LONDON, Ont. – The Brock Badgers needed a win Thursday night to make the playoffs. The Western Mustangs, though, were having none of that.
In fact, the Mustangs (13-5) wasted no time whatsoever in ousting their rivals, as the home side erupted for six runs in the first inning and cruised the rest of the way to a 9-2 victory. In doing so, Western kept Brock (9-9) from making the playoffs for the first time in that school’s baseball history – which dates back to 1995.
As a result, the University of Toronto squeaked into the playoffs as the fourth seed, and the Mustangs will host the Varsity Blues in Game 1 of an OUA semi-final series on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Labatt Park.
The Mustangs got to Brock starter Kyle Kelsey immediately in the first inning. Following an Andrew Salmon walk, a Bruce Craine single and a wild pitch advancing both runners, Western catcher Kyle Harris drove in a pair with a single to right. Jonny Kim then notched a one-out RBI single to give the home side an early 3-0 lead.
That prompted Badgers manager Jeff Lounsbury to make an early pitching change, giving the ball to Matt Martinow, who was appearing on just one day’s rest. Martinow didn’t fare much better, as the right-hander gave up three straight singles to Ian Campbell, Andrew Thomson and Paul Lytwynec.
Leading 4-0, the Mustangs scored another two runs on a fielding error by the Brock first baseman and led 6-0 after one inning. When the dust settled, Western had sent 12 batters to the plate and faced three different Brock pitchers in the first inning.
The Mustangs then extended their lead to 9-0 in the second thanks to an RBI from Lytwynec and another Brock fielding error.
“Putting up nine runs in the first two innings was definitely key,” said Craine, Western’s veteran second baseman. “It was something that we talked about before … that we had to come out and treat this like a playoff game. And we did, so I’m real happy about how we ended the regular season.”
The plan was to use the entire bullpen, and Western manager Mike Lumley stuck to it. No. 3 starter Matthew Grasby worked a perfect first inning and then shut it down for the night. The Mustangs then sent Tyler Zimmer, Carlos Cabrero, Robert Charter, Adam Paish, William Cook and Lytwynec out for an inning each. Combined, the seven hurlers allowed just two runs on three hits while walking five and compiling 13 strikeouts.
“Getting up runs was key,” said Lumley. “You relax a little bit, and the pitchers feel a little more relaxed when they come into a game like that.”
Most importantly, Lumley was able to save arms for this weekend’s OUA semi-final series against Toronto, which starts Friday night.
Offensively, the Mustangs finished with 10 hits overall. Thomson went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs, giving him a team-best regular season average of .413 in 18 games. Designated hitter Kim went 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Craine also posted two hits and a walk.
“We needed a game like this to roll into the playoffs on a high note,” Craine said. “We came in with a lot of intensity. We’re rolling right now. I think we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
First pitch for Game 1 of Western’s OUA semi-final matchup against Toronto is tomorrow night, Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Labatt Park.
