Hantsport, Halifax and Dartmouth will join the host Wildcats at the four-team tournament. The winner and runner-up will represent Nova Scotia at the 21-U national tournament scheduled for Aug. 13-17 in Regina, SK.
Action gets underway at 5 p.m. on July 17, with Kentville meeting Hantsport. For all the round robin games, the home team will be determined by a coin toss.
The opening game will be followed by Halifax versus Dartmouth at 8 p.m.
On July 18, Kentville will take on Halifax at 10 a.m., followed by Hantsport and Dartmouth at 1 p.m. Kentville will take on Dartmouth at 4 p.m., and Hantsport will meet Halifax in the final game of the day at 7 p.m.
The top two teams from the round robin will meet in the championships, scheduled for July 19 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. If the top team in the round robin is undefeated, they will need to be beaten twice.
“We'll have to take things a game at a time,” Wildcats' coach Derek Atwater said July 12. “We can't be thinking any further ahead than our first game, and we can't get our backs against the wall.”
Dartmouth is probably the best team in the tournament - “they're a powerhouse,” Atwater said – but the Wildcats, second in the league at this point, “are right there, too.”
Strong pitching will be key.
“Our strength so far has been our pitching, which is deeper than it has been in the past. We'll be counting on that depth to help us win our first two games,” Atwater added.
Wildcats sweep Halifax, Hantsport
In a doubleheader July 5, the Wildcats swept Halifax by scores of 10-2 and 8-2 to improve their regular season record to 6-2-1.
In the first game, Bradley Fuller was the winning pitcher, throwing six innings in which he allowed one run and struck out 12.
Michael Boylen had two hits and two RBI to lead the Kentville offence. Adam Gardner, Nick Barrett, Luke Muise and Brandon Croft each scored two runs. The Wildcats finished with 10 hits, and also drew seven walks.
In the second game, Luke Muise went the distance for the win, allowing one earned run on eight hits and walking three. According to coach Lyle Boylen, Muise “didn’t have his best stuff,” but fought his way out of a couple of jams to earn the victory.
Offensively, Wes Harding had a double and a triple and scored two runs. Gardner, Dryden Schofield, Justin Beach and Fuller each had two RBI. Kentville had 11 hits overall and drew two walks.
In their most recent action July 11, in Hantsport, the Wildcats improved to 8-2-1 on the season by sweeping the Shamrocks by scores of 8-5 and 3-1 to enter the elimination tournament on a four-game win streak.
Atwater said Hantsport was “vastly improved” since the start of the season, and said that Kentville's opening game opponent “can't be taken too lightly. Our goal will be to get by Hantsport, then look forward to Halifax.”
He’ll be keeping an eye on the Wildcats defence at the elimination tournament, adding that the Wildcats “can play better defensively” than they have at times this season.
“We played good defence against Hantsport. If we get good pitching and solid defence, we should be OK.” He added.
Hantsport, Halifax and Dartmouth will join the host Wildcats at the four-team tournament. The winner and runner-up will represent Nova Scotia at the 21-U national tournament scheduled for Aug. 13-17 in Regina, SK.
Action gets underway at 5 p.m. on July 17, with Kentville meeting Hantsport. For all the round robin games, the home team will be determined by a coin toss.
The opening game will be followed by Halifax versus Dartmouth at 8 p.m.
On July 18, Kentville will take on Halifax at 10 a.m., followed by Hantsport and Dartmouth at 1 p.m. Kentville will take on Dartmouth at 4 p.m., and Hantsport will meet Halifax in the final game of the day at 7 p.m.
The top two teams from the round robin will meet in the championships, scheduled for July 19 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. If the top team in the round robin is undefeated, they will need to be beaten twice.
“We'll have to take things a game at a time,” Wildcats' coach Derek Atwater said July 12. “We can't be thinking any further ahead than our first game, and we can't get our backs against the wall.”
Dartmouth is probably the best team in the tournament - “they're a powerhouse,” Atwater said – but the Wildcats, second in the league at this point, “are right there, too.”
Strong pitching will be key.
“Our strength so far has been our pitching, which is deeper than it has been in the past. We'll be counting on that depth to help us win our first two games,” Atwater added.
Wildcats sweep Halifax, Hantsport
In a doubleheader July 5, the Wildcats swept Halifax by scores of 10-2 and 8-2 to improve their regular season record to 6-2-1.
In the first game, Bradley Fuller was the winning pitcher, throwing six innings in which he allowed one run and struck out 12.
Michael Boylen had two hits and two RBI to lead the Kentville offence. Adam Gardner, Nick Barrett, Luke Muise and Brandon Croft each scored two runs. The Wildcats finished with 10 hits, and also drew seven walks.
In the second game, Luke Muise went the distance for the win, allowing one earned run on eight hits and walking three. According to coach Lyle Boylen, Muise “didn’t have his best stuff,” but fought his way out of a couple of jams to earn the victory.
Offensively, Wes Harding had a double and a triple and scored two runs. Gardner, Dryden Schofield, Justin Beach and Fuller each had two RBI. Kentville had 11 hits overall and drew two walks.
In their most recent action July 11, in Hantsport, the Wildcats improved to 8-2-1 on the season by sweeping the Shamrocks by scores of 8-5 and 3-1 to enter the elimination tournament on a four-game win streak.
Atwater said Hantsport was “vastly improved” since the start of the season, and said that Kentville's opening game opponent “can't be taken too lightly. Our goal will be to get by Hantsport, then look forward to Halifax.”
He’ll be keeping an eye on the Wildcats defence at the elimination tournament, adding that the Wildcats “can play better defensively” than they have at times this season.
“We played good defence against Hantsport. If we get good pitching and solid defence, we should be OK.” He added.