Posted on Oct. 14: Marauders fall to Toronto Varsity Blues

The McMaster Marauders lost game three of the Ontario University Athletics Baseball Championship to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday.

With a 7-0 defeat in the final game of the best-of-three series, the Blues captured its second OUA baseball championship title in three years. In game one, McMaster defeated Toronto 3-1, but lost to Toronto in game two, 3-1.

This is the second consecutive year that McMaster has finished the season with an OUA silver.

The Varsity Blues opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, knocking in three runs. Brian Rock walked and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. James Rutherford then doubled home Rock. Rutherford scored on a Dominic Roppa base hit. Roppa advanced to second on a Marc Sgrignoli single, then stole third, and scored on a wild pitch by McMaster relief pitcher Geoff Millar. Toronto scored four more runs in the second inning on consecutive base hits, by Brian Rock, Scott Hughes, James Rutherford, Dominic Roppa, and one McMaster error.

With a seven-run lead after two innings, Toronto starting pitcher Jesse Fulton took over and won his second consecutive game three of the playoffs, pitching a complete game striking out 10 while giving up only three hits. Rutherford had three hits and two RBIs, and Roppa had two hits and two RBIs on the day to lead the Toronto Offense. McMaster struggled on offense leaving six runners stranded on base, and failed to advance a runner past second base on the day. Chopra picked up the loss for the Marauders.

Also read Mac loses but represents province anyway, in today's Hamilton Spectator.

For access to The Hamilton Spectator online, McMaster users can click here from a main campus computer.