Thursday, September 2, 2021
2021 Rawlings Grand Slam Softball Championship at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Editor’s Notes
One of the more exciting games thus far in the 2021 Rawlings Grand Slam Softball Championship at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada was the opening day contest between the Sooke Loggers of British Columbia and the AB Grand Prairie Pirates.
Patrick Burns started for the Pirates, while Scott Lieph was in the circle for the Sooke Loggers.
The AB Pirates jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Sooke Loggers had their big inning in the 5th, scoring 3 to tie the game at 4-4, on a 3-run home run by Brian Abrey.
The tie did not last long though, as the Pirates fired back with a single run in the top of the 5th to retake the lead, 5-4.
Heading into the bottom of the 7th, the Pirates needing just 3 outs to seal the victory. They got the first two in order, on a ground-out and strike out. Down, but not out, the Sooke Loggers put two runners aboard with two outs, on a walk and error, setting the stage for the dramatic, come-from-behind, walk-off three run home run by Derek Mayson, giving the Loggers the walk off 7-5 win. Tyson Barkman notched the win, pitching 2 innings in relief, while Burns suffered the tough loss.
The Sooke Loggers are 3-0 heading into Day 3, Saturday, September 4, 2021, giving them a one-game advantage over the AB Grand Prairie Pirates, who defeated the Nith River Monsters on Friday. The tournament continues play through Sunday, with the championship game slated for Sunday morning.
Line Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| SOO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
Recap
BC Sooke Loggers (G) seized victory in dramatic walk-off fashion, thanks to a walk-off home run at the end of the game to topple AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G). BC Sooke Loggers (G) was down 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Derek Mayson homered on a 1-0 count, scoring three runs.
BC Sooke Loggers (G) earned the victory despite allowing AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G) to score three runs in the first inning. AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G)‘s big inning was driven by singles by Keagan Arcand and Patrick Burns and a double by Cory Jones.
AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G) got things moving in the first inning. Jones drove in one when Jones doubled.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, BC Sooke Loggers (G) tied things up at four. Bryan Abrey homered on a 1-2 count, scoring three runs.
Tyson Barkman was the winning pitcher for BC Sooke Loggers (G). The hurler went two innings, allowing one run on one hit, striking out two and walking one.
Burns took the loss for AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G). Burns lasted six and two-thirds innings, allowing six hits and seven runs while striking out eight.
Scott Lieph started the game for BC Sooke Loggers (G). The fireballer went five innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out four
BC Sooke Loggers (G) socked two home runs on the day. Abrey had a homer in the fifth inning. Mayson went deep in the seventh inning.
Abrey led BC Sooke Loggers (G) with two hits in three at bats.
AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G) totaled nine hits in the game. Arcand and Jones each managed multiple hits for AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G). Arcand went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G) in hits.
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Box Score
AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G)more stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brayden Arcand | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cory Jones | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Blair Ezekiel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Keagan Arcand | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Nehaj | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Patrick Burns | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Shayne Milligan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Josh Kinee | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Todd Williams | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travis Head | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bryan Graham | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 29 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
Batting2B: Cory Jones
3B: Cory Jones
TB: Brayden Arcand, Keagan Arcand 3, Patrick Burns, Blair Ezekiel, Cory Jones 5, Scott Nehaj
RBI: Keagan Arcand 2, Patrick Burns, Cory Jones
SAC: Todd Williams
ROE: Brayden Arcand
GIDP: Brayden Arcand
TotalsTeam QAB: 16 (48.48%)
Keagan Arcand 2, Patrick Burns 3, Blair Ezekiel 2, Travis Head 2, Cory Jones 2, Shayne Milligan 2, Scott Nehaj 2, Todd Williams
Team LOB: 7FieldingE: Josh Kinee
BC Sooke Loggers (G)more stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Walushka | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bryan Abrey | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Derek Mayson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Blake Hunter | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kyle Cowick | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Barkman | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Banner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ben Edginton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dean Leyland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jesse Grieve | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jarod Cooper | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Scott Lieph | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 26 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
Batting2B: Kyle Cowick
HR: Bryan Abrey, Derek Mayson
TB: Bryan Abrey 5, Jarod Cooper, Kyle Cowick 2, Derek Mayson 4, Kris Walushka
RBI: Bryan Abrey 3, Derek Mayson 4
SF: Derek Mayson
ROE: Kris Walushka
FC: Tyson Barkman
TotalsTeam QAB: 18 (60.00%)
Bryan Abrey 3, Tyson Barkman 3, Jarod Cooper 2, Kyle Cowick 2, Ben Edginton 2, Blake Hunter 2, Derek Mayson 3, Kris Walushka
Team LOB: 3FieldingE: Dean Leyland
DP: Blake Hunter, Dean Leyland, Derek Mayson
AB Grande Prairie Pirates (G)more stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Burns | 6.2 | 132 | .614 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Totals | 6.2 | 132 | .614 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
PitchingL: Patrick Burns
Pitches-Strikes: Patrick Burns 132-81
Groundouts-Flyouts: Patrick Burns 6-5
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Patrick Burns 15-30
BC Sooke Loggers (G)more stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Lieph | 5.0 | 83 | .590 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Tyson Barkman | 2.0 | 37 | .595 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 7.0 | 120 | .592 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
PitchingW: Tyson Barkman
WP: Tyson Barkman 2, Scott Lieph
Pitches-Strikes: Tyson Barkman 37-22, Scott Lieph 83-49
Groundouts-Flyouts: Tyson Barkman 2-2, Scott Lieph 6-4
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Tyson Barkman 4-9, Scott Lieph 17-24