Hamilton Yards, ONTARIO- In a clash of Tier 3 heavyweights battling for sole possession of third place, the SweatSox emerged victorious over the Aylmer Bulldogs 6-3 on Thursday night at the Nepean Sportsplex, riding timely hitting, gritty pitching, and just enough defense to pull it off.
Both teams came into the contest with matching 8-6 records, knowing the winner would sit alone in third place while the loser slid to fourth. It was a back-and-forth affair early on between two evenly matched clubs, but it was the shorthanded SweatSox—playing with just nine bodies—who found a way to break through late.
The SweatSox opened the scoring in the first inning, capitalizing on a wild pitch to bring Eric White across the plate. The Bulldogs responded in the third with two runs, thanks in part to three consecutive SweatSox errors by infielders Nick Henderson, Cory Bond, and White.
“It wasn’t pretty there for a minute,” admitted SweatSox starter Josh Ramage. “But hey, my ma, pa, and nephew were finally here to watch me pitch for the first time in decades—so I wanted to dedicate this one to them. Even if they did bail after that three-error inning, I still appreciates their support.”
The turning point came in the sixth when Steve Brown once again delivered the knockout blow: a clutch two-strike two-run double to the gap that broke a tense 4-3 game wide open.
“The SweatSox should really be paying me to show up, not the other way around,” cracked Brown postgame, after giving his team the cushion they needed.
From there, Eric White closed the door in the seventh, striking out two in a clear non-save situation to secure the SweatSox win.
“I’m back,” White declared simply, after a night where he went 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored, three stolen bases, and his usual swagger.
As expected, Mike Pignat also contributed, going 2-for-3 with a walk and scoring twice. “I think I’m going to take a few weeks off after this,” joked Pignat. “Let these guys figure out how to score runs without me. I can’t keep carrying the load.”
Meanwhile, Cory Bond might not have recorded an official at-bat, but he still managed to be the sweatiest player on the field, drawing three walks on just 13 pitches. Bulldogs reliever Adam Eriksson could only shake his head. “Bad scouting report on our part,” Eriksson confessed. “We thought that was Mark Bond up there, not Cory.”
Defensively, the highlight belonged to Trevor Williams, who set the tone right away by chasing down a deep fly ball in the gap, on the run, off the bat of leadoff hitter Willem Nadon in the very first inning.
“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Williams said. “I’m just happy I didn’t let Josh down.”
On the Bulldogs’ side, Cedric Veilleux later ripped a leadoff double to the track in the third for the game’s longest hit. Samuel—our Phil Leduc’s “son from another hun”—had two of Aylmer’s five hits, while Noah Eriksson added a pair as well. Shortstop Caden Provost anchored the Bulldogs defensively with an impressive five assists and four putouts. And starter Philippe Rollin was sharp through three innings, yielding just one run on three hits before turning it over to the bullpen.
With the victory, the SweatSox improve to 9-6 to hold third outright, while the Bulldogs slip to 8-7 and into fourth. The SweatSox will return to action in a few weeks on Thursday, July 17, when they face the Coyotes at Kinsmen. First pitch is slated for 6:10 p.m.
Final SweatSox vs Bulldogs Notes/Thoughts:
- Dr. Phil in a Nationals uniform on Independence Day was just a coincidence.
- When an outfielder says back, that does not mean run sideways.
- Trevor scoring from 2nd on a bunt single is pretty impressive for anyone not named Trevor. For him: routine.
- Josh was not calling timeout for Cory after a tough high fly ball catch, but for the Bulldogs catcher to get a 2-out runner.
- Thanks to Steve Brown’s dad, Mr. Brown, for helping us with our score-book in this one.
- Where do the 4 tarps go at the Splex? The 4 bases?
- The start of a 17 run comeback starts with 1.
- Cory doesn’t need a new glove because he’s never playing defense again.
- Larry wins Game MVP for playing all 7, well, all 6.5.
- Phil hasn’t had nut on his back since his college days.
- Of course it was Trev who nailed the can flip, square on the parking line.
- Fair season is coming up, so there are plenty of goats available for “acquisition”.
- Mike just wanted to reward the pitcher for throwing over 69 times.
- Trevor is a franchise changer.
- Both Steve and Mike are aware of Ms. January, but are not part of the Inuit brotherhood.
- Gluten free Lucky Charms: Invent it.
- How is it possible to have not seen Home Alone, even by accident, by now?
- We really missed “Babs”, who was at the cottage for this one.
#WONTHEHYJINX