Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
The Sault College Cougars opened their 2026 OCAA men’s baseball season on the road over the September 5th and 6th weekend, taking on the Humber Hawks in a three-game series.
The Cougars battled throughout the weekend but were unable to secure a victory, dropping all three contests to Humber. Sault College fell 6-3 in Saturday’s opening game, suffered a 9-2 loss in the second game of the day, and closed out the weekend with a 13-2 loss on Sunday.
The three-game results leave the Cougars with an 0-3 record to begin the 2026 campaign.
Game One: Humber 6, Sault College 3
The Cougars opened the season Saturday with a 6-3 loss to the Hawks.
Sault College got on the scoreboard first in the opening inning. Cayson Scotland scored on an RBI double from Ben Weatherbee, giving the Cougars an early 1-0 lead.
Humber answered in the bottom half of the inning when Luke Sherwin drove in Jack St. Louis with a single to tie the game.
The Hawks took a 2-1 lead in the second inning, but Sault College responded in the third.
Weatherbee delivered one of the biggest offensive moments of the weekend, launching a two-run home run to left field that scored Gabriel Eichmann and put the Cougars back in front 3-2.
Humber would tie the game in the bottom of the third before taking the lead in the fourth when St. Louis doubled home Braedan Fischer.
The Hawks added another run in the fifth inning on a wild pitch before extending their advantage to 6-3 in the sixth.
Weatherbee’s two-run homer and three total RBIs provided a major offensive highlight for the Cougars, but Sault College couldn’t produce another rally as Humber held on for the 6-3 victory.
Brennan West started on the mound for Sault College, facing 25 batters and throwing 82 pitches, 51 of them for strikes. Frankie Buda and Josh Cooney also saw action in relief.
Game Two: Humber 9, Sault College 2
The Cougars returned to the field later Saturday for the second game of the doubleheader, falling 9-2 to Humber.
Once again, Sault College struck first.
Weatherbee continued his strong opening day at the plate, driving in Eichmann with a first-inning single to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
Humber answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 advantage.
Sault College tied the game in the second when Josh Cooney came around to score on a wild pitch, with Cayson Scotland advancing to second and Tyler McCrea moving to third.
The game remained close through the early innings before Humber began to pull away.
The Hawks regained the lead in the third inning and added five runs in the sixth to take a 7-2 advantage. Humber added two more runs later in the inning to complete the scoring at 9-2.
John Gignac started on the mound for Sault College, facing 22 batters and throwing 86 pitches, including 47 strikes. Ryan Tays and Josh Cooney also pitched in relief.
Despite the result, the Cougars showed offensive flashes early in the game before Humber’s late-inning production proved to be the difference.
Game Three: Humber 13, Sault College 2
The Cougars closed out the weekend Sunday, September 6th, against Humber, with the Hawks earning a 13-2 victory.
Humber came out quickly, scoring twice in the opening inning before adding three more runs in the second to build a 5-0 lead.
The Hawks continued to add to their advantage in the fourth inning, scoring twice to make it 7-0.
Sault College finally got on the board in the fourth.
Michael Starzomski and John Gignac scored when Kolton Tremblay delivered an RBI single to right field, cutting the Humber lead to 7-2.
Humber responded with another run in the fifth before putting together another productive inning in the sixth. The Hawks scored four times in the sixth, including runs coming home on a wild pitch and a balk, to extend their lead to 11-2.
Humber added two more runs later to complete the 13-2 victory.
Gabriel Eichmann started for the Cougars, facing 23 batters and throwing 74 pitches, with 40 strikes. Olavi Ojanpera followed in relief.
Looking Ahead
With the opening weekend now behind them, the Cougars will have an opportunity to regroup and prepare for their next road trip.
Sault College will take its 0-3 record into Brampton, Ontario, on September 12th and 13th, where the Cougars will face the Sheridan Bruins at Bruins Athletic Complex in another three-game road trip. The Bruins open their 2026 September 8th at the Quenippenon Meadows Community Park in Mississauga when they face the Durham Lords.
After a challenging opening weekend against Humber, the upcoming series will provide the Cougars with their next opportunity to earn their first victories of the 2026 OCAA season.
For Sault College, the focus now shifts toward making adjustments, building on the positive moments from the opening weekend, and finding a way to turn those improvements into wins as the season continues.
