Staff
Mike Jourdain had an up-and-down regular season but had plenty more peaks than valleys last night.
Jourdain tossed a complete-game victory as the fourth-seeded Couchiching Raiders upset the third-ranked Windey’s Warriors 11-5 in an East Division losers’ side showdown last night at Couchiching.
With the loss, the Warriors were ousted from the double-elimination playoffs.
The Raiders, meanwhile, advance to a home meeting against the sixth-seeded Sabaskong Cubs on Tuesday.
A three-run first inning against Windey’s starter and losing pitcher Tyson Williams, who only lasted three innings, put the Raiders up early.
They pushed the lead to 4-0 in the second before Nick Hunter belted a solo homer off Jourdain in the bottom half to cut the deficit back to three.
Chris Morrisseau and Reo Walton had RBI singles in the fourth off reliever Rob McGinnis to make it 6-1.
Leading 6-2, Faron Morrisseau cashed in Ryan MacDonald with a single in the sixth for the Raiders, who could have had more if not for the second fantastic backhand play of the night by Warriors’ all-star shortstop Shelby Nosan.
The league’s only full-time female player dropped to one knee to stab Walton’s grounder, then fired to first without getting back up to record the out.
She earlier had gone deep in the hole before making a jumping throw across her body to gun down Wade Johnson in the third.
The Raiders put the game out of reach with four more runs in the seventh.
The other game last night was a West Division confrontation featuring the second-ranked Big Island Huskies hosting the fourth-seeded Manitou Thunderbirds in an elimination match-up.
The score was unavailable at press time.
Other games this Tuesday (Aug. 4) will feature the top-ranked Rainy Lake Pirates and second-seeded Sight & Sound Wolves battling it out in an East Division winners’ side contest at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Francis Sports Field.
In the West Division, top-seeded Barwick Blue Knights will host the third-ranked Stratton Eagles in a winners’ side showdown.
As well, the fifth-ranked Dawson Tigers will visit the winner of last night’s Big Island-Manitou game.
