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Welcome back everyone, to another edition of NDBA Round Up. What a great first few series we got out of senior baseball in Niagara. Let’s keep it going!
There were no upsets to report in Round One of the 2023 playoffs, meaning the top-four teams are now locked into their semi-final matchups. With the second round to start on Wednesday, there’s not much time for teams to retool and prepare for battle once again.
In our Round Two breakdown we’ll take a look at some of the standout performances by winning teams and preview what lies ahead for the final four. But first, we’d like to thank some of our sponsors for this season. None of this year is possible without their support:
In each segment, we’ll breakdown how every team stacks up in their five-game set. Who has the edge? We’ll take a look at head-to-head matchups and how team’s stack up against their opponents and the rest of the league alike. We’ll also post schedules at the bottom portion of each section. (an “*” indicates a game that will be featured in our LIVE stream segment. Look for “NDBA Senior” on google and follow @NDBAsenior on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to catch all the action)
- Welland Pioneers vs. (4) Merritton Alliance
The Pioneers are set to appear in their first playoff game on Wednesday night at Welland Stadium after winning the pennant and earning a bye in round one. They’ve won 10 games in a row, including back-to-back wins over the Alliance back in mid-July. Welland will also be coming in fresh, after a nearly two-week layoff between games for them – there’s a lot going the Pioneer’s way right now. Here’s how both teams stack up, remember, these numbers are regular season only:
On paper, the Pioneers have the depth and skill to take this series in four games or less. They have a strong rotation that should be able to navigate through the Merritton lineup as effectively as they did in the regular season. Welland outscored Merritton 41-13 in their four matchups this year on their way to a series sweep.
While the Alliance are fighting uphill battle, they should not be written out of this series entirely. The Collins brothers both brought their big bats against the Expos and held down the infield in game three. Plus, we’ve already seen one veteran shine on the mound for Merritton these playoffs and it feels like we’ve yet to take in a vintage moment from the likes of Matt Brady or Chris Heckley.
Alliance played in a tough series against the Expos that saw their ace, Cam McKnight pitch 12 innings in four days to spearhead his team to victory in both games one and three. There’s no doubt he’ll go again against Welland, but it may not be until games two or three as the right hander is on short rest. They’ll need their offense to stay hot against a well-staffed rotation for the Pioneers. If Merritton wants to take this series, they’ll need the same nine to step up once again. For that, they’ll look to Mark Fusco and Dave Davidson, who held down the middle of the order and were catalysts on offense in series number one.
Alliance will also have to stymie some of the hottest bats in the NDBA this season in the form of Mark Jaroslawski, Brian Lepp, Scott Cole and rookie, Blake Kauer just to name a few. Welland brings in the number one ranked offense coupled with a consistently stingy defense that features arguably the best outfield from left to right.
EDGE: Pioneers
SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, August 16 – 7:30 p.m. @ Welland Stadium *
Friday, August 18 – 7:30 p.m. @ George Taylor Field
Sunday, August 20 – 1:00 p.m. @ Welland Stadium *
Friday, August 25 – 7:30 p.m. @ George Taylor Field (if necessary)
Sunday, August 27 – 7:00 p.m. @ Welland Stadium (if necessary)*
- Beamsville Yellow Jackets vs. (3) Fort Erie Cannons
It’s a rematch of last season’s NDBA finals and we know these two teams are going to bring the heat in their semi-final matchup this year. There’s a score to settle here. First, we’ll look at how these two teams look in a head-to-head scenario:
The Jackets were pushed to game three by the Thorold Anchors in round one and gave all four of their aces, (yes aces, plural) a chance to get their feet wet. Tyler Rose and Alex Davy each picked up wins in the series, while Riley Grey and Tyler Wood each pitched effectively in their spot appearance in games one and two respectively. It’s likely they will shuffle the deck in round two against the Cannons, who will also feature some of the league’s top talent on the mound in form of Josh Kuderian and the NDBA leader in wins this year, Randy Kraneyk.
If you look plainly at the stats, you’ll see the Yellow Jackets carry the advantage in every single category, just as they did when these two teams met last year’s final. The Cannons pride themselves on being playoff performers and show us time and time again what an X-factor a determined clubhouse can bring.
That said, it's hard to say which of these two teams takes the edge in terms of sustainability. With the schedule compressed to five games in nine days, the need for wins early on in the series should force both the Cannons and Jackets lay down their cards early and push all in. It’s also of note that while the Pioneers and Alliance will be alternating parks in their series, the Jackets and Cannons will play games one and two in Beamsville before shifting to Oakes Park (FE) for games three and four. The Jackets will need to avoid dropping any games at home in this series as Fort Erie boasted a 10-3 record at home this season, including a 10-5 win over Beamsville back in late May.
This has been the toughest series to sort out so far in these playoffs and even though there’s a decision to be made, it comes with a shred regret. My mindset is, that until Fort Erie is dethroned, they will maintain a competitive lead over their opponents. I’ve been burned once before…
EDGE: Cannons
SCHEDULE:
Friday, August 18 – 7:30 p.m. @ Beamsville Lions Park *
Sunday August 20 – 7:00 p.m. @ Beamsville Lions Park
Wednesday, August 23 – 7:30 p.m. @ Oakes Park (FE) *
Friday, August 25 – 7:30 p.m. @ Oakes Park (FE) (if necessary) *
Sunday August 27 – 7:00 p.m. @ Beamsville Lions Park (if necessary)
