Cubs tied in Junior Division series with Orangeville

Written By Brian Lockhart

The Mansfield Cubs are tied at one in their best-of-three playoff series with the Orangeville Bengals.

The North Dufferin Baseball League Junior Division playoffs got underway on July 21.

Game one of the Mansfield versus Orangeville series was supposed to take place in Mansfield on Thursday, July 20, but heavy rain that started just prior to game time made the field unplayable.

The game was rescheduled for Sunday, July 23, at Princess of Wales Park in Orangeville, and that game was delayed due to more rain, although it finally let up, and protection around the mound and home plate kept those areas dry.

There were no runs in the first inning, but it ended spectacularly when Mansfield's second baseman, Aiden Coutts, made a wild snag on a line drive to catch the runner off base for the out.

The Cubs had a good start in the second inning with a single from Dylan Brown, who then stole second base. The Cubs managed to load the bases but couldn't score.

It was a repeat in the third when Ben Nicholson started it with a single. The Cubs again loaded the bases but couldn't finish.

Orangeville took a 2-0 lead in the third inning bringing in two runs.

After a fourth inning that saw no Mansfield players get on base, the Cubs again loaded the bases in the fifth inning but were again stopped from scoring, and the inning ended on a play to first.

The Cubs had to settle for a 9-0 loss in game one of the series.

Mansfield kept the series alive after winning game two, 6-5, at their home diamond in Mansfield on July 24.

The series will be decided in the next game unless they play to a tie, in which case there will be a fourth game.

Game three of the series was scheduled for Tuesday, July 25, in Orangeville, with results not available at press time.

The other Junior Division series has the Barrie Baycats up against the Innisfil Cardinals.

Barrie won the first game of that series, 5-4, on their home diamond.

Game two of the series was postponed due to weather.

This year the top two teams in the division got a bye in the first round of playoffs.

The Orillia Royals finished in first place this year after a stellar season that saw them take only two losses for the year.

In second place, the Creemore Padres finished the regular season with a 10-7-1 record.

Once the first round of playoffs is completed, the Royals will be up against the bottom seed, with Creemore taking on the other remaining team.