What has been described as a disappointing and frustrating season, the UNB Baseball Team won a key game Sunday in Moncton against the St. Mary’s Huskies that propelled them into the playoffs..
UNB traveled to Moncton on Sunday, Oct. 1 to meet SMU Huskies there for the completion of a rain suspended game which began on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Beazley field in Dartmouth. The two teams met halfway at Kiwanis Park, as determined by the league officials, to complete the game.
It was to be the final game of the regular season schedule for UNB with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance. The Huskies were the team that UNB must knock out of the final spot for a playoff berth In the four innings of play prior to the rain suspension over a week ago in Dartmouth, the score was tied 1-1. Ryan MacDonald, the starter for UNB, had pitched those four innings giving up only 1 run in the first inning. UNB tied the game in the top of the third when Nick Cameron hit a sac fly to left field, scoring Phil Brown, who had reached base with a leadoff walk in the inning.
Duncan Cronk, starting pitcher for SMU, had given up only 2 hits in four innings, coming off the bats of Jake Waugh and Phil Brown.
Now moving ahead a week to Moncton, we start exactly where we left off, and UNB wasted no time in making a statement. Ryan Corey cracked a leadoff double off the wall in right center off of Cronk, who was back on the mound for the Huskies. Brad Lawson then laid down a sac bunt to move Corey to third, and Nick Cameron drove him home with another sacrifice fly. And so it remained, UNB with a one run lead until the bottom of the seventh, when things got a little scary for UNB.
With Ryan MacDonald unable to make the trip to Moncton on Sunday, coach Mark Clark had given the ball to Steve Somerville to finish this one out on the mound for UNB. St. Mary’s were hitless through 5 and 6, but with one out in the bottom of seven they managed three consecutive singles to load the bases, and the heart of the order coming up! Number three hitter, Craig MacKenzie, then grounded out driving in the tying run and forcing extra innings, and the cleanup man popped out to right field.
The score remained tied at 2 until the top of the ninth when UNB came to bat with the top of the order and leadoff hitter Andrew MacLaggan coming to the plate. Cronk walked MacLaggan, Phil Brown then gave himself up and bunted him into scoring position, bringing Ryan Corey to the plate. With two strikes on him and behind in the count, Corey launched what appeared to be a no doubter over the right field wall. A no doubter it was, problem being, about two feet foul, which in hindsight made little difference as Corey followed that up with a line drive to the gap to score the go ahead, and eventual winning run! For added insurance, Brad Lawson then drew a walk and Cameron put up two more ribbies when he drove both Corey and Lawson home with a single to the gap! Jared Doyle was hit by a pitch and Andrew MacNeill drew a walk to load the bases and that was the end for losing pitcher Duncan Cronk! Richard Hilgart took over for the final two outs, but not before Cameron scored as a result of a throwing error to the catcher on an attempted pickoff. Somerville finished the job by shutting the door in the bottom of the ninth, and earning the pitching win for UNB. Final score, UNB 6 and SMU 2.
The Atlantic Conference semi finals will be a best of three scheduled for next weekend, with the matchups yet to be determined.
At Thompson Field on Saturday, Ryan Corey threw a complete game 3 hit shutout to gain the win on the mound for UNB. And he helped himself offensively with a 2 for 2 performance at the plate with 2 RBI. Also for UNB, Andrew MacLaggan went 3 for 3 with a run scored! Leftie Steve Aube takes the loss on the mound for ABU going the distance, giving up 7 hits and only 2 earned runs. Jake Waugh and Jacob Smith single and scored a run.
In game 2, Nathan Dempster picks up the complete game win for ABU, giving up 4 hits, walking 3, hit 1 batter, and he struck out 1 batter. Tough luck loss on the mound for UNB's Jake Waugh who scattered 7 hits through 7 innings. Waugh walked only 2 and struck out 6, and gave up no earned runs. Serge Vautour had 3 singles for ABU and Steve Bampton had 2 singles, 2 rbi's and a run scored. Andrew MacLaggan, Nick Cameron, Brad Lawson and Phil Brown all singled for UNB