Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
The Sault College Cougars wrapped up their 2026 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) baseball season over the October 9 and 10 weekend, hosting the Lambton Lions for a three-game series at Sinclair Yards in Sault Ste. Marie.
Entering the weekend still searching for their first victory of the season, the Cougars faced a challenging test against the visiting Lions. Despite a competitive opening game and an explosive offensive performance in Saturday’s second contest, Sault College was unable to secure its first win of the campaign, dropping all three games to close out the season.
The weekend featured a narrow defeat in Friday’s opener, an 18-run comeback attempt in Saturday’s second game, and a final loss in the third and deciding contest of the series.
Cougars Fall Short in Series Opener
The opening game on Friday, October 9, saw the Cougars and Lions battle through the early innings before Lambton pulled away late to secure a 4–2 victory.
The Lions opened the scoring in the first inning when Myles Adamson singled to third base, driving home Logan Buntrock to give the visitors an early 1–0 lead.
Sault College responded in the bottom of the third. Gabriel Eichmann reached home on an RBI double to right field by Kolton Tremblay, tying the game at one.
The Cougars took their first lead of the afternoon in the fourth inning when Cayson Scotland reached first base on a pitching error, allowing Ben Weatherbee to score an unearned run and putting Sault College ahead 2–1.
The one-run advantage held until the seventh inning, when Lambton evened the game at two. Braydon Mann scored on a passed ball as the Lions capitalized on a defensive opportunity to level the contest.
Lambton then took control in the eighth inning. Adamson delivered his second RBI of the game with a single to shortstop that brought Kale Murray home, restoring the Lions’ lead at 3–2. Luke Murray followed with a single to left field, scoring Adamson and extending the advantage to 4–2.
The Cougars were unable to find another answer in the late innings as Lambton secured the two-run victory.
Adamson led the Lions offensively, recording two hits, two RBIs and a run scored in four at-bats. Luke Murray added an RBI, while Buntrock finished with a hit and a run.
For Sault College, Tremblay delivered the team’s lone RBI with his third-inning double, while Eichmann and Weatherbee each crossed the plate.
On the mound, Nolan Grimes faced 32 batters for Lambton, throwing 103 pitches, including 72 strikes. Brennan West also faced 32 batters for the Cougars, finishing with 97 pitches and 71 strikes.
Despite keeping the game within reach through seven innings, Sault College could not overcome Lambton’s late offensive push.
Cougars Mount Dramatic Comeback Before Lions Pull Away
Saturday, October 10, opened with a much more offensively charged contest as the Cougars and Lions combined for 40 runs in a back-and-forth battle at Sinclair Yards.
Lambton eventually prevailed 22–18, but not before Sault College mounted an impressive comeback attempt after falling behind by 11 runs early in the game.
The Lions wasted little time establishing control, scoring four runs in the first inning. Logan Buntrock scored on a wild pitch before Ben Adamson launched a three-run home run to put Lambton ahead 4–0.
The Cougars responded with a run of their own when Kolton Tremblay advanced to third and Ryan Leighton scored on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to three.
However, Lambton exploded for eight runs in the second inning to take a commanding 12–1 lead. Caleb Rosseel and Myles Adamson each homered, while Blake Maksymyshyn, Austin McCourt and Buntrock contributed to the Lions’ extended offensive surge. Buntrock capped the inning with a three-run home run.
Buntrock continued his productive afternoon in the fourth, hitting another home run, this time driving in two runs to extend Lambton’s lead to 14–1.
Rather than backing down, the Cougars responded with their best offensive inning of the season.
Weatherbee launched a two-run home run that scored Ryan Tays, beginning a six-run fourth inning for Sault College. Scotland subsequently scored an unearned run, while Brooks Aylward and Eichmann each drove in a run with ground-ball outs.
Tays then delivered one of the Cougars’ biggest hits of the afternoon, launching a three-run home run that also brought Tremblay and Leighton across the plate. The offensive outburst cut Lambton’s lead to 14–9.
Sault College continued chipping away in the fifth inning when Tyler McCrea scored on an error, bringing the Cougars within four runs.
The teams traded runs in the sixth. Lambton’s Kuper Hodgins singled home Buntrock, but the Cougars answered with three runs of their own. Tremblay scored on a walk by McCrea, Tays crossed home on a walk by Olavi Ojanpera, and Scotland scored on Aylward’s sacrifice fly.
