AJAX, ONT -- The two-time defending OUA champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks scored early and often en route to a convincing 6-1 semifinal victory over McGill on the final day of the Canadian National Invitational Baseball Tournament, at the Ajax Sportsplex, Sunday.

But it was all for naught as heavily-favoured WLU saw their 9-0-1 undefeated streak snapped with a stunning 2-1 setback to Guelph in the gold medal game. The Gryphons went 5-0 in the tourney, while Laurier was 4-1.

McGill, which had won five consecutive CCBA national titles before the league was disbanded over the summer, ended up third in the tournament with a 2-2 record. McMaster finished fourth (1-3), followed by Acadia and Concordia, who tied for fifth with identical 0-3 records.

In the McGill-Laurier matchup, the 'Hawks had an 8-5 edge in hits. They scored one run in the bottom of the first, added another in the third and three more in the fourth. Both teams scored once in the sixth inning.

Laurier starter Austin Hassani tossed an 88-pitch complete game for the win. In seven innings, he allowed one run on five hits, striking out four and walking one.

McGill starter Thomas Mienkowski took the loss. He lasted five innings, allowing six hits and five runs (four earned), while striking out 10 and walking five. Sam Greene mopped up in the final inning, allowing one run on two hits.

Ryley Davenport and Drey Sloat each managed two hits to lead Laurier's offence.

Five different players had hits for McGill, led by Emerson Dohm, who went 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Jared Kersh went 1-for-3 and scored one run. Pierre-Olivier Avoine was 1-for-2 with a walk.

Pierre-Olivier Avoine, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound shortstop was McGill lone representative on the all-tournament team. The 20-year-old mining engineering freshman batted .545, produced four runs batted and scored three times as McGill posted a 2-2 record. Avoine, who transferred from Galveston College, batted 6-for-11, with a double, three walks, a sacrifice fly and a pair of stolen bases. He had a .600 on-base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage.

McGill concluded their independent schedule with a 19-16 record overall, including a 15-9 mark against Canadian collegiate opponents.

BOXSCORE

TOURNAMENT RESULTS & STATS

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
1B: Nathan McCarthy, Acadia
2B: Chad Meyer, Laurier
3B: Luke Whitehouse, Guelph
SS: Pierre-Olivier Avoine, McGill
OF: Ryley Davenport, Laurier
OF: Matthew Gravelle, Guelph
OF: Ryan Freemantle, Guelph
DH: Ethan Duggan, Laurier
P: Austin Hassani, Laurier