2019 Game Updates

May

May 16 - Brampton 7 Oakville 6

A break in the weather allowed the Royals to get their game in. Dave Dash is still unplayable so the game was switched to Morris Kerbel.

Coach Dave Flannagan did a great job of emptying his bench, getting almost everyone into the game, and using 4 pitchers to earn their first win of the 2019 season. The batters came out of the gates swinging. They were putting the ball in play but just needed to find the gaps. Their persistence paid off as they belted out 8 hits aided by 8 walks to secure a 7-6 victory. The first time through the order the Royals put the ball in play 7 times, so there was no evidence of any rust.

Kosta Kafes added a 2-run home run to right field and Marco DiRoma stole 3 bags. Andrew Thomson, and Kosta Kafes had multi hit games, but it was Joe Ferreira who led the way by going 3 for 5, scoring 2 runs and an RBI. With 2 out in the bottom of the 9th Joe had the decisive hit to right field allowing Yannick Rickli to score from 2nd base sealing the victory.

Veteran Mike Burke who notoriously has had less than stellar outings in May was in mid-season form as he threw 4 solid innings giving up a hit and 1 walk with 6 Ks, while not letting anyone reach 2nd base. Arman Lakhani who will be a fine addition to the staff took it on the chin on this cool damp night allowing 4 runs in his 2 innings of work. Brad McLaughlin pitched the next 2 innings giving up 2 runs, 1 earned with 4 Ks keeping Oakville at bay. Joe Ferreira took over and pitched a clean 9th inning earning himself his first win of the season.

All in all, there were no negatives in this first game, all positives. This is basically the same team as last year which might worry some about team complacency, but with the number of leaders on this team I don’t ever see that happening. Anyone out of line will be swiftly dealt with by the players keeping the team focussed on winning their last game at the Elims.

May 17 - Etobicoke 10 Brampton 5

The Royals traveled south to Connervale Park to take on the Rangers of Etobicoke. The field was still in poor condition but playable after the recent rain.

Joe Ferreira and Kosta Kafes continued their hot hitting, each collecting a double and a single and scoring a run each in the 10 – 5 loss. Marco DiRoma had a run and a double bringing in 2 runs. With the score 9 – 1 in the 8th inning the Royals showed they still had some spark by scoring 4 runs, all with 2 outs. Keegan Murphy, Fabio DiRoma, Brian Stormer and Yannick Rickli all had hits on this very cool night.

Veteran Steve Hough started for the Royals and was solid in his 3 innings of work, not allowing a hit or run. The Royals opened up a 1-0 lead on a run in the 3rd. Dawson Fascia took over in the 4th and had a tough outing giving up 8 runs in his 2 innings. There’s no doubt Dawson will fix whatever was wrong for his next start. Eric Ferreira took the mound in the 6th and 7th and held the Rangers to an unearned run. Fabio DiRoma finished up with his solid inning giving up an unearned run. Eric and Fabio impressed by throwing 75% and 79% strikes respectively.

I think coach Flannagan should be extremely pleased with what he has seen in the teams first 2 games.

The team will hit the road again next week as they travel to Burlington on Wednesday, then have home games vs Erindale Cardinals (Thursday) and a double header vs the Metros of Niagara (Saturday).

May 22 - Brampton 5 Burlington 4

The Royals headed down the QEW to Nelson Park in Burlington to take on the Brants for their home opener. They were greeted by a very cool night, but it was dry and the field was in great condition.

The Brants scored their first run by veteran Tim Sogan on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 2nd. There was no more scoring until our half of the 5th when Andrew Thomson led off with a walk then advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. C J Fearon gave himself up to advance Thomson to 3rd. Patrick Pinlac scored Thomson on a solid double, then Victor Speciale brought home Pinlac on a single. Royals are up 2-1.

In the top of the 6th the Brants walked the bases loaded which set the table for Joe Ferreira who singled to score Thomson and Pinlac. In the bottom half Sogan hit a solo home run to left to bring the score to 4-2. The Brants would tie the score in the 8th 4-4.

In the Royals 10th Yannick Rickli led off with a single, then Brian Stormer brought him home for the winning run on a double to right. Royals win 5-4 in 10 innings.

Joe Ferreira started the game and pitched a solid 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits with 5 K’s and only one walk. One of the key moments was with 2 outs in the 2nd inning, Joe struck out Cole Lewis with the base loaded. Brad McLaughlin followed Joe throwing the final 4 innings allowing only 2 runs on 1 hit and 5 K’s for his first win of the season.

Again, coach Dave emptied his bench making sure everyone got into the game, other than a pitcher for emergencies. The Royals now take on Erindale at home Thursday night with a 2-1 record. In my view the team seems to be playing with a greater purpose this season. Their efforts are being rewarded with valuable runs at the right time. It’s only a matter of time when those 31 LOB will turn into runs.

May 23 - Brampton 8 Erindale 7

The Royals hosted the 0-1 Cardinals of Erindale on this unusually mild, windy evening. The Cards took an early 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning. After a couple of singles and a double the Cardinals increased their lead to 5-1 in the 5th. Brampton’s Kosta Kafes opened the 7th with a long double to center, followed by Dawson Fascia’s single, Andrew Thomson’s double and Marco DiRoma’s single brought the Royals to within a run 6-5. In the 8th Brampton went ahead 8-6 when 2 runs scored on a wild pitch. The Royals gave back a run in the 9th but that was it. Royals win 8-7. The offence was led by Fascia and Kafes who had 3 hits and scored 2 runs each, also Victor Speciale and Andrew Thomson contributed with 2 hits apiece, and an RBI each. The Royals were aided by 4 Erindale errors and outhit the Cards 13 to 12. The win came at a price though, Yannick Rickli took a foul off his toe and had to leave the game.

On the pitching side, Mike Burke started his second game but had trouble dealing with the strong gusty winds giving up 3 runs (1 earned) in the 2nd inning. Burke gave up a couple of singles and a double in the 5th bringing the score to 5-1. He finished his 5 innings of work offering up 2 earned runs on 8 hits while striking out 2. Steve Hough came in the 6th for his second outing of the young season and pitched a very neat 4 innings giving up a couple of runs on only 3 hits and 6 K’s. Of the 17 batters he faced, Hough started 10 of them off with a strike which is always a winning formula. In his 7 innings of work this season Hough has given up only 2 earned runs on 3 hits, striking out 10.

The Royals bettered their record to 3-1 on the season and next take on Niagara for a double header on Saturday (weather pending).

May 30 - Brampton 15 Erindale 4

They say baseball is the ultimate team sport, no one player can dominate enough to change the course of the game. Last night we learned that yes, one player can influence the game enough to change its outcome. What we saw tonight was simply an amazing display of power from the young man recently recalled after a disappointing Boilermaker season ending series loss to Ohio State. Zach Fascia showed how much he had improved from last year when he helped the Royals almost reach the Final Four at the Elims.

I don’t have to go back into the Royals record book to look this up, but it’s safe to say no Senior Brampton player has ever squeezed so much out of 3 hits. His 3 HR and 8 RBI lifted the Royals to a 15-4 win over a very good Erindale team, improving their record to 4-1. Please don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all Zach. Credit also goes to the players in front of him who reached base for him to do his stuff. The Royals pounded out 16 hits in seven innings before the Mercy Rule was called.

In the first inning Andrew Thomson got on base before Zach drove him in with home run #1. Joe Ferreira does what he always does, hitting his first home run of the season, many more to follow.

In the second, Patrick Pinlac doubled home Brian Stormer and Yannick Rickli, before Zach drove in Pinlac with his second home run, making the score 7-0.

In the fourth, Thomson brought home Stormer with a single, C. J. Fearon stopped at 3rd. Pinlac walked to load the bases, setting the table for Zach. He didn’t disappoint, hitting a grand slam deep to right field. I would love to know if there was ever the thought of walking him with the bases loaded giving up only one run. I really don’t think so, because Erindale prides themselves as always being a team that never gives in. If they get him out then the game remains at 8-2 which is still serviceable with their bat strength. It's an interesting thought though, something I believe that's only been done twice in MLB, once Buck Showalter walked Barry Bonds and John Maddon walked Josh Hamilton. Four batters later Rickli scores Victor Speciale and Joe Ferreira making it 14-2.

Zach’s power display should in no way overshadow the effort of Fabio DiRoma who pitched 6 innings allowing 4 ER, 1 K and only 1 BB was outstanding. Fabio went 5 innings twice last season so this was his longest outing so far. Some amazing numbers came from his outing last night:

62 pitches = 10 1/3 pitches per inning

48 of his 62 pitches were strikes = 77%

Kosta Kafes pitched a clean 7th to clean up.

The Royals came out of the gate swinging, taking only 2 BB and 3 K's, putting almost everything into play. The team has started to score those stranded runners leaving only 3 on base. All in all a great warmup to the weekend tournament. It was a game to build upon but not to dwell on.

Besides Zach Fascia the Royals welcomed another newcomer in Jack Caswell. We look forward to his contributions.

