Opening night of the double-knockout South Perth Men’s Fastball League (SPMFL) playoff tournament in Mitchell Friday night saw relatively few surprises, with the higher seeded teams winning their first round contests.
Top-seeded Bridgeport and defending league champion opened with a 7-3 win over Linwood, while third-seeded Sebringville got a complete-game shutout from Don Stebbings and five-RBI from veteran catcher Randy Wicke in their 5-0 win over Shakespeare Colts.
Ryan French threw a two-hitter in leading the Elmira Cubs to a 7-1 win over St. Marys Gunners, while Elora Wellington Brewers got a pitching win from Mike Pinder, plus a two-run home run, in a 5-1 win over Monkton. Sixth-seeded Shakespeare Falcons got a complete-game shutout performance from Fred Follings in a 4-0 win over the Tavistock Merchants, who captured the International Softball Congress (ISC) II title last month in Kitchener.
The only blemish, more or less, was 9th-seeded Elmira Jrs. edging 8th-seeded Moorefield 4-1.
Games continue Saturday at 10 a.m., but Harriston Mercurys won’t be playing the host Mitchell Mets as the Mercurys had to withdraw due to a lack of players. Mitchell will earn a bye to the second round, Saturday at 2 p.m. against the winner of the other 10 a.m. game, Hickson vs. Milverton.
Game results:
Friday, Sept. 15
1 – Bridgeport 7, Linwood 3
WP – Harris, Don LP – Simpson, Jamie HR – Jay Schnarr (Bridgeport)
2 – Elmira Jrs 4, Moorefield 1
WP – Dan Martin LP – Ross, Mel
3 – Elora 5, Monkton 1
WP – Mike Pinder LP – Smith, Jeff HR – Mike Pinder (Elora)
4 – Elmira Cubs 7, St. Marys 1
WP – French, Ryan LP – Struth, Cam
5 – Sebringville 5, Shakespeare Colts 0
WP – Stebbings, Don LP – Yantzi, Tim
6 – Shakespeare Falcons 4, Tavistock 0
WP – Follings, Fred LP – Skillings, Dan HR – Faulhafer, Dave (Falcons)