COTE ST. LUC, Que -- Designated-hitter
Sasha Lagarde of Pierrefonds, Que., had three hits and three RBIs, while two McGill pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout as the Redmen skunked Ottawa 10-0 to sweep a playoff doubleheader at Gary Carter Field in Trudeau Park on Saturday.
McGill, which won the opening game 11-1, took the CCBA Northern Division semifinal series 2-0 and extended their win streak over the Gee-Gees to eight consecutive games since a 7-4 loss to Ottawa on Sept. 10, 2016.
The Redmen will confront second-place Carleton next weekend for the division championship. The Ravens also swept their semifinal series, defeating third-place Concordia 4-2 and 4-0.
McGill scored once in the first inning, added three more in the third and another six runs in the fifth, which led to the "mercy rule" being deployed.
Lagarde, a six-foot, 220-pound education sophomore who bats lead-off, went 3-for-4, scored a pair of runs and stole two bases. His twin brother
Andre Lagarde was 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs and a run scored.
McGill collected 11 hits with sophomores
Jonathan Duforest of Kirkland, Que., and
Jared Kersh of South Salem, N.Y., both contributing two hits apiece.
McGill right-handed starter
Henry Dennis, who also pitched one inning of relief in the first game, allowed one hit over four innings of work for the victory. The history junior from Scarborough, Ont., walked three and struck out three
Thomas Mienkowski, an economics sophomore from Toronto, came on in relief, walking one, striking out two in one inning of work.
The lone bright spot for the Gee-Gees was
Chris Shute, who broke up the no-hitter bid with a single in the fourth inning and finished 1-for-2 at the plate.
Ottawa starter
Anselmo Seloterio took the loss. He lasted four innings, allowing 10 hits and nine earned runs while striking out three, walking two and hitting one batter.
McGill improved to 29-5-1 overall, inluding 18-0 in regular season play and 2-0 in the post-season. The defending three-time national champs will be looking for their fourth consecutive league pennant when they host Carleton in a doubleheader, tentatively slated for Saturday, Oct. 14 at 12 noon and 3 p.m. If a rubber match is needed, it is expected to be held in the nation's capital on Oct. 15
LINK TO CCBA WEBSITE & SCOREBOARD