Brampton Tournament

May 31 - Brampton 2 Oakville 0

A much, much different game tonight with the A’s of Oakville to open up our tournament. The runs didn’t come as easily, but like last night the pitching and defence held the Royals in the game. The offense was limited to 4 hits led by Zack Fascia’s 2 singles. Marco DiRoma and Victor Speciale reached base on walks then turned them into a couple of runs which turned out to be the difference in the game. The key play of the game came in Oakville’s 6th, with runners of 2nd and 3rd with 1 out Troy Lacoste hit a fly ball to right field where Andrew Thomson was waiting to make the out then threw home to catcher DiRoma who applied the tag for the double play.

Joe Ferreira took the bump and was never in any trouble all night except in the 6th but that was quickly snuffed out by the great throw by Thomson from right field. Once again Joe showed why he is so dependable in any of the tournaments the Royals play in, and he didn't disappoint this time, tossing a shutout going the distance allowing only 3 H, 5 K’s and 1 BB. Outstanding work.

The Royals are 5-1 on the season and now face the Pickering Red Sox in the morning.

June

June 1 - Brampton 3 Pickering 2
The Royals improved their season record to 6-1 and 2-0 for the tournament by beating the Pickering Red Sox 3-2. This one was another tight one going right down to the final pitch. Andrew Thomson scored the games first run when Victor Speciale singled to centre field scoring Thomson from 3rd. In the 5th Thomson walked then went to 2nd on Zack Fascia’s walk. Thomson scored on Joe Ferreira’s single followed by Speciale’s sac fly scoring Fascia. The Royals were held to only 4 hits with Ferreira getting 2 of them. The game was saved by 2nd baseman Keegan Murphy in the 7th inning when the Red Sox loaded the bases and hit a line drive screamer over Murphy's head but his leap was just high enough to snare the ball heading to right-center. Game over.

Mike Burke took the mound and pitched a game that has become expected from the lefty veteran. Although he wasn’t at his best, he was still effective enough, combined with a couple of runners thrown out on the bases, managed to earn the win, his first of the young season. Burke tossed 6 innings allowing 6 H, 1 ER, 2K’s and 1 BB. Arman Lakhani pitched a clean 7th inning for the save.

The Royals must face the White Sox of Martingrove this afternoon.

June 1 - Martingrove 3 Brampton 2

The third game of the tournament the Royals were matched up against the Martingrove Red Sox. The Royals weak hitting finally caught up to them as they managed only 2 runs and running their total of 7 for the 3 games. Zach Fascia had a couple of hits and Marco DiRoma brought home Brad McLaughlin and Fabio DiRoma with a single tying the score 2-2 in the 5th. That’s all the scoring until the White Sox scored in their half of the 5th to go ahead for good.

Arman Lakhani who closed out the first game a couple of hours earlier took the loss, throwing 5 innings in this one allowing 5 H, 3 R, 3 K’s and 1 BB. Arman was efficient, 70% of his pitches were strikes. Fabio threw the final inning with no damage done.

The Royals will now play Niagara in the semi-final game at 9:00 A.M. at F.C.C.C.

June 2 - Brampton 3 Niagara 2

For many years the Royals considered it a successful season if they could just beat the Niagara Metros once. It just didn’t happen very often, but the tide has turned. The Royals are 3-1 vs the Metros over the last 3 seasons, including their semi-final game today. The Royals came back with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th to take the game 3-2. C.J. Fearon opened the game with a deep line drive shot over the center fielders head for a double, worked his way to 3rd on Marco DiRoma’s groundout then scored on Zack Fascia’s sac fly. Niagara tied it up in the 4th, then they went ahead in the 7th. With one out and a bases loaded Niagara’s hit to second base almost ended the game but only one out was recorded. The Metros are up by one going into the home half of the 7th. After 3 straight walks the Royals tied the game when DiRoma was hit by a pitch, Zach Fascia hit a single with the infield drawn in to score Andrew Thomson for the winner.

Newcomer Jack Caswell started the game on the mound and kept the heavy hitters of Niagara at bay. Jack threw 6 great innings not allowing an earned run. The Metros managed to work Caswell for 6 H and 3 BB, striking out 8. He will be a welcomed addition to the Royals pitching staff. Steve Hough came in for the final inning but had trouble finding his groove giving up 3 H and 1 R. He lost the save but still earned the win.

Because of the rain in the morning both of the semi-final games had to be played at F.C.C.C. Three games needed to be played but there was only time for two. Dave Dash was deemed unplayable even though it didn’t rain a lot, which shows how ill prepared that field is. The organizing committee thought it would be best if the two finalists Brampton Royals and St. Thomas Tomcats would share the prize money. Coach Dave Flannagan should be commended for the tireless work he and his helpers put in making the tournament possible.

The Royals are back to their league play Thursday when they take on the Milton Red Sox at home, followed by a visit to Connorvale Park to take on the Rangers of Etobicoke once again on Friday.

June 6 - Brampton 13 Milton 9

The Royals improved their season record to 8-2, 5-1 in League play. After a tough tournament weekend hitting wise, the bats woke up vs the Red Sox of Milton. The offensive attack was led by Joe Ferreira who got things started with his 2nd home run of the season, Patrick Pinlac scored 3 times on his 3 hits, Keegan Murphy scored 3 times and added a couple of RBI, and Marco DiRoma had 2 RBI on his 2 hits. Then there’s Andrew Thomson who got the most out of his 2 H, 2 R and 5 RBI, belting out a grand slam in the 5th inning.

The Royals jumped on veteran the Red Sox Ian Zettle scoring 3 runs in the 1st then added 2 more in the 2nd, but they gave it all back when Milton tied it up in the top of the 3rd, but like so many times this season the Royals snuffed out any thoughts of the opposition squeezing out a win with 4 runs in the 3rd. With a total of 14 runs scored in the first 3 innings we have a slugfest, where pitching on both sides was to take a back seat on this night.

Joe Ferreira took the mound on this night but was not his usual self, needing 104 pitches to get through 4 innings. The issue today was he paid for the shaky defense behind him that cost him 3 unearned runs. Eric Ferreira took over in the 5th and continued his fine pitching earning a well deserved win only allowing 1 H over his 3 innings of work. Steve Hough who finished up going the final couple of innings had a rough time finding the strike zone gave up 5 BB and 3 R. Milton loaded the bases in the 9th bringing the tying run to the plate but struck out Justin Cruz to end it earning the save.

The team now travels to Connorvale Park looking to avenge their only loss Friday night to take on the Rangers.

June 7 - Etobicoke 7 Brampton 4

The Royals visited the Rangers at Connorvale, but ran into a very hot hitting team. The Royals took an early 1-0 in the 3rd, but the Rangers answered right back with 2 of their own in the bottom half of the 3rd. After Patrick Pinlac singled, Yannick Rickli hit a deep drive to the right field fence. The right fielder took a couple of seconds getting to the ball lodged against the fence giving Yannick time to get to 3rd, then scored on an over-throw.. The Royals kept the slim lead until the bottom of the 5th when a home run followed a hit and a walk. C.J. Fearon scored on Speciale’s sac fly, but that was as close as the Royals got, losing 7-4.

The offence was led by Yannick with his triple then scoring on a over-throw, collecting 2 RBI, C.J. Fearon with 2 D and 2 R, and Victor with 2 H and an RBI. The Royals only managed to have 2 hits in an inning twice, and were never able to gain any momentum, putting an end to their 5 game winning streak.

Mike Burke took the mound and had to work hard getting through the Ranger lineup during his 5 inning stint, throwing only 60% strikes. He gave up 3 ER, 2 K’s and 2 BB. Jack Caswell took over in the 7th allowing 2 ER, 2 BB and 1 HBP.

The Royals only have one league game next week facing Oakville at home then off to play in the Vaughan Tournament starting Friday (weather pending).

June 15 - Brampton 14 East York 9

The tournament took a turn for the worst as the Royals-Bulldogs game was short an umpire at the Concord diamond. The Royals were willing to expedite things by playing with only one umpire, but East York wanted two. Both teams then had to drive back to Vaughan Grove and wait until the games being played were done, pushing the schedule back at least a couple of hours.

One of the most important virtues of any athlete is patience. Patience to wait for your opening, waiting for the opposition to show a weakness, then to exploit it. The Royals showed that patience in their second game of the tournament against the Bulldogs of East York. Because of an ailing back Brad McLaughlin pitched for the first time in 3 weeks, and he never was able to shake off the rust, but being a veteran that he is, he battled and battled and left the game after 4 innings with the game tied 9-9. Okay, he didn’t have his best stuff but he left the game giving the team an opportunity to win. Like Lakhani, the night before, he did his job.

The game started slowly for the Royals giving up a couple of runs in the first inning, but they evened it up in the 2nd on Stormer’s triple scoring Habibulah and a ground out by Dawson scored two go ahead runs. In the 3rd a hard Pinlac single plated two more on a hard shot to centre. When Marco walked loading the bases Victor showed a ton of patience taking another walk scoring Yannick. Keegan then scored 2 more on a hard single to right bringing the score to 7-3. After giving back a couple of runs in the East York 4th the Royals scored a couple of their own. The 5th inning was nothing but trouble when East York started the inning with a single, 3 consecutive walks, a hit batter and another single bringing in the go ahead run, making it 9-8. They might have lost a few of their key players but they are still very competitive. There was no panic for the veteran laden Royals as they waited for the pitching change to jump all over the Bulldogs scoring 5 runs in the 6th. The hero of the day was Stormer who hit a single, double and 2 triples. His best game as a Royal.