With the score at 15–13, Sault College had turned an 11-run deficit into a two-run game.
Lambton added a run in the seventh on Jack Small’s home run, but the Cougars responded emphatically. Scotland hit a three-run home run, scoring Tremblay and Leighton to tie the game at 16.
The dramatic contest remained deadlocked through the eighth inning. Lambton regained a 17–16 advantage when Kyle Peterson scored on an error, but Sault College answered once again as Aylward singled home McCrea to make it 17–17.
The tie set the stage for a decisive ninth inning.
Lambton broke through with a four-run home run by Aidan Littler, who drove in Kale Murray, Small and Jacob Durocher. Hodgins followed with a solo home run, giving the Lions a five-run cushion at 22–17.
The Cougars managed one final run when Tremblay singled home Leighton, but the rally ended there as Lambton secured the 22–18 victory.
Tremblay and Tays led the Cougars offensively, each collecting five hits. Tremblay scored three runs and drove in one, while Tays scored three times and added an RBI of his own.
Scotland contributed two hits, three runs and three RBIs, including his game-tying home run in the seventh inning. Weatherbee added a two-run homer, while Aylward drove in three runs and McCrea scored three times.
For Lambton, Buntrock had a standout performance, recording three hits, four runs and five RBIs. Littler contributed two hits, two runs and four RBIs, while Ben Adamson finished with two hits, two runs and three RBIs. Rosseel and Hodgins also homered, while Small added a home run of his own.
The contest showcased the Cougars’ offensive resilience, as they repeatedly answered Lambton’s scoring efforts and erased a substantial early deficit before the Lions pulled away in the final inning.
Lions Close Out Cougars’ Season With Third Victory
The third and final game of the weekend, played later on Saturday, October 10, brought the Cougars’ 2026 OCAA campaign to a close.
Lambton completed the three-game sweep with a 16–4 victory, using another productive offensive performance to pull away from Sault College.
The Lions received contributions throughout their lineup, with several players producing multi-hit games and driving in multiple runs. Logan Buntrock finished with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Caleb Rosseel recorded three hits, three runs and three RBIs.
Luke Murray and Bryson Steckle each drove in four runs, with Murray collecting two hits and Steckle adding two hits of his own. Jack Helps also delivered two hits, scored twice and drove in four runs, giving Lambton another important source of offensive production.
Myles Adamson contributed two hits, three runs and an RBI, while Austin McCourt added a hit and a run scored. Aidan Littler also drove in a run.
For the Cougars, Weatherbee provided the team’s biggest offensive contribution, collecting two hits and driving in three runs. Leighton, Eichmann, Jayce Prgomet and Olavi Ojanpera each crossed the plate as Sault College attempted to generate momentum against the Lions.
Brock Lane started on the mound for Lambton, facing 11 batters and throwing 35 pitches, including 18 strikes. Evan O’Driscoll faced seven batters, recording 14 strikes on 22 pitches, while Kyle Peterson faced nine batters and threw 16 pitches, 13 of which were strikes.
For Sault College, Frankie Buda faced 16 batters, throwing 60 pitches with 30 strikes. Eichmann also took the mound, facing 25 batters and delivering 86 pitches, including 48 strikes.
The 16–4 defeat ended the Cougars’ season without the first victory they had been seeking throughout the campaign.
A Difficult Season Comes to an End
The weekend against Lambton brought the Sault College Cougars’ 2026 OCAA baseball season to a close after three games that demonstrated both the challenges and offensive potential of the program.
Friday’s opener was a competitive contest in which the Cougars held a one-run lead before Lambton rallied in the late innings. Saturday’s second game featured an extraordinary comeback attempt, with Sault College fighting back from an early 12–1 deficit to tie the game at 17 before the Lions took control in the ninth.
Although the Cougars were unable to turn those efforts into a victory, the series finale marked the conclusion of their season at Sinclair Yards.
Lambton departed Sault Ste. Marie with three victories, while the Cougars finished their 2026 OCAA campaign still searching for their first win.
For Sault College, the season’s final weekend provided an opportunity to compete at home, generate offence against a challenging opponent and bring the campaign to a close in front of the local baseball community.
