The Sarnia Braves are among the top five teams in the province after a strong showing at the 'AAA' Ontario Eliminations in London on the weekend.
It was a tough way to begin the tournament Friday, with the task of facing the two-time defending national champions out of Tecumseh in their opening game. The Braves bats were quieted by one of best arms in the province, as Joel Pierce picked up his first of three wins on the weekend for the Thunder. Mike Damchuk had a great start for Sarnia, but was saddled with the loss.
An unfortunate and curious draw for the Braves, who despite their outstanding summer so far, faced one the country's top senior teams in the opener of a double elimination tournament. Tecumseh went on to win their fourth straight Ontario Championship.
Sarnia didn't let that slow them down too much, responding with a 4-1 win over Milton. Nick Baljeu was the winning pitcher for the Braves. Wade Babula started Sarnia's third game, where the Braves had no problem with Kingston, cruising to the 10-0 victory. That win earned them a fourth round bye.
It was a little closer for the Braves Sunday morning, as Julien Service hit a home run in extra innings to help Sarnia punch their tickets to the Final Five with a 6-5 win over Erindale.
Sarnia's tournament came to a close Sunday evening, following a 6-3 loss to Mississauga SW.
Still plenty of baseball left for the Braves, as they open their Southwest Baseball League playoffs Wednesday night against Exeter. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30pm at Errol Russell Park.