Once again Eric Ferreira throwing the final 2 innings allowed only a hit and 2 strike outs earning a well deserved win. Ferreira has yet to give up an earned run this season. Cannot stress enough how important a reliable reliever is to the team.

June 16 - Brampton 7 Thornhill 2

For the third game in a row, the Royals continued the dangerous trend of allowing the opposition to score in the first inning. Fortunately, the run didn’t hurt the Royals as they would allow only one more run in the game, so the outcome was never in doubt.

In the Royals 3rd Keegan would score Marco and Joe on a bases loaded single making the score 2-1. In the 4th the Royals would score 2 more when Marco singled home Stormer and Thomson, followed by CJ scoring on a fielder’s choice. The score after 4 innings was 5-1. Thornhill would score their last run in the 5th on an unearned run. The Royals would score 2 more runs in the 5th on consecutive bases loaded walks.

Once again, the team showed a lot of patience at the plate taking what was served up to them rather than trying to make something out of nothing. Giving themselves up for the benefit of the team was very evident this weekend. It’s winning baseball. The long ball will get you runs but the short game will produce rallies.

Burke took the bump and was in control of this game giving up only one earned run. Not an especially outstanding game numbers wise but certainly good enough to get the win. After serving up a double on the first pitch in the 6th, Burke handed the ball over to Hough who came in and finished things up untouched.

I don’t want to say the team has had it easy so far this weekend, they really haven’t been challenged, but they will be in for a fight vs the Red Army of Ilderton later this afternoon. They are one of the top teams in the country, making it to the quarter finals at the Nationals last season. This will give the team a pretty good idea of where they stand in their development this year taking on a very good team.

June 16 - Ilderton 7 Brampton 4

The Royals began the game vs Ilderton Red Army making a loud statement when CJ hit the first pitch of the game over the left field fence. 1-0. Marco scored on Victor’s sac fly making it 2-0. We’re well on our way, but somebody forgot to mention that to Ilderton, they responded with a run in the 3rd then flexed their muscles scoring 5 more runs in the 4th taking a commanding 6-2 lead. They would make the score 7-2 in the 6th before the ‘never say die’ Royals fought back with a home run by Pinlac to left followed by CJ’s RBI ground out scoring Marco from 3rd. The final score was 7-4.

Joe took the mound for this contest and never really looked like the Joe who would carve the plate setting down batter after batter. The Red Army didn't realize it was Joe Ferreira on the mound, one of the best pitchers in our league. I guess they didn’t get the memo, they were swinging at everything and connecting. They even cheated destiny, when they loaded the bases in the 2nd and no one out they hit a hard hit ball back to Joe on the mound who threw home, then Marco relayed to first for the double play. They made it look so easy, then on the next pitch Ilderton popped up to Victor at first for the third out. Destiny had to be on our side after getting out of that jam. How can we lose now? Ilderton missed that memo also. Hough came in to finish the game for the second time, he allowed a couple of runs over his 2 2/3 innings of work. Ilderton won the final game of the Royal’s weekend, a respectable 7-4.

The team should take with them the many highlights of the weekend. The home runs by CJ, Pinlac and Marco, the great defensive play by Pinlac vs Vaughan, and the other great double play by Joe, Marco and Victor. The Royals might have lost the game and tournament but the big picture says they finished the weekend 3-1 and are 11-4 on the season. Well done. It would be meaningless if they don't bring their learnings into the next tournament. The team is deep enough into the season, the players and coaching staff should know where they stand.

I said months ago, before the season started, that I felt this team was on the verge of something special, nothing has happened to change my mind.

The team returns to league play on Thursday when the face Mississauga at Dash then off to Niagara for a Saturday double header.

June 22 - Niagara 12 Brampton 0 - Doubleheader

This is the kind of game every ball player wants to avoid, but everyone has had at least one time been on the losing end of a blowout game. Being a veteran team like the Royals they can easily forget about it and move on, not to say there aren't lessons to be learned. The Royals opened the game with 2 quick outs, then loaded the bases before grounding out ending any scoring threat. Victor went 2 for 3. The major blow was a bases loaded double by Matt Casburn, clearing the bases, making it 6-0 in the 3rd.

The Royals pitching tandem of Jack Caswell and Brandon Habibulah were no match against Liam Jacques who tossed a (5 inning) complete game 3 hitter beating a very good Royals line up.

Niagara 6 Brampton 2

The second game of the double header started much like the first game. The Royals failed to score a couple of singles. They were only able to get one hit in each of the next 4 innings, and could only muster up 6 hits led by a couple by Marco.

McLaughlin threw a complete game allowing only two earned runs while striking out 3 and walking 2. Brad deserved a better result. The good part is that he obviously fixed whatever was wrong last weekend at the Vaughan Tournament.

The team is off until they face Burlington at Dash next Thursday.

June 27 - Burlington 5 Brampton 4

This was a most frustrating game. The Royals were able to put together 12 hits and had 2 fine pitching performances and still found themselves on the wrong end of the score leaving 11 LOB vs Burlington. Again, the Royals failed to put together any kind of rally. They scored a run in 4 different innings. Keegan led the offense with 3 hits, 2 of them doubles, and took a painful pitch off the elbow. Logan Janes had a couple of hits, a single and a double and Pinlac had a couple of hits including a home run to left field. Defensively, it should be noted that Janes played a solid 3rd base taking a screaming one-hopper off the shoulder and starting a slick double play.

Fabio and Hough pitched a solid game, combined, they gave up 12 hits, only 3 earned runs, no walks, and struck out 9.

Niagara visits Dave Dash on Saturday for a double header.

July

July 6 - Brampton 5 Niagara 4 - Doubleheader

This game vs Niagara showed how competitive our league is, never can a team relax thinking the game is well in hand. The Royals opened up an early 4-0 lead in a doubleheader shortened 7-inning game. In the top of the 2nd Dawson used his speed to run down a fly ball making a sliding catch near the foul line. In the bottom of the 2nd Vic started with a single followed by a Pinlac home run deep to left. In the bottom of the 3rd Fabio singled, Thomson sacrificed him over to 2nd with a nice bunt, Marco walked, Joe singled scoring Fabio, then Vic singled scoring Marco bringing the score to 4-0.

Niagara scored a lone run in the 4th and it stayed that way until the 7th when the Metros knocked out Royal's starter Mike Burke with 5 singles tying the score at 4 apiece. Up to that point he had given up only 6 hits. With runners at 1st and 3rd and only one out, Burke gave way to McLaughlin who came in and struck out his first batter and induced a soft ground ball to end the game earning the win. In the 7th Thomson opened up with a solid double, then Marco bunted him over to 3rd setting the stage for Joe who hit a screamer down the 3rd baseline scoring Thomson for the walk-off winning run.

Niagara 4 Brampton 1

The second game of the double header was a much different story as the Metros took a stranglehold of the game and never allowed the Royals a chance to get started. Niagara took a 3-0 lead in the 1st and the Royals could not do anything with the bats. In the 7th the Royals loaded the bases with a walk, hit batter and a single but when the next batter flied out, the game had ended. Metros Justin Alyes threw a 1 hit gem.

Joe’s complete game was a respectful 8 hitter allowing 4 runs. In a reversal, the pitchers today needed more support from the batters. It's usually the other way around. With 2 major tournaments on the horizon the team needs to sharpen their game, losing 4 of their last 5 games, but with all the rainouts it makes it so very difficult to gain any momentum. The team still has a lot of life in it.

Let’s hope the Rangers used up all their pitching in London as we play them at Teramoto on Monday, then play them again on Thursday at Dash followed by a Friday night game at Oakville.

July 8 - Etobicoke 9 Brampton 3

This was a game of missed opportunities. The Etobicoke Rangers were fresh off a tournament in London so they had to be a little road weary, but they looked to be the fresher team. The Royals opened the scoring in the first inning when Thomson came home on Speciale’s double. For the next couple of innings the Royals held the Rangers off the scoresheet, allowing only a walk and a single, but in the 4th things fell apart, 6 hits and a couple of walks later Etobicoke scored 7 times. The Royals would score a couple of runs in the 9th but that was it.

In the 6th and 7th innings, the Royals started the innings with a walk and a single, but they were left stranded. It wasn’t until the 8th when they were able to string a few hits together scoring a couple of runs. The Royal's offense was led by Speciale and Habibulah with 5 hits between them. The team lost Fascia in the 6th when he was hurt attempting to make a diving catch in right field.

Fabio took the mound and glided through the first 3 innings, but the Rangers took control scoring 7 in the 4th. Like I said previously it’s so hard to gain any momentum when you only pitch every couple of weeks. McLaughlin entered the game in the 5th and threw 2 innings allowing a couple of unearned runs. Hough finished the last 3 innings allowing only a hit over his stint.

Weather pending, we will take on the Rangers again on Thursday.

