WELLAND, Ont. — The McMaster Marauders (1-2, 5^th West) fell short of their OUA Championship hopes as they were eliminated after going 1-2 at the West Regional Round Robin Tournament.

Game 1 vs Brock Badgers

In game one of the West Regional Round Robin, the McMaster Marauders offense exploded, scoring seventeen runs in an electrifying match against the Brock Badgers (1-2, 3^rd West).

The Marauders were on fire, scoring eleven runs on eight hits through the first three innings. The Badgers would respond with multiple strong innings where they would score nine unanswered runs, bringing the game to within two.

The maroon gained the momentum back with a clutch two-out hit from Matthew Underwood (Hamilton, Ont.) scoring Nicolas Velocci (Newmarket, Ont.) and extending the lead to 12-9. The Marauders would feed off that energy and bring in three more runs in the inning bringing the score to 15-9. The maroon never looked back, earning the 17-11 victory.

Velocci was a difference maker for the Marauders, going 2-5 with two RBIs and five runs. Along with Velocci, Anthony Polowick (London, Ont.) had a determined effort in the game. Polowick went 4-6 driving in four runs and scoring three runs.

Game 2 vs Guelph Gryphons

In game two of the West Regional Round Robin, the McMaster Marauders looked to continue their three-game winning streak. The Marauders outscored their last three opponents by a combined score of 38-15 and looked to continue that streak on Friday against the Guelph Gryphons (2-0, 2^nd West).

The Gryphons took over early, scoring eight runs in the third inning. They would add another run in the fourth inning, before Polowick singled which brought home Justin White (Ancaster, Ont.). The Marauders offense was mostly stymied for the rest of the game as they only mustered five hits in the game.

Rookie Marauder, Maclean Van Ray (Hamilton, Ont.) was a bright spot for the maroon as he went 2-3 with an RBI on the day. The maroon would fall 13-2 to the Gryphons.

Semi-Final vs Brock Badgers

In the West Regional semi-final, the McMaster Marauders took on the Brock Badgers on Saturday morning in a rematch that would set up the winner to face Guelph in the West Regional final.

The Marauders would start with a two-run inning claiming early momentum. The Badgers would respond with a run of their own in the second inning, bringing the score to 2-1. The teams each took a turn scoring before the Marauders busted the game open with a huge two-run single by White which extended the lead to 5-2 Marauders.

The Badgers battled back with three straight productive innings that put the Badgers in the lead by one heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Marauders sent the game to extra innings with a clutch hit by Jackson McQuade (Toronto, Ont.) that scored Lucas Grant (Fonthill, Ont.).

The Marauders would ultimately allow two runs on the board in the 10^th inning that they were unable to match, falling 8-6 to the Badgers and ending their 2024 season.