MONTREAL – Starting pitcher
Hugues Marineau had three hits, drove home a pair of runs and scored twice as the UQTR Patriotes outlasted McGill 10-8 to capture the deciding game of the Quebec University Baseball League Championship Series, Saturday, at Parc Giuseppe-Garibaldi in St. Leonard, located in Montreal's east-end.
The teams had split the first two games in a doubleheader on Thursday, with UQTR winning 8-6 in the opener and McGill bouncing back with a 14-4 victory in the nightcap.
In the rubber match, visiting UQTR jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning and cruised to a 10-1 advantage midway through the fourth. But the Redbirds clawed back with five runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh. McGill had a chance to win it in the team's last at bats, loading the bases with two outs before
Sacha Remillard struck out to end the rally.
Graduating catcher
Chris Bodine homered in his final plate appearance to lead off the seventh inning. He sparked the Redbirds offence with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, scoring twice and collecting a pair of runs batted in. Other multi-hit performances came from third baseman
Evan Dunne (2/2, 1 RBI, 2 R) and right-fielder
Alessandro Perreault (2/4, BB, RBI, R).
Marineau was credited with the win for the Patriotes. He lasted 5.1 innings and conceded six earned runs on seven hits, walked four, hit two batters and struck out six. McGill starter
Henri Boudreau struggled and took th loss. He lasted only 1.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on six hiits. He walked none and struck out one,
It was an impressive title for UQTR, which posted an 11-0 record in regular season play and finished at 11-2 overall. The Pats are a new program in the four-team Quebec league, which was operating this season as a pilot project under the watchful eye of the RSEQ. A fifth team, Laval, is expected to join the league next season, which would then result in it being formally adopted by the RSEQ conference.
McGill posted a 15-11 overall record under new head coach and field manager
Chris Haddad. The Redbirds were second in the league with a 6-5 record, then swept Concordia in the best-of-three semifinal series before falling to UQTR in the finals. Despite losing two of three to the Pats, McGill outscored them 28-22 in the final series.
Three McGill seniors are expected to graduate, including
Chris Bodine (BA; economics), pitcher
Eugene Lee (BSc; microbiology & immunology) and pitcher
Evan Dunne (BCom; finance).
BOXSCORE
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL:
514-983-7012
E-MAIL:
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