July 11 - Brampton 18 Etobicoke 12

Oh, what a night it was last night at Dash. What are the odds of scoring 18 runs against Etobicoke twice within a year? The 'Jekyll and Hyde' Royals hopped on the shoulders of Joe Ferreira and he carried them to a 20 hit 18-12 win. Ferreira’s dream game matched the game Zach Fascia had on May 30 vs Erindale when he had 8 RBI. The team had laid an egg on Monday losing 9-3 where they never threatened, but tonight it was so very different. If the teams had gone by the script this was going to be a pitcher’s duel with Mike Burke facing off against Andrew Hyde. They have had some great battles in the past, but Hyde was drilled on the elbow in the first inning on a line drive off the bat of Marco DiRoma and had to leave the game. Burke faced a different fate.

Ferreira clobbered 2 home runs (one a grand slam) and 3 doubles for an amazing 14 total bases bringing home 8 runs. Joe had plenty of support on this night, 6 of his teammates had at least 2 hits. Fearon had 4 hits including a nice triple, scoring 4 times. Marco had 2 hits with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.

As good as the bats were, Burke was going the other way with his pitching. Trying to pitch through a sore arm he didn’t have it on this night and gave up 8 runs (although only 2 of those runs were earned) in the first 3 innings. The teams combined for a godly 9 errors on the night.

Casswell came in and threw 2 innings of one hit ball and earned his first win. McLaughlin entered the game in the 6th giving up 2 earned runs over his 2 innings of work, then Hough finished the game with one hit, one run totals. Although the score doesn’t indicate it, the pitching was pretty good on the night only giving up 5 earned runs against a powerhouse team.

Next game will be in Oakville on Thursday. Hoping we save a few hits for them.

July 12 - Brampton 4 Oakville 2

Not sure if COBA’s Batter and Pitcher of the week award was ever given to the same person, the same week, but I think this week will be a first. On Thursday Joe Ferreira carried the team with his bat and tonight he did the same but this time with his arm on his way to a 4-2 victory. Joe pitched a complete game, 13 K’s, 134 pitches, not allowing a walk and giving up only a couple of runs. He was in control the whole night. It would be understandable if there was a slight letdown after scoring 18 times versus Etobicoke a couple of nights ago, but it didn’t happen.

The hitting was led by Speciale going 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. The 10 hits were evenly spread out by 7 batters. This was more like a normal ball game, a real pitchers duel. After 5 innings the “A’s” of Oakville were up 2-1. We were waiting and waiting to see who would blink first, then the Royals scored 3 runs in the 6th to make it 4-2 finishing off the scoring.

In the 6th Marco doubled, followed by Ferreira’s walk. A double steal set the table for Speciale’s single scoring Marco and Ferreira. Speciale scored on a perfect bunt single by Rickli.

I have to say I haven’t seen a Royals player play back to back games any better that what Ferreira displayed this week. It was so much fun to watch him excel from both sides of the ball. Well done Joe.

Next week the Royals will be in the road for a couple of games, first in Erindale on Monday then Mississauga on Wednesday. The Happ starts this weekend.

July 15 - Erindale 9 Brampton 8

If you play this game long enough it will bring you to your knees, as evident last night watching Jack Caswell try to throw against the Erindale Cardinals. Everyone present knew there was something horribly wrong with him, as he threw pitch after pitch into the dirt. 5 Cardinals scored without the aid of a hit. Jack tried to fight it off but he soon realized it was no use, he had to give way to Hough who brilliantly threw the next 7 innings. Caswell is no stranger to elbow issues as he had to take a year off pitching at U.B.C. when he had Tommy John surgery. We can only hope this isn’t a reoccurrence. He’s been a breath of fresh air bolstering the Royals pitching staff.

Despite giving up 5 runs in the first inning, the team fought back and eventually took the lead in the 5th inning, but Erindale scored 3 in their 6th and never gave up their lead again. Marco, Joe, Yannick all had multiple hits and Thomson had 2 hits and 3 RBI, and Joe had 3 hits and 2 RBI.

Hough held the Cardinals at bay until the 6th when they scored 3 runs, but he threw a respectable game only allowing 2 earned runs, with 6 K’s. McLaughlin finished up throwing the 8th giving up one hit.

With one game left with Mississauga before the Hap, so the team will have to shore up its defense if they want to go deep into the tournament, but their pitching rotation may be a bigger concern right now, as a few minor injuries may hinder their chances.

The Royal's season record is 14-10 (8-8 in League play and 6-2 in their 2 Tournaments).

Hap Walters Invitational Tournament

July 19 - Newmarket 6 Brampton 3

Brampton opened the Hap by taking on the Hawks of Newmarket on 9th Line. The Hawks started the scoring in the 1st inning by a 1 out sac fly with a runner at 3rd. The Royals evened it up in the 3rd when Marco scored on Joe’s single.

In the 4th, Murphy walked, then Yannick singled. With 2 outs Thomson singled home Murphy leaving Yannick at 3rd. Fearon added another single scoring Yannick. Thomson advanced to 3rd on an error but the Royals couldn’t get him home.

Newmarket scored a run in the 6th making it a 3-2 game for Brampton. In the top of the 7th Newmarket opened with a hit by pitch, single, strikeout, double, single, single, single making the score 6-3. The Royals ended the inning on a nice double play or the score would have been much worse, but they went down quietly in their 7th.

The heavy workload Joe Ferreira has had over the past couple of weeks may have taken its toll on the hard throwing right hander. His numbers for the game were still impressive; 6 1/3 innings, 3 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Steve Hough took over with one out in the 7th and was tagged for 4 hits and 2 runs, both earned.

The Royals will have to draw from past successes against these tough opponents if they wish to advance in this tournament or at the Elims. in a couple of weeks. They need an equally good game from the mound and at the plate.

July 20 - Windsor 2 Brampton 1

In what should have been a lopsided matchup between Fabio and Windsor’s wily veteran Steve Teno, but what we got was a great pitching game. In the 1st inning Windsor scored a run on a couple of singles and a wild pitch, then scored another in the 2nd on a sac fly. Speciale would score on a wild pitch in the 6th to close out the scoring.

Fabio went the distance allowing only 6 hits and a couple of runs against a very good Windsor team. He really did pitch a great game, but just didn’t get the result he needed.

This is the teams second loss of the tournament which doesn’t bode well for the team to play deep into the weekend.

July 20 - Thornhill 11 Brampton 5

The Royals take on the Thornhill Reds in a must win game, after losing their first 2 games.

The Reds opened the scoring in the 1st, a single and a walk produced 2 runs after a couple of groundouts. The Royals tied the game in the 3rd when Marco brought home Dawson and Thomson. In the Reds 4th they plated 6 batters after 2 doubles, 2 walks and 4 singles making the score to 9-2. The game was virtually over at this point. No Royals batter had more than one hit. Marco and Lahey each had 2 RBI.

Emerson started the game and went 3 innings allowing 2 runs. McLaughlin also went 3 innings, but didn’t have it on this night giving up 8 runs.

Not quite the tune-up to the Elims. Brampton was looking for.

July 25 - Brampton 13 Mississauga 3

After a very disappointing Hap, the Royals needed a win in the worst way. Losing 3 in a row, they had to prove to themselves they could still beat a team as good as the Twins. That question was answered early in the match.

In the 1st inning with one out and 2 on, a Royals threat was squashed by a Twins double play. The Royals would return the favour by ending the Twins 2nd by their own double play. Things loosened up in the bottom of the 2nd when Pinlac doubled, followed by Murphy’s single, Yannik’s walk, and Dawson’s single making the score 3-0. Then in the 3rd, Zach was hit by a pitch, Vic singled, Stormer walked, and Marco singled bringing the score to 8-0. The Twins scored a couple in their 4th and Brampton answered with a run of their own in their 4th, then added 3 more in the 5th. The final was 13-3.

Victor led the way going 4 for 5, scoring twice, Dawson also had an outstanding game at the plate going 2 for 3 and adding 4 RBI.

McLaughlin got the nod to pitch in this one and he threw his best game of the season, throwing 7 innings, allowing only 2 earned runs while striking out 4. It took Brad only 90 pitches facing 27 batters to earn his team-leading third win.

July 26 Oakville 10 Brampton 9

The. Royals were ready to build on their most recent win over Mississauga going into the Elims.

In the 1st inning Vic scored Zach on a double, then added a couple more in the 2nd inning on 3 singles by Fabio, Dawson and Marco. There wouldn’t be any more scoring till the Oakville 4th where they had 4 straight singles, scoring 4 times. The Royals scored twice more in the 5th by a Murphy single, Rickli and Hough walks, and a Dawson double making the score 6-4 Royals.

In the 6th the Royals increased their lead when Speciale singled, then stole 2nd then 3rd putting himself in great position to score on Murphy’s double. Murphy would then reach home on wild a pitch. It’s now 8-4. In the Oakville 7th they crept a little closer by adding a couple of their own. The score is now tied up at 8. In the Royals 9th Pinlac brought home Zach on a double to finish off the Brampton scoring for the night. In the final frame the A’s opened the inning with a double, walk, single, walk then a sac fly to end the game.

3 Royals took the mound on this night. Fabio opened it up by going the first 5 letting in 4 runs, then Dawson went 3 innings allowing 5 hits and 4 runs, then Yannick finished it off by working the 9th giving up 2 runs.

Erindale tied the game again in the 7th. In the 8th after a couple of singles, the Royals chose to load the bases by intentionally walking the next batter but it backfired when the following batter walked giving the lead back to Oakville.

