ELLIOTT PLAY BALL III: New Brunswick starts, Mudcats, Alpines, Fisher Cats, Cardinals win
The Montcon Fisher Cats won in senior ball and the Saint John Alpines scored victory in their junior opener.
June 19, 2021
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Jordan Fortin and Julian MacDonald both threw the first pitches of the 2021 New Brunswick season around 7:30 p.m. on June 2.
MacDonald was starting at Ironmen Park for the Chatham Ironmen and he was tagged with the loss in an 8-4 setback to the Metro Mudcats in the New Brunswick Junior League opener.
Fortin was pitching for the Saint John Alpines and gained the victory as the Alpines beat the Fredericton Royals in a lopsided opener at Memorial Field.
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First game in other provinces
PLAY BALL !: Coffin-continues to drive the Chevies in PEI
PLAY BALL II: Cloverdale opens BC, Coquitlam sweeps, Deagle goes deep
PLAY BALL III: New Brunswick underway as Mudcats, Alpines, Fisher Cats, Cardinals win
PLAY BALL IV: Prairie Pirates had no Chantze against Price, Sask5 Giants
PLAY BALL V: 75th season kicks off at St. Pat’s Ball Park in St. John’s
PLAY BALL VI: Foothills off to fastest start in Alberta, Sergent gives orders
============================================================================Matt Savoie led the Mudcats going 3-for-4, while Pat McWilliams, Josh Tardiff and Benoit Druet each had a pair of hits. Duet drove in two runs, while McWilliams and Tardiff knocked in one each.
Kevin Aube pitched four innings and allowed only one run, while Jeremie Belliveau took over and pitched the next three allowing one earned run. Josaiah Coombs pitched the seventh and gave up a run.
MacDonald took the loss allowing four runs in two innings.
Gehrig Hale had a pair of hits for the Ironmen, while Dylan Dawson singled in a pair of runs.
Rylan Matchett pitched two scoreless and then Evan Savoy turned in a solid effort allowing one earned run in four innings.
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Meanwhile, in Saint John . . . the Alpines benefitted from 12 hits and eight walks to walk over the Royals.
The first three hitters in the Saint John lineup combined for eight hits as lead-off hitter Konnor MacDougall was 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, third-place hitter Jordan MacDonald was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs and the No. 2 man Matthew Peacock had a pair of hits.
Fortin pitched 2 2/3 scoreless before Hudson Johnston finished being touched for three runs.
Zack O’Hara doubled and singled for the Royals, while Craig Oliver and Will Hicks each drove in a run.
Sam Beaulieu faced 15 hitters and retired four allowing nine runs -- six earned on six hits and three walks. Jackson Wilson also faced 15 hitters and retired six giving up six runs on five hits and five walks.
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Meanwhile in Moncton . . . Sam Lund threw the first pitch of the New Brunswick Senior League season, yet the game wasn’t decided until Pascal McCarthy threw the final pitch as the Moncton Fisher Cats edged the Saint John Alpines 5-4 on June 6.
Moncton , managed by Patrick Tardiff, scored four times in the fifth inning. On the night Blake Finn, Serge Vautour and Mike Ivey each had a pair of knocks. Flinn plated a pair, while Vautour drove in one run. Dominic Tardiff singled in a run.
Lund pitched four innings allowing two runs on three hits and a walk, while fanning two. McCarthy registered the win allowing a pair of runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out three.
Mark Phillips was in mid-season form for Saint John with a homer and two doubles in his 3-for-4 night as he drove in three.
Ryan Nason started for Saint John and pitched three innings giving up one run. Kevin DeSaulniers worked 1 2/3 innings allowing four runs on six hits and a walk. Matt Nason finished up with a scoreless 1 1/3.
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And the same day in Riverview . . . the Dieppe Cardinals swept an atom doubleheader over Riverview by scores of 15-0 and 15-3.
Mathieu Landry, Dominic Cormier, Pascal Leblanc, Alex O’Brien and Kovi Theriault had a pair of hits each in the opener.
Cormier, O’Brien and Theriault each knocked in a pair or runs, as Noah Macdonald, Pascal Leblanc and Theriault each doubled.
O’Brien pitched four scoreless in his 53-pitch outing (66% strikes).
Lefty Xavier Leblanc picked up the win in the second game pitching three innings and allowing two runs on two hits and five walks. He struck out seven in his 71-pitch outing (52% strikes).
Hugo Guignard, Macdonald, Cormier, Pascal Leblanc and O’Brien had two hits each with Guignard driving in four runs, Pascal Leblanc three while Cormier and Theriault had two apiece. Pascal Leblanc and Guignard each doubled.