The third day of Men’s Softball competition at the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games saw Nova Scotia solidify its first-place position, Ontario took sole possession of second place and Team BC joined Saskatchewan in a tie for third place, while Newfoundland & Labrador made a jump in the standings after two wins. Several key matchups will factor into the final preliminary round standings at Southward Community Park on Friday.
 
Nova Scotia 8 vs. Quebec 0
 
This matchup was tight in the early going with David Watson getting the ball in the pitcher’s circle for Nova Scotia and Quebec countering with Alex Baillargeon. Nova Scotia jumped to an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, while Watson retired Quebec in order in the first and second before issuing two walks but striking out three in the third. Nova Scotia added four runs to its lead in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of two-run homeruns by Noah Berniquer and Nick White. In the fifth, Brayden Woodworth and Callum Bouma singled before scoring on a three-run blast by Nathan Peters to end the game on the run-rule. Watson fired a five-inning no-hitter with ten strikeouts and two walks, with Baillargeon taking the loss.
 
Newfoundland & Labrador 4 vs. Alberta 2
 
Newfoundland & Labrador earned a key win over Alberta to keep their playoff hopes alive. Newfoundland opened the scoring in the top of the first, putting a runner on base on an error followed by a pair of singles by Ryan Maher and Linden Power to score the first run. Alberta responded with a run in the bottom of the inning when Ethan Nelson tripled and scored on a single by Aaron Charchuk. The next inning, Newfoundland put two runners on base with a leadoff single by John Webber and a walk before Jacob Gill drilled a two-run triple to right, with Adrian Green adding a run-scoring single in the third as Newfoundland built a 4-1 lead. Josh Kinnee hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough for Alberta to come back. Marcus Pittman and Webber split the pitching duties for Newfoundland & Labrador.
 
Ontario 10 vs. Manitoba 0
 
After a tough loss on Wednesday night, Ontario bounced back with a four-inning win over Manitoba. Team Ontario struck for two runs in the bottom of the first when Connor Brooks singled and the next batter walked before Thomas Baker hit an RBI single and a second run scored on an error. The following inning, Mason McKay drew a two-out walk and scored on a triple by Owen Torrie, who came in to score on a single by Gavin Gibbons. Gibbons advanced to second on a passed ball and crossed the plate on an error as Ontario took a 5-0 lead. In the third, Kurt McCann led off with a triple and scored on a single to right by Brendan Hagerman, with Torrie adding a run-scoring single followed by a two-run single by Gibbons to extend the lead. Ontario ended the game on the run rule in the bottom of the fourth when James Martell tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. Connor Brooks allowed only one hit in the four-inning win, striking out nine batters. Trey Cote managed Manitoba’s hit with a single to start the game.
 
British Columbia 4 vs. New Brunswick 0
 
Team BC got on the board with two runs in the top of the first, with Ethan Lans hitting a two-out single and scoring on a two-run homerun to right by Derian Potskin. The score remained the same until the bottom of the fourth when BC put two runners on base on an error and a walk before Lans hit a two-run single to right. Nate Thiessen pitched a gem for BC, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings in the shutout win.
 
Nova Scotia 7 vs. Saskatchewan 6
 
In a battle between the last two undefeated teams, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan went back and forth with Nova Scotia ultimately coming out on top. Saskatchewan got on the board first when Will Major started the game with a walk and scored on a double to right by Brant Wiebe. Nova Scotia evened the score in the bottom of the second, getting a pair of singles by Callum Bouma and Noah Berniquer before Bouma scored on a ground out. Saskatchewan regained the lead with a solo homerun by Oakley Durham in the top of the fourth, but Nova Scotia got that run back immediately with a solo shot by Bouma in the bottom of the frame. Not to be outdone, Will Major hit his sixth homerun of the tournament for a two-run blast, then Saskatchewan added a run on an error and another on a run-scoring single by Kobey Clarke to build a 6-2 lead. Nova Scotia responded with a two-run homerun by Rowan Sears in the bottom of the fifth, then Nick White delivered a three-run go-ahead homerun in the bottom of the sixth as Nova Scotia took a 7-6 lead. Saskatchewan got a leadoff single by Max Major to start the bottom of the seventh, but wasn’t able to bring him in to score. Brody Fraser picked up the win for Nova Scotia in relief of David Watson, while Troy Kosmynka was saddled with the loss in relief for Saskatchewan.
 
Newfoundland & Labrador 7 vs. Quebec 3
 
Newfoundland & Labrador picked up their second important win of the day over Quebec. They opened the scoring in the top of the first by loading the bases on singles by Logan Power, Ryan Maher and Linden Power before a sacrifice fly by Adrian Green and a run-scoring single by Marcus Pittman made the score 2-0. John Webber added a solo homerun to start the second, and the pitching took over from there as Quebec’s Sharl Leclerc and Newfoundland’s Mitchel Whelan shut down the opposing hitters until Quebec was able to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Xavier Daneau started things off with a one-out single followed by a double by Leclerc before both runners scored on a single to right by Nathan Caron. Later in the inning, Vincent Gaudet drilled a single to right to score Felix Isabelle and tie the game. Newfoundland came back strong to start the seventh, as Logan Power and Maher started with singles before a ground out, an error and a two-run homerun by Pittman led to four runs. Pittman closed out the game to pick up the win in relief of Whelan.
 
British Columbia 5 vs. Alberta 0
 
Team BC remained in a playoff spot with their second win of the day. Nathaniel Simicic started the game with a single for BC and later scored a ground out to open the scoring. In the second, Isaac Brown led off with a single and worked his way around the bases before scoring on a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0. BC loaded the bases in the fourth before scoring two runs on a wild pitch and a ground out, and added its fifth run on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth. Nate Thiessen fired a no-hitter, striking out 14 batters over seven innings of work. Only two Alberta batters reached base, one on a dropped third strike who was quickly erased on a double play and the other on an error in the third.
 
Manitoba 8 vs. New Brunswick 4
 
After a scoreless first inning, New Brunswick scored first with three runs in the top of the second, all with two outs. Jamie Sowers started with a single and scored on a double by Ethan Brewer, and New Brunswick loaded the bases before Alex Melanson connected with a two-run single to right. Manitoba fought back to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third, putting two runners on base with hit by pitches with Theorn North later hitting a two run single, followed by another single and a two-run error by the pitcher. Team NB tied the game in the fourth after Brewer and Hunter Anderson singled before Brewer crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Evan Despres. Manitoba got the go-ahead RBI single from Creighton Sinclair in the bottom of the fifth, then added a two-run double by Ethan Halcrow followed by a run-scoring single by Troy Kemball to round out the scoring. Jonah Ross-Broadburn earned the complete game win for Manitoba.
 
Ontario 6 vs. Saskatchewan 1
 
Ontario and Saskatchewan engaged in a battle for second place in the final game of the day. Saskatchewan opened the scoring on a solo homerun by Max Major in the top of the first inning, but Ontario responded right away when Owen Torrie hit a leadoff double and scored on a single by Mitch McKay. Tucker Firth led off the bottom of the second with a double for Ontario, later followed by a run-scoring single by Mason McKay, an RBI single by Torrie and an RBI double by Mitch McKay as Ontario built a 4-1 lead. Mason McKay added another run with a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the fourth, with Connor Brooks connecting for a solo shot of his own later in the inning to complete the scoring. Mac Mulvey limited Saskatchewan to one run on only three hits, striking out nine batters over seven innings.
 
All nine teams will be back in action for the final day of the preliminary round with doubleheaders on Friday. Streaming for all games is available at www.niagara2022games.ca/watch/sport/softball.