July 29 - Brampton 11 Erindale 10

In the Royal's final tune-up before the Elims, they travel to 9th Line to take on the Cardinals of Erindale who are only one game behind the Royals in the standings. This game would be a typical Royals-Cardinals game, that had a little bit of everything.

In the 1st inning, Fearon scored on a hard-hit ball by Joe Ferreira, then Marco scored on Pinlac’s single. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Cardinals went ahead 3-2 to have the Royals even it up in their 3rd. The Royals surged ahead in the 4th when they filled the bases, followed by a Marco hit by pitch, then Murphy’s single scored 2 more. Fearon scored Dawson on a triple in the 5th. The score is now 7-3 Royals. In the Card's 5th they opened with a walk, flyout, double, single double, and a home run making the score 8-7 Cardinals. The Royals grabbed the lead back on a 2 run Dawson single.

At this point in the game, the skies opened up stopping the game for 20 minutes. The Royals had to plead to let the game continue as the rain delay shouldn’t be too long.

In the 9th, the Royals opened up with a Fabio single, a Fearon bunt single, then a sac bunt by Marco advancing the runners. This set the stage for Joe’s loud double to left scoring 2 runs. The Cards went quietly in their 9th.

It was a tough night for Royal's hurlers as they coughed up 10 runs on 13 hits, walking 9 while collecting 11 strikeouts. Hough picked up the win and Joe the save.

This was the last game before the Elims. Despite their recent woes, they have all the tools to go deep again this year. Who knows what lies ahead for this team, but I know it’ll be exciting.

Provincial Eliminations

August 2 - Tecumseh 10 Brampton 2

The Royals open the Elims with a tough draw facing the number 3 ranked team in the country, the Tecumseh Thunder.

The Royals started on a positive note, getting a couple of batters on base in the 1st inning. The Thunder went 3 up 3 down in their first at bat, but in their 2nd they were in full flight with 3 straight singles, scoring 3 times. The Royals failed to respond. Tecumseh added one more in their 3rd. Score now 4-0.

The Royals still unable to get batters on base. After a walk and 5 straight hits the Thunder were flexing their muscles, scoring 5 times. The Royals would score a couple of late meaningless runs, but were never in it.

Mike Burke took the mound after missing a couple of starts due to tendonitis in his shoulder, but like the batters, was never in this one.

The team is now in a huge hole, their next loss will send them home. It will be interesting to see how they react to this loss. They will play the loser of the Mississauga/Windsor Athletics game.

August

August 2 - Brampton 7 Windsor A's 0

The Royals needed to rebound from the Thunder loss in order to stay alive in the biggest tournament of the season. They are taking on the A’s of Windsor.

This was a very odd game. Both teams were held to 3 hits apiece with the Royals running away to a 7-0 win. The Royals opened the scoring in the 2nd when Speciale walked, then Pinlac was hit by a pitch. Keegan grounded out, then Speciale scored on Yannick’s groundout. Dawson followed with a walk, as did Thomson. CJ was hit by a pitch scoring Pinlac, Zach walked scoring Dawson. The Royals score 3 times without the aid of a hit. In their 3rd Keegan reached on an error, Dawson walked, then Thomson produced the teams first hit scoring Speciale. CJ was hit again scoring Yannick. Zach walked scoring Dawson. Score now 6-0. They would score another in the 4th on a passed ball. Only one run scored as a result of a hit.

Joe Ferreira threw the first 4 innings giving up only 1 hit, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Brother Eric came in and threw the final 3 innings continuing his great pitching this season, giving up only a couple of hits. A beautiful pitching performance under pressure. The Royals will now take on Etobicoke, who they sent home last year. Should be a great game.

August 3 - Brampton 1 Etobicoke 0

The Royals rehash their COBA rivalry with the Rangers of Etobicoke. Both teams enter the game with a loss, raising the tension.

The Royals had 2 batters reach base in the 1st which I’m sure raised their confidence. They knew they could get guys on, now just need to figure a way of getting them home.

The trend from the previous game continued in this one. In the 2nd Keegan was hit by a pitch but nothing came from it. In the 3rd CJ was hit, then Zach sent him to 2nd with a single to left field. Marco followed up with a bunt attempt and CJ scored from 2nd on the errant throw to 1st. Speciale advanced Zach and Marco on a sac bunt, then with the bases loaded when Bowers (Etobicoke’s catcher) was called for catcher’s interference. We unfortunately couldn’t cash in any more runners.

The game went back and forth, each team refusing to give an inch.

Special mention to Joe Ferreira who pitched 4 innings yesterday, threw the complete game today. It’s efforts like this will get the Royals to the top. He allowed only 3 hits while striking out 8. Outstanding!

The Royals will now face Pickering.

August 3 - Brampton 7 Pickering 5

After a very emotional win over Etobicoke the Royals need to get back to work taking on the Red Sox of Pickering. The Red Sox scored in the 1st inning on a double and a single. The Royals quickly answered back by loading the bases with 3 straight singles and a walk, scoring one. Keegan grounded into a double play snuffing out any Royals threat. Pickering came back with a run of their own in the 2nd, then increased their lead to 5-1 in the 4th. In the Royals 4th they got down to business and scored 6 times on a Pinlac single, a Stormer hit by pitch, a CJ single, a Zach hit by pitch, a Ferreira double, then singles by Speciale, Marco, Keegan, and Yannick. Score now 7-5 Brampton. Comeback complete. The offence was led by Ferreira who went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Steve Hough took the mound and went 4 innings allowing 5 runs. B’Mac threw the final 3 innings only giving up 2 walks.

The Royal need to wait for the next round of games to finish before they know who they play.

August 4 - Sarnia 6 Brampton 1

The Royals will now take on the Braves of Sarnia, the only undefeated team in the tournament.

CJ started the game by hitting the second pitch he saw, Zach then got on base by a single. Joe was up next and sacrificed CJ home. There would be no scoring until the Sarnia 6th, when they strung together 5 singles, scoring twice. The Braves are now up by 3 runs, 4-1. In the bottom of the 6th Sarnia would score 2 more runs on a walk, 2 singles and a wild pitch. The Royals would get a couple of batters on, but a double play ended the game.

B’Mac took the mound after throwing 3 innings yesterday and did a very good job of holding the Braves at bay. He allowed 9 hits, but only 4 of them scored in his 5 innings of work. Lakhani threw the final inning giving up 2 runs and 3 hits.

Overall, I thought Brampton played well and gained more respect by teams across southern Ontario. After digging themselves a hole after losing their first game to Tecumseh they won 3 in a row sending home Windsor A’s, Etobicoke Rangers and the Pickering Red Sox. Well Done!!

August 8 - Brampton 10 Burlington 1

The Brampton Royals returned to league play tonight where they played the Burlington Brants. After their excellent showing at the Elims. There would be no letdown, that many teams feel when they come off a tough, emotional tournament.

The Royals got on the board quickly as Andrew Thomson slugged a homer on the 3rd pitch of the game, for his 3rd home run of the season. Brampton went up 2-0 when Zach doubled, Joe reached on an error and Vic singled. In the bottom of the 3rd, Zach opened with a single, then 2 outs later Marco singled followed by doubles by Keegan and Pinlac making the score 5-0. Joe’s single in the 4th scored Yannick. Now 6-0. After the Brants scored in the 5th the Royals scored one more run when Vic reached home on Pinlac’s fielder's choice. Now 7-1. Brampton broke it open with 3 more runs in the 8th when Yannick singled, then Thomson, Zach, CJ, and Marco walked.

The team has enough momentum to carry them to new heights, as long as their pitching holds up. Tonight’s gem by Dawson is exactly what they need to continue this nice run they are currently riding on. Dawson’s complete game 4 hitter allowing only 1 unearned run. They will be tested when they visit Milton for a doubleheader on the weekend. Kudos go to coach Dave for having the Fascia brothers create the battery for tonight. It was a nice touch since it was Zach's last game before returning to Purdue.

Dawson was the COBA pitcher of the week because of his great performance against the Brants.

For the season, Fascia now sits with a 1-1 record. In his 14 innings of work, he has allowed 13 runs (nine earned) on 18 hits good for a 5.79 ERA. He has walked six batters while striking out six. Congratulations to Dawson Fascia; the COBA Major Pitcher of the Week.

August 10 - Brampton 7 Milton 3 - Doubleheader

Brampton is riding the crest of a nice winning streak as they travel to the Milton Sports Complex to take on the Red Sox in a double header.

The Royals took the early lead on Joe’s home run in the 1st, then Pinlac followed suite with his 4th home run in the 2nd inning. Joe has to be the hottest player in the province right now as he belted his 7th dinger of the season. A single by Yannik and a couple of errors and a Thomson double and Ferreira’s single helped Brampton increase their lead to 7-0. Schneider’s home run closed the gap a little for the Red Sox. They would plate a couple more runs in the 5th making the score 7-3, but that would be as close as they would get in this one.

Burke started this one but had to leave the game 3 1/3 innings in, because of shoulder tightness after giving up the Schneider homer. Eric and Joe finished up the final 3 2/3’s giving up 2 runs but none earned. In Eric’s 13 2/3 innings this season he has yet to give up an earned run.

