Inter County Downs Western Counties In OSG Exhibition

The Inter County Baseball Association defeated the Western Counties Baseball Association in an Ontario Summer Games exhibition on Saturday at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham

The Inter County Baseball Association bantam select squad downed the C-K flavoured Western Counties Baseball Association in a 2016 Ontario Summer Games exhibition 11-3 on Saturday.

The exhibition held at Chatham’s Fergie Jenkins Field in Rotary Park was a tune-up for both teams, prior to leaving for the summer games in Mississauga later this week.

The Western Counties Wolverines team includes four members of the Chatham Diamonds bantam team – Daniel Boldt, Collin Bond, Josh Noah and Darian Steele, the four of whom represent Ridgetown, Blenheim and Chatham.

The local squad handled themselves well in the early goings of the exhibition and outhit Inter County 7 to 3. Western Counties ran into some location issues on the mount, surrendering 9 walks and 6 hit batters, allowing 15 additional base runners.

“This was a bit of a primer for our team,” said Michael Bond, head coach and also a coach of the local Chatham Diamonds bantam team. “Giving our pitchers some experience in this caliber of baseball and hopefully getting them comfortable for the Summer Games atmosphere.”

Daniel Boldt reached base twice for the Wolverines, with a first-inning single and reaching by error in the seventh. Collin Bond added a single and Darian Steele reached in the fourth after a pop-up on the infield was misplayed. Josh Noah drove in the first run of the game in the second with an RBI fielder’s choice.

Bond, Steele and Noah all made pitching appearances for Western Counties.

Both teams will compete later this week in Mississauga at the Ontario Summer Games. The sold-out opening ceremonies will be held Thursday with play beginning Friday. Both teams are guaranteed five games before moving into the medal round.