Redbirds capture regular season baseball pennant
By Earl Zukerman
TROIS-RIVIERES – Centerfielder Ted Davis of North Andover, Mass.,
and third baseman Alexandre Chouinard of Montreal, were the heroes
Friday night as visiting McGill swept a crucial doubleheader from
College Lafleche in Trois-Rivieres, Que., to capture the Canadian
Intercollegiate Baseball Association’s regular season
pennant.
The Redbirds tied Lafleche atop the CIBA Northern Division with
identical 16-5 records but claimed the pennant with a 3-1 record in
head-to-head confrontations, which included a split doubleheader at
Pierre Elliot Trudeau Park in Cote St. Luc, Que., on
Thursday.
Davis, a civil engineering sophomore, went 3-for-4 with three runs
batted in an 8-5 win on Saturday. His two-run double in the sixth
inning tied the game at 3-3.
Chouinard, a freshman, knocked in teammate Max Tierno for the
game-winning RBI in the nightcap of a 2-1 victory over the
Dragons.
There’s no rest for the weary, however, as the Redbirds get only
one day off before playoffs. The will open the CIBA Northern
Conference best-of-three semifinals with a doubleheader against
fourth-place Concordia (9-7) at Trudeau Park, Sunday. The first
game is scheduled for 12 noon, followed by the nightcap at 2 pm. If
a rubber match is need, it is slated to be back at Trudeau Park on
Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Concordia won three of their four meetings against McGill this
season. The Redbirds won 8-7 in the season opener, the lost 2-1,
7-4 and 9-4.
Lafleche will take on third-place John Abbott College (10-6) in the
other semifinal series, with the winners scheduled to meet for the
divisional title the following week.
McGill, which previously captured the CIBA national championship in
2006, will host the national tourney, Oct. 16-18.