Brampton was rewarded with a win after a well played game both batting and pitching. Now on to game 2.

August 10 - Brampton 12 Milton 3

The second half of the doubleheader proved to be better than the first. Kafes scored from third on a Jayden Fearon groundout in the 2nd. Milton's Lahn tied it up on a homer. The Royals answered right back in their 3rd on 2 singles, a double, and a walk accounting for 2 runs, only to have Milton score a couple on their half of the 3rd. It was in the 4th when the Royals took control in this one scoring 6 times on a double, 3 walks, and 2 errors highlighted by Yannik’s bases-loaded clearing triple. The score now is 9-3. Kafes would bring home another in the 5th on bases loaded sac fly. Pinlac followed that up with an RBI double. Vic would later score Jayden Fearon with a single. Scoring complete, 12-3.

Lakhani started the game and threw a very respectable 6 innings on 7 hits and only 1 earned run. Kafes finished it with a clean inning of work.

Brampton is on a roll now playing the way should have from the start of the season. The great hitting is now getting support from the pitchers. We are now seeing the real Brampton Royals flexing their muscles. Coach Flannagan has the team playing as a complete unit.

The team's winning streak has earned them the COBA team of the Week. This is their second time winning this honour this year as the Royals went 3-0 in league play. They defeated the Burlington Brants 10-1 at home Thursday night and followed that up with a doubleheader sweep of the Milton Red Sox by scores of 7-3 and 12-3.

With the wins, Brampton now sits with a 13-9 record on the season good for 2nd place in the Andrews Division currently. Congratulations to the Brampton Royals; the COBA Major Team of the Week.

August 12 - Brampton 14 Oakville 7

The Royals and the Oakville A’s face off for the fifth time this season and Brampton has won 3 games of their 4 meetings. Brampton would increase that advantage to 4-1 with their game tonight.

Once again, the Royals come out of the gate firing on all cylinders scoring 6 runs in the 1st inning on the strength of 4 singles, 4 walks, a Pinlac bases loaded clearing double, and a sac fly. In the 2nd the Royals scored 4 more on 2 singles, Fabio’s double and a triple by Murphy. With the score 10-1 Kafes smacked an RBI triple scoring Trinidad. The Royals added 2 more in the 6th on Marco’s single and Joe’s double. Oakville refused to lay down and die when they scored 3 in the 7th. Oakville would score a couple more to round out the scoring. The final score was 14-7.

Steve Hough took the mound and was in trouble a couple of times but he wouldn’t give in throwing 7 innings allowing 5 earned runs on 9 hits striking out 4. McLaughlin gave up a run in his inning of work.

No one wants to see the Royals on their schedule anymore, they are the hottest team in the league right now, winning 5 games in a row. They face a tough stretch playing Burlington, Milton, and Mississauga on consecutive days starting Wednesday. At this time of the season, every player is feeling the grind, but a run like this always seems to make those aches and pains go away.

August 14 - Brampton 6 Burlington 5

The Royals travel down the QEW to Nelson Park to take on the Brants of Burlington. This was a tight one for 7 innings with no team being able to grasp more than a one-run lead.

Burlington took the early lead in the 1st and the Royals answered right back with a run in the 2nd on a Hough RBI double. The Royals went ahead 2-1 when Ferreira scored beating the throw home on a Murphy fielders choice. A balk on Joe with Brants on 1st and 2nd moved the runners up a bag, then a single to 1st scored the runner from 3rd. Joe answered the balk with a long home run deep to center field in the 7th. The score is now tied 3-3. Yannik’s single scored Pinlac, then Hough’s double scored Murphy and Yannik.

The score is now 6-4 Royals. The Brants would inch closer in the bottom of the 9th, but that would be it.

Ferreira earned his 4th win of the season against one loss. He threw 6 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits and 4 runs and 6 strikeouts.

Brampton will now take on the Red Sox at home tomorrow night.

August 15 - Brampton 11 Milton 10

After a tough, hard-fought game the night before the Royals are home to play the Red Sox of Milton. This one would go down to the final pitch before the outcome was revealed.

Once again as they usually do, the Royals opened the scoring in the 1st inning scoring twice. Leading off the game, Thomas smacked the first pitch he saw for a double to right, then was brought home on Speciale’s double, who made his way over to third, then brought home by Murphy’s groundout. Royals up 2-0.

A 2nd inning Royal’s 2 out error opened the door for Milton to score 3 unearned runs and added 17 pitches to the pitcher’s tally. The score is now 3-2 Milton. Like so many times before, when the Royals face a little adversity they bounce right back. This time they scored 5 times in the 3rd on 2 walks, an error, a hit by pitch, 2 singles, and a double. The score is now 7-3 Brampton.

Milton would score 2 of their own in the 4th on 4 singles and a walk. Score now 7-5 Brampton. In the Milton 6th, they would climb their way to within a run at 7-6. The Royals scored a run in their 6th then added 2 more in the 7th, setting the stage for Milton’s comeback effort.

In their 8th a couple of doubles scored a run bringing them to 3 runs of tying Brampton. In the 9th Milton used patience at the plate walking 5 times. With the bases loaded and 2 out coach Flannagan made the necessary pitching change and a pitch later the threat was nullified. Game over.

B’Mac started this one and went 5 1/3 innings allowing 10 hits and 6 runs, but only 2 were earned. He struck out 6 and walked 6. The Shaky defense probably cost him an inning of work; his win was well earned. Alex Emerson came in and worked nicely during his 2 2/3 innings allowing a couple of runs. In the 9th Logan Janes had a terrible time finding the plate and walked 5 batters. Logan is full of potential and will be an important asset to the team in the not-too-distant future. Ole veteran Hough earned the save when he came in with the bases loaded with 2 out and got the batter to hit a fly ball out to Yannick in center to end it.

To finish off this 3-game stretch, the Royals will travel to Clarkson Park to take on Mississauga tomorrow, then a very rare weekday doubleheader to end the regular season on Tuesday.

August 16 - Brampton 9 Mississauga 0

Forfeit

Brampton won the game on a forfeit as Mississauga could not field a team.

The Royals will travel to 9th Line on Tuesday, August 20 to finish off their regular season facing the Mississauga Twins in a rare weekday double header.

August 20 - Brampton 17 Mississauga 6 - Double Header

The Royals still have a lot on the line in the doubleheader on Tuesday to finish off the regular season. If they split the two games, they will equal a 7-year record. When the Royals won the Anson Buck trophy in 2012, they won it with an 18-10 season. Take both ends of the doubleheader and they will have the best season record in the team's 16-year history. They still have the two games against Mississauga and the playoffs to get through.

Their first game was a tight one for 3 innings. With the Royals down by a couple of runs entering the 4th inning, they exploded for 10 runs deflating the spirits of Mississauga. They sent 14 batters to the plate and 10 of them scored. They collected 3 doubles, 2 walks, 3 singles, a hit by pitch, and 2 errors. The highlight was Joe's 1 out, bases-loaded clearing double that sealed the victory. Mississauga veteran Mike Cardinale hit a 2-run home run in their 4th.

An error, a double, and 3 walks helped the Royals score 3 more runs in the 5th. A double, a walk, and 4 straight singles propelled the Royals to score 4 more runs.

As important as the game was for the Royals it also gave everyone a small glimpse of the team’s bright future as Hunter Cameron took the mound and went the distance allowing 10 hits, and 6 runs while striking out 6. Bolstered by the huge lead he was able to relax and just throw strikes letting his defense take control. He gave up 6 runs but he never wavered from his game plan. His 60% strike rate was very respectable in his first game at this elite level. Well done.

With the victory, the Royals have equaled their record of 2012. Now on to game 2.

Game 2 - Brampton 4 Mississauga 2

The second half of the doubleheader was a much closer game. CJ Fearon opened the 3rd inning with a triple to left, then Marco reached first on catchers interference setting the stage for Victor's 2 RBI double. Pinlac's single brought home Victor closing out a 3 run inning. Mississauga scored a single run in the 4th and another in their 7th. The Royals closed out their scoring on Joe's double that scored Marco.

With the doubleheader sweep tonight the 2019 version of the Brampton Royals set a new standard (19-9) for future Royals teams to aim for. It's time to not only celebrate the team's achievements of this season but also reflect on how good that team was in 2012. The trio of pitchers Hough (5-1), RJ Page (4-2), and Joey Nonis (3-2) combined for a 12-5 record. A few of the players from 2012 no longer on the team were Gareri, Dodwell, Purohit, and JR Crosby.

2019 COBA Playoffs

Game 1 - Burlington 5 Brampton 1

The Royals opened up the 2019 playoffs against the Burlington Brants Friday night. After going 3-2 in last year's playoffs they would have to reach the finals to better that mark.

The game started with a couple of walks but Burlington was unable to score. In the bottom of the first Brampton had a couple of runners on, but like Burlington, they couldn’t score either. The Royals were the first to crack when in the 5th inning the Brants scored twice on a costly error by the Royal's third basemen. It seemed the Royals couldn’t recover from the error. Two more errors in the 6th cost them a couple more runs. The Royals would score in the 7th but that was it.

