BMOC Week III: Achen, Brown, Gallagher, Goodall, Hogg, Howard
Vauxhall Academy alum Ty Penner (Lethbridge, Alta.) pounded out five hits, walked twice, drove in three runs and was hit by a pitch in the three games for the UBC Thunderbirds. Photo: UBC Athletics
February 9, 2022
BMOC Week 3
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
Finally.
The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds returned to the field where they belong.
We’re also starting to see some familiar faces among the BMOC and it’s only week number three. As more teams begin their seasons, more Canadians are out making an immediate impact for their schools.
Let’s take a look around the college baseball scene through a Canadian lens.
The University of British Columbia is back
For the first time since March 8, 2020, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds took the field for a game. The weekend started in dramatic fashion with a 13-9, 12-inning win against Park University Gilbert before a pair of losses to Arizona Christian concluded the week’s slate.
On the mound, Vicarte Domingo (Vancouver, B.C.) earned the team’s first win in almost two years. Domingo worked two innings of relief, allowing a hit, a run, a walk and striking out five.
Shane Laforest (Belle River, Ont.) threw five innings and allowed a pair of runs on two hits with a walk and four strike outs in a 10-4 loss to Arizona Christian.
Ty Penner (Lethbridge, Alta.) pounded out five hits, walked twice, drove in three runs and was hit by a pitch in the three games. In the 10-4 loss, he went 3-for-3 with a solo home run to open the scoring in the top of the first.
Cameron Sanderson (London, Ont.) collected four hits, including a two-run home run in a 12-8 loss to Arizona Christian. He also walked and swiped two bases.
Achen earns Opening Day assignment, named Pitcher of the Week
Lindsey Wilson College turned the ball over to Cohen Achen (Calgary, Alta.) on Opening Day. Achen spun six innings of one run ball in a 6-5 loss to William Carey. He gave up four hits, four walks and struck out seven.
The Mid-South Conference recognized Achen’s strong outing by naming him their Pitcher of the Week.
Brown gets the ball in the opener
The Bobcats of Frontier Community College gave the ball to former Ontario Terrier righty Matt Brown and he turned in five scoreless innings for his first college win. Brown allowed two hits, walked two and struck out nine in a 5-0 blanking of Bevill State.
Toronto Mets alum Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.) started and picked up his first college win for Chipola in their 2-1 victory over Wabash Valley. Photo: Toronto Mets
Howard picks up first win
Sitting 90-92, touching 93 with his fastball, Drew Howard (Whitby, Ont.) made it through 4 2/3 innings of Chipola’s 2-1 win over Wabash Valley. The Toronto Mets grad allowed three hits and one run, while issuing a pair of walks and punching out seven. The effort earned him his first college win.
De Grandpre wins his second
It’s been a good start to the season for Chipola hurler Cedric De Grandpre (St. Simon, Que.). He picked up his second win of the young campaign by working four innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits in an 8-2 victory over Miami Dade. The Arizona State Sun Devil commit walked one and struck out seven.
Hazell handles Lion hitters
Andrew Hazell (Brantford, Ont.) took the ball in Mars Hills series opener against Saint Leo and delivered 5 2/3 innings. Hazell surrendered a pair of unearned runs on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Lions walked away with a 3-2 win.
Goodall gets the ball to open Eagles season
Another Canadian got the ball on Opening Day last weekend. Garrett Goodall (Nanaimo, BC) worked five innings for Embry-Riddle in their opener with Valdosta State. He conceded two runs (one earned) on seven hits and struck out seven.
Langley Blaze alum Holden Cumiskey (Langley, B.C.) enjoyed a three-hit game for Cuesta College. Photo: Langley Blaze/Twitter
Cumiskey with a three-hit game
Holden Cumiskey (Langley, B.C.) produced a 3-for-5 game with three RBIs in Cuesta College’s 13-12, Game 3 loss to Orange Coast. He finished the series, in which Cuesta was swept, with four hits.
Hogg hammers out five hits
After having their first three games of the season cancelled, the Marian University Knights finally began their campaign with a three-game set against Truett McConnell. Outfielder Jackson Hogg (Surrey, B.C.) started things off by going 2-for-4 in a 5-2 loss in Game 1. He went 2-for-4 again in Game 2, a 4-2 win, before closing out the series with a hit and a RBI in a 9-4 loss in Game 3.
