Knights crowned NDBL champs

Knights win North Dufferin Baseball League secretary Scott Anderson (centre) awards the Strother Cup to Allan Brownridge and Pete Kinghan of the New Lowell Knights after their championship series victory over the Ivy Leafs on Sept 20. (David Anderson photo)   2015 N.D.B.L. Senior Champions – New Lowell Knights Back row, l-r: Dale Lightheart, Allan Brownridge, Brandon Norrie, Todd Gowan, Jesse McIntyre, Sean Connor, coach Pete Kinghan. Front row, l-r: Brett Millsap, Chris Greer, Steve Baldry, Jake Nicholson, Sean Thompson. Missing from photo are Ryan Bartley, Trevor Martin, Jesse Metheral, Todd Patton, Chad Purchase, Todd VanLieshout, and Andrew Willmetts. (David Anderson photo)

September 21, 2015

The New Lowell Knights defeated the Ivy Leafs 7-5 on Sunday to claim the 2015 North Dufferin Baseball League championship.

The Leafs and Knights played three games over the weekend, two on Saturday and one on Sunday to decide a winner.

Ivy won the first game at their home diamond by downing the Knights 10-4 after an explosive nine-run sixth inning.

Brandon Norrie and Todd Gowan pitched for the Knights with Norrie going 5 1/3 innings giving up five runs on six hits and had one strikeout. Gowan threw the last 2/3 of the sixth inning allowing six runs on four hits and one walk for the loss.

Brad Grieveson pitched for Ivy and over his seven innings of work let in four runs on an uncommon nine hits, one walk and one hit batter. He also recorded four strikeouts.

Hits for New Lowell went to Sean Connor, Gowan, Chad Purchase, Norrie, Allan Brownridge, Jesse Metheral, Dale Lightheart and Andrew Willmetts.

Ivy had hits from Phil Tan, including a grand slam, Brett Elliott who had two homeruns in the game, Matt Bylow, Grieveson, Jarrett Vanderpost and Mike Kazienko.

Game two on Saturday was played at the New Lowell park where the Knights rebounded and kept Ivy off of the scorecard for a 4-0 victory.

Brownridge toed the rubber for New Lowell and gave up only four hits, a walk and a hit batsman, while striking out five.

Vanderpost started for the Leafs and allowed four runs on six hits, three walks and recorded two strikeouts.

Ivy hits went to Bylow, Jeremey Fernandez, Grieveson and Vanderpost.

Chris Greer, Purchase, Norrie, Sean Thompson had hits for New Lowell with Brownridge helping his cause with a two-run homerun.

The final game played at Ivy on Sunday, proved to be an exciting affair. New Lowell was first to plate a run in the second inning. Ivy would tie the match in the fourth frame with a single run and then take a one run lead in the fifth.

The Knights answered back with a three-run sixth inning only to be outdone by the Leafs in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs of their own, and to retain a one-run lead.

New Lowell manufactured a run in the top of the seventh to tie the contest and added two more for a 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the last inning. Ivy couldn't get a bat on the ball in their half with the last three batters going down on strikes.

Brownridge started again for the Knights and over five innings, allowed four runs on four hits, two walks and marked five strikeouts. Norrie closed the game and recorded the win striking out the last four batters and giving up one run on one hit.

Grieveson pitched for the Leafs allowing seven runs, 11 hits, and logged six strikeouts.

Ivy's runs were all scored with homeruns by Tan, Craig Speers, and Bylow, who also singled in the game. Dave Reid recorded a double.

New Lowell charted hits from Greer, Connor, Gowan, Norrie, Brownridge, Thompson, Lightheart and Brett Millsap.

In a post-game presentation, league secretary Scott Anderson presented the Paul Carruthers Memorial Award for Playoff Most Valuable Player to Brownridge for his pitching and hitting contributions.

Anderson also presented the championship trophy, the Strother Cup, to New Lowell's Brownridge and coach Pete Kinghan.