COTE ST. LUC, Que. --
Jared Kersh stroked an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning as the McGill University baseball team squeaked past Concordia 2-1 to take sole possession of first place in the CCBA Northern Division at Gary Carter Field, Wednesday.
It marked McGill's 12th consecutive win over the Stingers, including playoffs, over a three-year span, dating back to an 8-7 Stingers conquest in extra innings on Oct. 5, 2015.
Kersh snapped a 1-1 tie when he singled to centre-field on a 1-1 count off Concordia starter
Sam Blondeau, cashing in
Troy Shepherd, who had reached base on a one-out fielding error by third baseman
Tyler Havlena. Shepherd advanced to second base on the play, then moved to third when
Jonathan DuForest singled to centre. After
Emerson Dohm made the second out of the inning by flying out to centre, Kersh stepped up to produce the winning hit.
It was a true pitchers battle with McGill holding a feeble 5-3 advantage in hits. Four McGill pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts and three walks on the day.
Rocky Hroch earned the victory in relief of starter
Zach Finkelstein, throwing just nine pitches. Hroch, the winning pitching in each of the last two national championship gold medal games, pitched a perfect fifth inning, striking out one before giving way to relievers
Sam Greene and then
Andre Lagarde, who recorded the last three outs for the save.
Blondeau took the loss. He went 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out four, walking one and hitter one batsman. Havlena pitched the final 1.1 innings.
Finkelstein lasted four innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out five and walking three.
The five McGill hits came from the bats of Kersh, Duforest,
Domenic DeFelice,
Camden Lawhead and
Michael O'Toole.
McGill (5-2-0) returns to the friendly confines of Gary Carter Field on Thursday (Sept. 13) when they host the Université de Montréal (0-4) at 7:30 p.m.
2018 CANADIAN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
| NORTHERN DIV. |
W |
L |
PCT |
GB |
STRK |
L10 |
| McGill |
5 |
2 |
0.714 |
- |
1W |
5-2 |
| Concordia |
2 |
1 |
0.667 |
1.0 |
1L |
2-1 |
| Carleton |
2 |
1 |
0.667 |
1.0 |
1L |
2-1 |
| Ottawa |
1 |
2 |
0.333 |
2.0 |
1W |
1-2 |
| Montréal |
0 |
4 |
0.000 |
3.5 |
4L |
0-4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ATLANTIC DIV. |
W |
L |
PCT |
GB |
STRK |
L10 |
| Holland College |
4 |
0 |
1.000 |
- |
4W |
4-0 |
| Saint Mary's |
2 |
2 |
0.500 |
2.0 |
2W |
2-2 |
| UNB |
1 |
1 |
0.500 |
2.0 |
1W |
1-1 |
| St Francis Xavier |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
2.0 |
na |
0-0 |
| Acadia |
1 |
3 |
0.250 |
3.0 |
3L |
1-3 |
| Dalhousie |
0 |
2 |
0.000 |
3.0 |
2L |
0-2 |