Four-game hit streak for Inouye
Adam Inouye (Vancouver, B.C.) is on a four-game hit streak to start the season. In total, he had five hits, walked twice and drove in one as his squad went 1-3 during opening week.
Bloor beats No. 7 Indiana Southeast
It was a contest of ranked NAIA teams when No. 5 Tennessee Wesleyan locked horns with Indiana Southeast last week. Kyle Bloor (Lethbridge, Alta.) came through with four innings of relief for the Bulldogs in a 6-2 win in Game 2. Bloor surrendered just two hits and one run, while walking one and striking out four. The Bulldogs would go on to sweep the series.
Parsons, Takamatsu with big games for the Bronchos
In their season opener, and only game of the week, the University of Central Oklahoma picked up an 8-7 win over in-state foe Oklahoma Baptist.
Jaden Parsons (Vernon, BC) was a home run shy of the cycle as he went 3-for-5 with a two walks and two RBIs.
Garrett Takamatsu (Burlington, Ont.) launched a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the score at six all. When the dust settled he collected a pair of hits, a walk, and was hit by a pitch.
Fieldhouse Pirates alum Caleb Feuerstake (Waterdown, Ont.) had five hits - including a home run - in three games for the McPherson College Bulldogs to begin the season. Photo: McPherson Athletics/Twitter
Feuerstake on fire to begin season
McPherson College got their season underway with a three-game set with Benedictine over the weekend. Caleb Feuerstake (Waterdown, Ont.) put up a 2-for-5 game with a stolen base and a hit by pitch in a 20-6 win in the opener. In Game 2 he chipped in two more hits in a 6-4 loss. Game 3 went the way of Benedictine, but Feuerstake hit a solo home run in the 4-3 defeat.
Kyle MacKinnon (Caledon, Ont.) earned his first win as head coach in the Game 1 win.
Gallagher helps Beavers best MSU Denver
Blake Gallagher (Fredericton, N.B.) made his presence felt in the Minot State Beavers 2-1 series win over Metropolitan State University Denver. Gallagher had a hit and worked a walk in a 14-7 win in Game 1. He followed that up by going 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and three RBIs in an 8-6 victory. Game 3, a 6-5 loss, was another strong showing for the Maritimer as he slashed three hits and drove in two.
Five knocks for Villalobos
It was a tough weekend for the Galveston College Whitecaps as they dropped all three contests, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort from Alfonso Villalobos (Kirkland, Que.). The Academie de Baseball Canada grad collected five hits including a home run in a 7-6 loss to Western Texas. He also walked once and drove in three over the three games.
Four hits for Bucovetsky
Jake Bucovetsky (Toronto, Ont.) flexed his muscle by going 4-for-8 with a walk and two RBIs for Highland Community College in a pair of wins over Clarendon College.
Okotoks Dawgs alum Alejandro Cazorla (Okotoks, Alta.) had four more hits for Bossier Parish Community College this past week. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs
Cazorla keeps hitting
Fresh off being named the Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week, Alejandro Cazorla (Okotoks, Alta.) was back at it last week. Cazorla collected four hits, a pair of RBIs, and stole a base for Bossier Parish Community College. In a 15-2 win over Baton Rouge, he we went 3-for-5 with the two RBIs out of the leadoff spot.
Four games, four hits for Gravel
Alexis Gravel (Montreal, Que.) had a hit in each of Weatherford College’s four games against Seward County. Along with the knocks, Gravel worked four walks, drove in two runs and stole two bases. Weatherford swept the four-game set and are now 7-0 to start 2022.
Fortier the Bulldog of the Week
Three hits, including a double and a triple earned Samuel Fortier (Pointe-Claire, Que.) the honour of Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldog of the Week. The Bulldogs split their two games, beating Missouri Southern 13-6 to open the season, and dropping a 6-4 extra inning game to Pittsburg State.
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Do you know of a player deserving of a mention in the weekly BMOC column? Email Matt Betts at mattbetts@canadianbaseballnetwork.com. Please note that our week runs Monday-Sunday.
Be sure to follow Matt Betts at @Bettsy41 for extensive college baseball coverage all season long.