Unfortunately, B’Mac was on the losing end of this one, but his pitching was so much better than the score indicated. Over his 6 innings of work, he allowed only 1 earned run on 6 hits, striking out 8 and walking 5. His first pitch to 21 of the 30 batters he faced were strikes. Eric came in to finish the game needing only 10 pitches in his inning, it’s something he’s done all season.

Just like the Elims., the Royals have dug themselves a hole, losing one more game will send them home early.

Brampton 2 Erindale 1

With each team losing their first game this promises to be a very competitive game. The loser goes home. This was possibly the lowest scoring Cardinals/Royals in recent memory.

There were only 9 hits and 3 runs in this contest. It was a great pitching matchup. Erindale’s Andrew Mullin has pitched 7 innings against the Royals this year and gave only 2 earned runs. After scoring only one run in their first game the Royals would have great difficulty scoring in this game also. They were able to take advantage of an error to score the game's first run in the 1st inning. It was a back and forth game with the pitchers in full control, but in the 6th Pinlac scored on Murphy’s double to centre field increasing their lead to 2-0. In the Erindale 7th, they were able to score a run on a Royals error, but that was all they could muster.

Joe took the mound and pitched the way we all expect of him, tossing a complete game, allowing only an unearned run, while striking out 11 and walking only 1. It was another Ferreira masterpiece. Every time the team has been in a jamb needing a win Joe has not disappointed all season. I have not seen a better player in COBA this season.

The Royals will now face the Red Sox of Milton (who just beat Mississauga 12-5) in their next game later this afternoon.

Brampton 9 Milton 7

With the team back on track they now host the Milton Red Sox. The Royals are still looking to wake up the bats having only scored 3 runs in their first two-game.

Milton would get on the board first scoring in the first inning on an outfield error. The Royals would load the bases on 3 walks but could not score. In the 2nd inning, the Royals would score 3 times when Rickli walked and Marco singled. Both advanced on a passed ball and then scored on a Fascia single. Then Fascia would score on Ferreira’s single. The score is now 3-1. The Red Sox would answer right away in the 3rd, as they collected a single, double, a walk then a 3 run homer by Schneider to go ahead 5-3. The Sox would increase their lead to 7-3 on a 3 hit inning. The Royal's veteran-laden team showed no panic or nerves as they stuck to their game plan and clawed their way back. They need to score 5 runs in a final couple of innings to continue in the tournament. The first two Royals batters Pinlac and Murphy both reached on errors, then Rickli followed with a walk loading the bases with one out. Stormer with a 2 RBI single to left field, closing the gap. Fearon reached base on a walk then Marco brought home 2 more runs, then Ferreira brought home Fearon, and Marco completed the comeback. That would finish the scoring with the Royals taking their second game by a score of 9-7.

Lakhani took the mound and pitched well considering he hasn’t pitched in 2 weeks and went 4 innings, allowing 4 earned runs, on 6 hits. He had plenty of support from the Ferreira brothers who allowed only a couple of runs over their 3 innings of work, with Joe earning the save.

The Royals are playing well now, which is good news because they must take on the Rangers of Etobicoke in their next game. They will need a mistake-free game if they wish to advance to the finals.

Brampton 8 Etobicoke 1

It seems we always face the Rangers whenever an important game is about to be played, and this is one of those games. The Royals, after being the league's doormats for many years, are starting to earn the respect of all their opponents. The Royals sent Etobicoke packing in last year's Elims. outscoring the perennial league leaders 28-4, and to show it was no fluke, they did it again this year. Etobicoke is the standard by which all COBA teams measure their success. They have been by far the most consistent team in the league for many years. The Royals seem to have notched a chink in the Etobicoke armour. They no longer have the ability to push the Royals around, but they are still very much respected. With that being said no one could foresee what happened in Game 4 of the COBA playoffs.

Speciale opened the 2nd inning with a single, then an error allowed Pinlac to reach base. A Rickli single scored Speciale, then a Stormer single brought home Pinlac and Rickli. 3-0 Royals. In the Royal's 4th a Thomson double scored Rickli. A passed ball scored Ferracuti in the Ranger's 4th. Marco reached base on a single in the 5th then big Joe put it away with a deep homer to left scoring two more. The Royals closed out the scoring when Marco’s single scored Thomson and Fearon in the 6th.

Fabio got the nod in this one and had little trouble putting the Rangers away. He went the distance throwing only 84 pitches, allowing 8 hits, not letting any earned runs score. A great pitching performance by Fabio when the team needed him most. 8 months from now when he looks back at this year he will recall how he shut the great Etobicoke team down putting his team into the Finals for the first time.

Brampton 7 Oakville 6

Another do-or-die game against a much different opponent than the Rangers. The A’s of Oakville have had a great pitching rotation during these playoffs, giving up only 6 runs in their 4 games so far. They have managed to get to the finals without losing a game, so they must have the advantage knowing the Royals will have to beat them twice to become COBA champs.

Oakville continued the hot play taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a single, walk, and 2 doubles, then extended their lead in the 2nd on a Royals error. It’s now 4-0. Knowing they had to get on the board the Royals played some small ball when Marco sacrificed Fearon over to second then scored on an error. The Royals flexed their muscles in the 4th scoring 5 times. Murphy opened the inning by getting hit by a pitch, then Rickli doubled Murphy over to third. Stormer singled, scoring Murphy, then Thomson laid down a perfect bunt single scoring Rickli. Fearon then laid down a sac bunt advancing the runners, setting the stage for Marco’s single that scored Stormer and Thomson. Joe added another single bringing home, Marco, then Speciale doubled to centre moving Fearon over to 3rd. The momentum has moved over to the Royals side, the A’s weren’t giving up as they tied the game on Freemantle’s double scoring veteran Matt Reagan.

In the bottom of the 7th, the Royals managed a couple of one-out singles. Coach Dave recognized an opening and called for a double steal. The A's catcher threw down to third but the ball got away from the third baseman far enough to allow Rickli to score the walk-off winning run.

Dawson took the mound in his first appearance since he threw a complete game 4 hitter vs Burlington where he only allowed 1 unearned run 2 ½ weeks ago. In this one, Dawson was up to the task as he threw 5 2/3 innings giving up 6 runs, but the key was that he kept the Royals in the game giving them an opportunity to win the game. Callup Hunter Cameron threw 9 pitches over his 1 1/3 innings to earn his second win in less than a week.

The Royals had to fight and scratch their way to the win and now must do it again. Beating the same team twice in a row is a difficult task, but a win will win them the COBA championship.

Oakville 5 Brampton 1

There will be no more games tomorrow or next week, no more practices this season. Everything the Royals have played for this season leads them to this field in Milton playing the Oakville A’s for the highest honour in the Central Ontario Baseball Association. The Royals will have to play mistake-free baseball for them to win.

The Royals quickly got on the board first in the 1st inning when Joe blasted a long solo home run to left for the all-important lead. There would be no scoring until the 4th when Oakville scored 3 times on a couple of walks and a couple of doubles. The A’s would score 2 more runs in the 5th and the Royals ran out of gas not being able to respond to Oakville’s offense.

Young Cameron was given the ball in his 2nd start and threw 4 innings on 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 strikeouts, and 3 walks. I’m quite sure he left the field with the teams’ respect for what he showed in his short time with the Royals. We haven’t seen the last of him. B’Mac finished up throwing 3 innings giving up 2 runs on 2 hits.

Congrats to the Oakville A’s on their first title win since 1991.

2019 Summary

2019 Season Summary

May (4-1 league play, 1-0 tournament play)

The weather would take over the headlines washing out 2 preseason and 2 regulation games

On May 30, Zach Fascia got the most out of his 3 hits. His 3 home runs and 8 RBI were more than enough to beat the Cardinals.

On May 31, the key play of the game came in Oakville’s 6th, with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out Troy Lacoste hit a fly ball to right field where Thomson was waiting to make the out then threw a strike to catcher DiRoma who applied the tag for the double play. Joe Ferreira gave us a glimpse of what was to come this season throwing what appeared to be an effortless 3 hit shutout.

The Royals were winning but they still weren’t firing on all cylinders. 4 of their wins were by 2 runs or less, which is a sign of a good team. You have to win the close ones to be able to compete in this league.

Perennial league leaders Etobicoke were 5-1 for May with the Royals ½ game back in the standings.

June (1-4 league play, 2-1 in tournament play)

The weather continued to be the story as 2 more games were rained out this month.

The team gave away the great 5-1 start they worked hard to get.

June 1, in game 2 of the inaugural Brampton tournament against Pickering turned out to be a pitcher’s duel as runs came at a premium, but it was defence that won the day. The game was saved by 2nd baseman Keegan Murphy in the 7th inning when the Red Sox loaded the bases and hit a line drive screamer over Murphy's head but his leap was just high enough to snare the ball heading to right-center. Burke threw 6 innings, 1 earned run for the win.

June 2, in game 4 of the tournament, newcomer Jack Caswell started the game on the mound and kept the heavy hitters of Niagara at bay. Jack threw 6 great innings not allowing an earned run. The Metros managed to work Caswell for 6 H and 3 BB, striking out 8. He will be a welcomed addition to the Royals pitching staff.

June 6 was a special day as the team retired #’s 33 and 50 belonging to the team’s founders Ron Lutz and Blake Frost. The brief ceremony included their jersey’s and plaques commemorating the occasion given to them, along with a few words by Ken Appleby, Joey Nonis and Milton coach George Moore.

