Unstoppable! Ivy and Midland storm to Provincial Titles

The Ivy Rangers won the Senior 'A' Ontario Baseball Championship. Pictured back row, from left: Wes Kobelka, Matt Barr, Ryan Barr, Mason Walker, Noah Sauder, Riley Davies, Ralph Murray, Jamie Gillespie, Nick Murray, Ben Davies, Kirby Smith, Brad Besley, Craig Speers, Jarrett Vanderpost, Mike Kriegizas. Front row, from left: Brayden French, Brett Scott, Jake Banner, Josh Wilkins, Alex Banski, Adam Vander Heyden, Parker Walker. (Alex Banski photo)

The Midland Mariners won the Senior 'C' Ontario Baseball Championship. Pictured back row, from left: Nathan Drury, Tyson Hansen, Nick Boyd, Mike Torraville, Shawn Hood, Steve Lafreniere, Luke Ratcliffe, Liam Bryant, Matt Rumney, Will Coluson, Ron DiPalma. Front row, from left: Kerry Dupuis, Tyler Boyd, Matt Van Geene, Jason Seeler. (Steve Lafreniere photo)

August 26, 2025

It was a thrilling weekend of baseball as the Ivy Rangers and Midland Mariners claimed provincial championships in their respective classifications. The Rangers triumphed in the 'A' division, while the Mariners emerged victorious in the 'C' division.

The Rangers delivered an impressive performance throughout the weekend, advancing to the championship game on Sunday. They opened the tournament with a dominant 12-1 mercy-rule win over North London, followed by a 4-2 victory against Thorold and a 6-3 win over Simcoe. In Game 4, they suffered an 8-3 loss to Niagara Falls.

In the semi-final, Ivy walked off Welland with a dramatic 5-4 win. They then won the draw for a bye to the final, forcing Niagara Falls and Byron to play back-to-back games. Byron advanced to face Ivy in the championship.

The final was a tightly contested battle. Ivy scored one run in each of the first three innings, matching Byron's early offense, which included one run in the first and two in the second. The Rangers pulled ahead in the fourth, making it 5-3, but Byron narrowed the gap with a run in the sixth. Ivy responded with two runs in the top of the seventh. Byron added one more in the bottom half, but a game-ending throw from right field to home plate sealed the win for Ivy.

Midland went undefeated in the 12-team 'C' classification tournament held in Port Hope, capping off their run with a thrilling extra-innings victory over River Canard in the final.

The Mariners started strong, defeating York 10-8 and St. Catharines 7-5 to earn a bye into the third round. There, they beat River Canard 13-6 and edged Essex 10-9 in the semi-final, setting up a rematch with River Canard for the championship.

The final saw both teams trade runs in the first inning. River Canard surged ahead with three runs in the third and four more in the fourth, while Midland managed just one run in the third. The Mariners mounted a comeback in the fifth, scoring seven runs to take a 9-8 lead. River Canard tied the game in the sixth, sending it to extra innings. In the ninth, Midland scored twice to go up 11-9. River Canard answered with one run in the bottom half, but a double play ended the game and secured the championship for the Mariners.

New Lowell travelled to Wyoming for the 'AA' tournament, opening with an 8-4 win over Woodslee and a 7-1 victory against Tecumseh. With five of the six teams still in contention, New Lowell earned a bye into the third round. Heavy rain postponed Saturday evening's game, pushing New Lowell's next matchup to Sunday afternoon. They faced Beamsville and fell 14-3.

The Knights advanced to the semi-finals, where they met host team Wyoming, ultimately losing 4-1. Beamsville went on to win the 'AA' title, defeating Wyoming.

It was a disappointing showing at the 'B' tournament in Leamington for both the Owen Sound Baysox and Lisle Astros. The two teams faced off in the opener, with Lisle winning 6-4. Owen Sound then lost a close 8-7 game to Merritton. The Astros dropped a tight 8-7 contest to Corunna and were eliminated after a 7-2 loss to Fort Erie. Leamington defeated Mitchell for the championship.

Also competing in the 'A' tournament in Thorold were the Barrie Angels and Bolton Brewers. The Brewers dropped their opener 6-4 to Byron and were eliminated after an 18-5 loss to Whitby. Barrie lost 9-8 to Welland and was knocked out in extra innings with a 6-5 defeat to Milton.

The Creemore Padres joined Midland at the 'C' tournament but were eliminated after back-to-back losses: 3-2 to Essex and 7-2 to Clarington.