping for Saturday afternoon and facing elimination, head coach Kory Dietz turned to staff ace Kale Murray and he delivered, going the distance for a 2-0 shutout victory over the LDBA-leading London Talons and eliminating them from the tournament. Leadoff hitter Murray would also score the game's first run, scoring on Jarrett Van Bakel's sac fly in the first inning after drawing an opening walk. Mitchell would add an insurance run in the fourth as Russwurm walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Small's RBI single.
Continuing to face elimination with every step, Mitchell faced the Thornhill Cardinals on Saturday evening at National Stadium, and the bats suddenly caught fire. Leadoff batter Kale Murray set the pace by belting a first pitch triple to the centre field wall, and the Astros rolled heavy from opening pitch to an 11-1 victory. Starter Keegan Priestap would go the distance for Mitchell, setting them up perfectly for available pitching the next day. Three teams would remain, leading to a draw for the bye to the final. Cambridge would win the draw, leading to Mitchell vs Simcoe on Sunday morning.
A scary moment took place in the opening inning, as catcher Luke Murray tumbled into the concrete stairwell of the Simcoe dugout chasing a foul popup. Visibly shaken, Murray was removed from the game and taken to local hospital with minor injuries, treated, and released. In true Murray fashion, he got back to the game as quickly as he could to support his teammates. Concern for their teammate undoubtedly a distraction, Mitchell gave up three runs early to Simcoe, and another pair later on and were unable to mount any offense of their own falling 5-0.
Coaching staff and parents are extremely proud of this group having competed at this level!
A fond farewell to Mitchell Minor Baseball graduates Kale Murray, Luke Murray, Dawson Dietz, Will Korver, and Cole Hannon as they all completed their last year of 18U eligibility. We wish them well going forward!