BMOC Week 4

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Week four of the BMOC was filled with action. From great pitching performances to high octane offence, this past week showcased some of Canada's top talent. Check out below to see what went on in the world of college baseball through a Canadian lens.

UBC splits with No. 19 LCS

It was a tough task for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds over the weekend as they travelled to NAIA No. 19 Lewis Clark State. They came away with a split in the four-game series. Freshman Adam Maier (North Vancouver, BC) was strong in relief in a 9-5 Game 3 victory. He picked up his fist win by tossing five innings, allowing three hits and one run. Lewis Clark State managed one free pass and struck out five times. Not only did Maier pitch well, he also chipped in four hits in the series.

Jake Lanferman (Sherwood Park, Alta.) had a hit, a walk and stole a base in a 9-6 Game 1 loss. In Game 2 he collected another hit, and walked. The Thunderbirds won the game 17-4. The T-Birds would win back-to-back games in the series by taking Game 3, 9-5. Lanferman exploded for a 3-for-4 game with a walk, a RBI and a stolen base. Despite dropping Game 4, 15-7, Lanferman went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run.

Another standout for the Thunderbirds was Jaxon Valcke (Stratford, Ont.). Valcke had a hit in the opener and went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in Game 2. He had three more hits and two more RBIs in Game 3 before rounding out his series with a hit and a walk.

Turcotte tremendous in loss to Clemson

Sam Turcotte (Toronto, Ont.) allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings for the Stony Brook Seawolves against Clemson. He walked four and struck out seven but it wasn't enough as Stony Brook dropped Game 2 of their series 1-0 in 10 innings.

Shippensburg sweeps

After starting the campaign 0-6, Shippensburg University got their feet back under them this past week with a four-game sweep of Queens. Tony Vavaroutsos (Toronto, Ont.) fanned the offensive fire for the Raiders. In Game 1, a 19-14 win, Vavaroutsos went 3-for-4 with two walks, four RBIs and four runs scored. One of his three hits was a solo home run . Shippensburg cruised to a 10-0 Game 2 win, a game which Vavaroutsos had a hit and was hit by a pitch. Game 3 saw another multi-hit game from the Canadian as he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a hit by pitch. He again left the yard with another solo shot to kick start the offence in the bottom of the first. In the finale he was hit by a pitch in an 11-2 series sweeping win. Vavaroutsos leads Shippensburg in average, hitting at a .457 clip through 10 games.

Abram shuts down Texas Southern

Big right-hander Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.) worked five scoreless innings as the Oklahoma Sooners clubbed Texas Southern 14-1 in midweek action. Abram allowed two hits, walked three and punched out five en route to the win.

Mendham continues to mash

Five more games for the Connors State Cowboys meant five more opportunities for David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) to flex his offensive muscle. Mendham pounded out six hits, walked five times, drove in eight runs and swiped a pair of bases as the Cowboys went 5-0 on the week. Two of his six hits left the yard. He hit a home run in a 10-0 thumping of Oklahoma Wesleyan and another in a 5-2 win over TCS Postgrad. Mendham is hitting .586 with two home runs and 14 RBIs through ten games. Connors State is a perfect 10-0 to start the year.

Peters collects eight hits

Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) had himself a good week for Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Peters pounded out eight hits, walked four times, drove in three and stole four bases. He showcased power and speed during the week by homering in a 5-2 loss to Yavapai. He swiped three bases in an 8-3 win over GateWay.

Quirion, Lamar takes on Texas, Texas State

Anthony Quirion (Dixville, Que.) and his Lamar University teammates took on in-state foes Texas and Texas state last week. Quirion had a hit in a 6-1 loss to the Longhorns to start the week. In Game 1 of a three-game set with Texas State, a 3-1 win, Quirion had a hit. He chipped in another hit in a 4-3 Game 2 loss. The rubber match went the way of Texas State by an 8-7 score. Quirion did have his best game of the week in the finale, however, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. He launched a two-run home run in the top of the first and finished a triple shy of the cycle.

Scott helps Bryan to 2-1 week

The week got off to a horrible start for No. 18 Bryan College as they were thumped 18-1 by Truett-McConnell. Tyler Scott (Calgary, Alta.) did manage to get hit and work a walk in the tough loss. Bryan was able to right the ship in the last two games of the week. They took down Indiana University Kokomo in a 1-0 nail-biter. Scott went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in the tight contest. Scott had a hit, walked twice and drove in a run as Bryan ended the week on a winning note, downing Indiana University Kokomo 8-6.

Francis wins, Olson's offence helps Colby

Colby Community College won just one of their five games last week but it was Eric Francis (Misouche, PEI) who picked up that win. Francis lasted six innings to move to 2-0 on the year. Francis went six innings, gave up five hits, three runs (two earned) and issued two walks. He struck out five.