On June 7 at Connorvale, Yannik hit a deep drive to the right field fence, then noticed the right fielder wasn’t getting the ball back into the infield so he kept running, all the way home.

On June 14 the team entered the Vaughan tournament well rested. They had little trouble getting past Vaughan, East York and Thornhill before bowing out to a tough Ilderton team. What I will remember most from that weekend will be Stormer’s amazing performance vs East York where he went 4 for 4, scoring 3 runs, 3 RBI including a double and 2 triples.

With all the rainouts, it was difficult trying to gain any momentum. The Royals lost both ends of a double header in Niagara, getting outscored 18-2, then lost to Burlington at home to round out the month.

The Royals have fallen back to 5-5 in league play and a distant 5 games behind the surging 13-3 Rangers.

July (5-4 in league play, 0-3 in tournament play)

In July, the team barely played .500 ball (5-4) for the month. At months end the Royals would be 10-9 in league play mired in 3rd place in the division 6 games behind Etobicoke. Their numbers in Tournament play boosted their overall record to 16-14.

It was an embarrassing weekend at the Hap Tournament as the Royals went down in a whimper losing all 3 games being outscored 19-9. By the way the season had gone up to this point we shouldn’t have expected anything else, as they had returned to being an average ball team. There were no hints of what was to come. Every player on the team were trying their hardest but it wasn’t enough, there was something missing, and they weren’t going anywhere until they find it.

There was still a lot of bite in the dog. On July 6 the Royals held a 4-1 lead going into the last inning vs Niagara but gave up 3 runs only to score the go-ahead winning run in the bottom of the inning.

On July 8, the Royals took on the Brants with Dawson Fascia on the mound. Dawson threw his best game of the season limiting them to just 3 hits in his complete game gem. He silently told his team to not score any more near the end of the game because he was scared the game would end early on a mercy rule. The complete game was just as important as the win for Dawson.

Another bad sign for the team was its shaky defence in the game vs Etobicoke on July 11. The team committed 6 errors allowing 7 unearned runs to score. Etobicoke is a great team that doesn’t need our help winning games. We won 18-12 but it shouldn’t have been that close.

No one knew at the time, that the hard-fought game on July 26 in Oakville would be their last loss of the season in league play.

Beating Erindale 11-10 was a typical game vs the Cardinals, this game had a little bit of everything, 21 runs, a 20-minute rain delay and 7 lead changes. After the game I wrote “This was the last game before the Elims. In spite of their recent woes, they have all the tools to go deep again this year. Who knows what lies ahead for this team, but I know it’ll be exciting.”

August (9-0 in league play, 7-4 in tournament play)

Final

32 - 19 (including forfeit)

13-9 Tournaments

The Royals opened the month in Windsor as they always do. The luck of the draw have them playing the No. 3 ranked team in the country, the Tecumseh Thunder. The Royals followed the script by losing 10-2, which put them in a huge hole. One more loss and they are back on the 401 heading home. Sometimes playing with fear, fear of losing is a good thing, as they sent their next three opponents home, Windsor A’s, Etobicoke for the 2nd year in a row, and the Red Sox of Pickering.

It was in Windsor the team found the missing ingredient they were looking for, Joe Ferreira. In Joe’s first appearance at this years Elims Joe threw 4 innings of 1 hit ball not allowing anyone to score. He made it very clear to coach Dave that he was willing and able to pitch against COBA rivals Etobicoke. He only went out and threw a 5 hit complete game shutout masterpiece winning 1-0. If this didn’t get the team pumped up, nothing would. Their next game vs Pickering was a great match. With the Royals down 5-1 in the 4th scored 6 runs winning 7-5.

They had to wait a while before learning their next opponent would be the Braves of Sarnia. This is where the Royals ran out of gas, but to a man they thought Sarnia was a beatable team. Sarnia went on to win the Ontario Championship. The Royals equalled their record from last year. With a break here and there, they could have easily advanced further.

The Royals returned to league play 4 days later and they were bent on proving to the league their Elims success was no fluke. In their remaining 9 league games they outscored their opposition 81-37, ending their regular season with a 10-0 run.

Now it’s off to Milton for the playoffs. The team was surprised by losing to Burlington in their first game. Fascia made a great play ending the 1st inning. Burlington’s Grilli hit a single out to Fascia in right field and he promptly fired a laser to Stormer who tagged the runner trying to score from 2nd ending the inning. Just like the Elims., one more loss and they’re going home. They beat Erindale 2-1 in what I’m sure is the lowest score the 2 teams ever had playing each other. Then beat Milton 9-7. Etobicoke was next and the lack of discipline cost the Rangers dearly. Before the 2nd inning was over they lost a key player to ejection. It took a couple of innings before they got over it. Thomson made a key double play in the 1st inning by catching a fly ball in centre then threw a strike to Stormer tagging out Capone trying to score. Fabio threw a great game going the distance allowing 8 hits and 1 unearned run winning 8-1. His best game of the season.

The team used the momentum from beating the Rangers to lift themselves past Oakville in game one of the Final. Since the A’s reached the finals undefeated the Royals would have to beat them twice. In the bottom of the 7th the Royals managed a couple of one out singles. Rickli saw an opening and stole third then scored on an arrant throw by the catcher. The Royals win 7-6 in a walk off.

Oakville were well deserving for winning the second game of the final 5-1. The Royals just ran out of gas. They were both physically and mentally drained. They took nothing home with them, they left it all on the field. As a fan, that’s all we could expect from them.

Final Record

32 - 19 (including forfeit)

13-9 Tournaments

_______________________

Notables:

The 10-0 run in August pushed the Royals up to within 1 game of the division leader Etobicoke.

When Burke went down with his arm issues, he was having one of his best seasons ever. His ERA for his first 5 games was very Ferreira-like, 2.33, then his ERA for his last 4 games ballooned to 8.62. Since he had to take a step back and become a cheerleader, the pitching staff had to step up and make up the 24 innings that was just taken from the lineup. And, step up they did.

B’Mac threw 58 innings, his most ever, had his best pitching season ever.

Hough threw 49 innings, his most in 6 years, had his best pitching season since 2012. He put out more fires than anyone on the team.

Fabio, 42 innings, his most ever and had his best ERA season

Joe who threw 72 innings, his most ever and had his best ERA season by far.

No other Brampton pitcher had ever thrown 16 innings and not give up an earned run. It’ll be hard for Eric Ferreira to improve on this season. His 4-0 record shows he has a great sense of being in the right place at the right time. It was amazing when he was called upon to throw 3 innings vs the Windsor A’s at the Elims. He threw 76% strikes after an 18 day absence. He allowed only 2 hits, nothing more.

The common theme here is: they all got better when their workload increased.

I love the way coach Flannagan manages the game. He doesn’t try to manage his players; he manages the game. His use of the bunt became an integral part of his strategy, he put it to use 32 times during the season and was used to primarily move runners over to scoring position in tight games. I thought he was very fair in his handling of the pitchers. The more he got to know their limits the more he would challenge them to get out of tight spots. He would rather see a pitcher fight and scratch his way out of a jam rather bringing in someone to clean up their mess. Holding the pitchers accountable goes a long way to earning the players respect.

I remember watching one of the games at the Brampton Tournament with Blake and Kerry Hedden manager of Niagara stopped by and expressed his frustration about how to pitch to the Royals in their next game. He said he would be hard pressed to find a week spot in the Royals lineup. There isn’t anyplace in the lineup where you can relax the slightest.

The 170 runs allowed were the 5th best in the teams 16 year history.

The 225 runs scored were the 2nd most in the team’s history.

The team or it's players took 9 Pitcher, Batter or Team Weekly Honours and 6 Honourable Mentions this season.

Great pitching plus great hitting equals championships.

Can’t wait till next year.

2012 Winner of the Dr. Anson Buck Award
2019 Brampton Tournament Finalist
2019 COBA MVP - Joe Ferreira
2019 COBA Playoff Finalist
2022 Lakeside Tournament Finalist

2022 COBA ROY - Aidan Murphy
2023 Lakeside Tournament Finalist
2023 COBA Playoff Finalist
2023 COBA ROY - Alex Fascia

A Proud member of the COBA "AAA" Major League since 2004

2019 Game Updates

May

June

July

August

2019 Summary

2012 Winner of the Dr. Anson Buck Award 2019 Brampton Tournament Finalist 2019 COBA MVP - Joe Ferreira 2019 COBA Playoff Finalist 2022 Lakeside Tournament Finalist

2022 COBA ROY - Aidan Murphy 2023 Lakeside Tournament Finalist 2023 COBA Playoff Finalist 2023 COBA ROY - Alex Fascia

A Proud member of the COBA "AAA" Major League since 2004

2019 Game Updates

May

June

July

August

2019 Summary

2012 Winner of the Dr. Anson Buck Award
2019 Brampton Tournament Finalist
2019 COBA MVP - Joe Ferreira
2019 COBA Playoff Finalist
2022 Lakeside Tournament Finalist

2022 COBA ROY - Aidan Murphy
2023 Lakeside Tournament Finalist
2023 COBA Playoff Finalist
2023 COBA ROY - Alex Fascia