Pioneers win Minor Championship

August 1, 2019 P. Blancher – Leader staff Sports

2019 Minor Baseball Champs! – The Williamsburg Pioneers won the 2019 Minor baseball championship, defeating the Winchester Sox 1 team 13-12. After the game, the team posed for this photo: Front row: Ethan Nelson. Second row (l-r): Carter Froats, Austin Workman, Donovan Shaver, Simon Martens, and James Barrie. Third row: Reed McCadden, Charlie Chafe, Christian Markell, Callum Larocque, and Emmett Lemire. Back row (l-r): Brian Shaver – head coach, Todd Larocque – coach, Michael McCadden – coach, and Jason Martens – coach. Absent from photo: Bennett Byvelds. (Supplied photo)

WILLIAMSBURG – The Williamsburg Pioneers are the 2019 Minor baseball champions for the area. The team won the season-ending championship tournament held in Williamsburg July 25th and 28th at J.C. Whitteker Park.

The Pioneers took on the Kemptville Wildcats in the first game of the playoffs on July 25th.

Kemptville took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning but runs from Ethan Nelson, Carter Froats, and Donovan Shaver tied the game in the bottom of the inning at 3-3.
Nelson belted in a three-run homer in the bottom of the second inning as the Pioneers built a 7-3 lead.

Kemptville added one run in the top of the third inning, but could not hold back another three runs from Williamsburg including a two-RBI double from Reed McCadden. Pioneers won 10-4

Williamsburg’s second win of the playoff tournament was a 1-0 forfeit win against the Winchester Sox 2 team on July 28th.

The championship final was set with the season’s top two teams, the Pioneers, and Winchester Sox 1.

Winchester took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, while Williamsburg earned one run. The Pioneers tied the game in the bottom of the second inning and took a 5-3 lead at the end of the third.

Safe at third! – Williamsburg Pioneers runner Reed McCadden (right) slides into third base in the fourth inning of the Minor championship game between the Pioneers and the Winchester Sox 1 team. (The Leader/Blancher photo)

The Sox added five runs in the fourth inning, but the Pioneers sent four runners across the plate in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead 9-8.

Williamsburg extended their lead by one run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Sox earned four runs to regain the lead 12-10. The Sox walked seven Pioneers batters, including Froats whose final walk put the tie breaking run home. Pioneers won 13-12.

From the bullpen, Shaver struck out five batters and allowed three hits in two innings, while Lemire had three K’s and six hits in two innings. Nelson struck out three-in-a-row in the fifth inning, while McCadden closed out the game in the sixth inning. Lemire and McCadden each had a trio of singles in the game while Froats, Martens, and Workman, each had a pair of singles.

“It was a very even, back and forth tilt,” said head coach Brian Shaver after the game.