Zach Olson (Red Deer, Alta.) played in three of the five games Colby played last week and he made the most of his time on the field. Olson had six hits, two walks, five RBIs and two stolen bases. He homered in a 8-6 loss to McCook and in a 12-8 loss to New Mexico Military Institute.

Chester goes six scoreless

Salt Lake City Community College gave the ball to Fynn Chester (Victoria, BC) in Game 3 of their series with Treasure Valley. Chester turned in six scoreless innings in a convincing 12-2 win. He surrendered two hits, and struck out three. Salt Lake swept the four-game set.

Magdic pitches in win, chips in hit

Ryan Magdic (Beamsville, Ont.) went 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run in Cochise College's 4-3 win over Glendale. Magdic scattered seven hits and struck out two. He also had a hit and worked a walk in their three other games on the week. On the season he is 1-0 with a 4.86 ERA over 16 2/3 innings and is hitting .282 with a home run in 16 games.

Angel excellent against Virginia Tech

It has been a good start to the year for Conor Angel (Lachine, Que.). Last week he threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Louisiana Lafayette's 2-0 blanking of Virginia Tech. Angel gave up just three hits, walked two and struck out seven. He picked up the win to even his record at 1-1. On the season he owns a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings and the opposition is hitting just .122.

Babcock goes eight strong

Braden Babcock (Oshawa, Ont.) fired eight innings and gave up two runs (one earned) for McCook Community College in a 3-2 loss to Lamar. He surrendered five hits, walked two and struck out 10.

Gore gets the win

Daniel Gore (Tecumseh, Ont.) picked up his fourth win of the season last week. Madonna dropped Viterbo 18-6 in Game 4 of their series to earn the series sweep behind five innings from Gore. He allowed four hits, two runs (one earned) and struck out seven.

Szabo magnificent through seven

It would be hard to find a pitcher who has had a better start to their season than Mat Szabo (Sarnia, Ont.). Szabo has been lights out this season for Young Harris. He has allowed no earned runs over 19 1/3 innings, while allowing just 4 hits with 34 strike outs and holding opponents to a .067 average. Part of those numbers came last week when he threw seven scoreless, hitless innings in Young Harris' 3-0 win over Georgia Southwestern in Game 2 of their series. He did work around six walks and struck out 11.

Matadors improve to 7-0

Four wins last week helped Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) and the California State University Northridge improve to 7-0 on the season. The first win of the week was a 3-1 decision over Washington State. Clarke walked and stole a base in that game. The Matadors then took down Fordham 12-5 behind a 2-for-4 game from Clarke that included a walk and a hit by pitch. In a 5-3 win over Grand Canyon he had a hit, a RBI and a stolen base. The final game of the week, a 6-2 win over Grand Canyon, was arguably Clarke's best as he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a home run and was hit by a pitch.

Cerantola strong in loss

Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) of the No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs threw five innings, giving up three hits, two runs (one earned) with five walks and six punch outs in a 7-2 Game 3 loss to Oregon State. The Bulldogs did pull out 2-of-3 wins in the series.

Peters shines in three-game set

Mineral Area's may have dropped their three-game set 2-1 to Bevill State but Dayton Peters (Abbotsford, BC) had himself a nice series. In Game 1, an 8-1 win, he went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. During their 4-2 Game 2 loss he had a hit and stole a base. In the final game of the series he hit a home run, walked and drove in two another 4-2 loss.

Jean beats UNLV

Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) improved to 2-0 for the Alabama Crimson Tide after tossing four innings in a 5-1, Game 3 win over the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Jean allowed five hits, one run and walked one. He struck out three as the Tide closed out a three-game sweep.

Irvine wins

It was a solid outing for Connor Irvine (Victoria, BC) of Lassen College last week. In Game 3 of their series with the College of the Redwoods he spun 6 2/3 innings of work. Irvine gave up three hits, two runs (one earned) with two walks and three strike outs in an 18-5 win. Lassen swept the three-game series

Carinci comes through for K-State

Daniel Carinci (Ajax, Ont.) has found a home at Kansas State after transferring from Alabama. He started last week with a hit in a 9-2 win over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Their next tilt against Texas A&M Corpus Christi was postponed. During a 5-1 victory over the Southeastern Conference’s Missouri Tigers in their next game, Carinci went 3-for-4. Carinci collected a hit against Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a 5-2 loss. The Wildcats closed the week with a 2-1 loss to the Utes of Utah. Carinci had a hit in that one.

That's a wrap on week four of the BMOC. Each week seems to be packed with action as the season goes along. Make sure to come back next week to see which Canadians were at the top of their game.