HAMILTON - After failing to win a game at last year's West Regional, the McMaster Marauders baseball team made its mark on home field this past weekend. Despite a loss in a high-scoring, back-and-forth opener, the hosts ultimately earned a bye to the final against Brock. The Hamilton squad was in tough until the fifth frame in that rematch with the Badgers, but
Ethan Seymour's two-run blast therein gave the Marauders a lead they wouldn't relinquish, ultimately earning the right to play at their home field for an OUA title. The hosts will be in tough against Toronto in their semifinal, but will look to put on a show for the home crowd come first pitch on Friday.
McMaster vs Toronto - OUA Semifinal
Hosted by McMaster Marauders
Bernie Arbour Stadium | Hamilton, Ont.
October 13th, 2023 - 10AM
The host Marauders and Varsity Blues will be joined by the Carleton Ravens and Waterloo Warriors as each team battles it out for the 2023 OUA Baseball Championship title.
Justin White, an Ancaster, Ont. local, was the West Qualifier leader with a .600 batting average and contributed six hits for McMaster over the weekend. The second-year shortstop majoring in environment and society, White was seemingly always on base, registering six hits and a .714 on-base percentage. He also chipped in with his glove, making several key plays in the Marauders' three games to help his side secure a coveted berth at the OUA Championship.
Outside of McMaster, each team has taken their own path to championship weekend.
Carleton proved to be the comeback kids in their Far East Regional final, when they came back to defeat the defending OUA champions on Sunday. Trailing 5-0 heading into the home half of the sixth, the host Ravens notched 10 runs down the stretch, including eight in the decisive eighth inning alone. It was a team effort to get the job done, with all but one Ravens player registering at least a hit, including the No. 8 and 9 hitters combining to go 6-for-8 with three RBIs and two runs scored in the finale. The 2021 silver medalists will look to keep the collective effort rolling as part of the final four combatants this weekend, and eye a step up the podium following that second-place finish two years back
The Toronto offence was on another level in the Central Qualifier, as the Blues blasted 61 runs across their four regional games. They twice reached the 20-run plateau while flexing their offensive muscle, with a few of their key offensive cogs – Lemuel Beach (5 RBIs), Sam Aslanowicz (2 RBIs, 3 R), Kekatos (3 RBIs, 3 R) – taking centre stage in their 23-7 championship win over TMU. The depth of the Toronto lineup proved to be too much for the opposition to handle during the regionals, and they'll look to pair that with potent performances on the mound to lock up their third conference championship since 2017.
For a second straight season, the Waterloo Warriors are championship-bound, having scraped and clawed their way past a Far West Qualifier gauntlet to punch their ticket once again. The offence was on display all weekend, reaching double-digit runs in three of their four games and coming up clutch when it mattered most. First baseman Misa anchored much of the heroics, but the likes of Morrison, Jayden Kemp, and company make for a tall test for any opposing pitcher. The reigning fourth-place finishers will hit the Bernie Arbour Stadium field eyeing not only a semifinal win on Friday, but a championship to close out the OUA finale.
