Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

Following a 0–3 weekend on the road against the Sheridan Bruins on September 12–13, the (0–6) Sault College Cougars returned to action on the September 19–20 weekend, hosting the (5–2) Durham Lords for their 2026 OCAA home opener in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

In Game One on Saturday afternoon of a doubleheader on day one of the weekend, Durham came out strong offensively, scoring four runs over the opening two innings. Tyron James opened the scoring with an RBI single that brought Adam Rich home, before Ryan McGivney followed with a single to score James. The Lords added two more runs in the second inning on RBI singles from Rich and Aidan Narinesingh to take an early 4–0 lead.

The Cougars answered in the bottom of the third inning when Gabriel Eichmann singled to shortstop, driving in Cayson Scotland and putting Sault College on the scoreboard. Durham restored its four-run advantage in the fifth when Liam Ward singled to left field, bringing Ryan McGivney home to make it 5–1. The Cougars continued to battle and cut into the deficit again in the sixth inning, as Ben Weatherbee launched a solo home run to make the score 5–2.

Durham put the game out of reach in the seventh inning when Ward delivered again, this time with a two-run single that scored Ethan Service and Brody Borutskie to extend the Lords’ lead to 7–2. Sault College was unable to mount another comeback in the final innings as Durham secured the Game One victory. Brennan West handled the pitching duties for the Cougars, facing 37 batters and throwing 92 pitches, including 71 strikes. Durham used Alex Uher and Dylan Assinck on the mound, with Uher facing 26 batters and throwing 110 pitches, 71 for strikes, while Assinck faced four batters and threw 13 pitches, eight for strikes.

Following Saturday afternoon’s 7-2 loss, the Sault College Cougars returned to action looking to rebound against the Durham Lords. The Cougars got off to a strong start offensively, putting together a three-run first inning. After Durham opened the scoring, Kolton Tremblay delivered an RBI single to bring home John Gignac, before Jayce Prgomet reached on a Durham error to score Tyler McCrea and tie the game. The Cougars then took the lead when Tremblay and Prgomet came around to score on a wild pitch, giving Sault an early 3-2 advantage.

Durham responded in the second inning, taking advantage of defensive miscues to regain the lead. Tyron James reached on a fielder’s choice that brought home Timothy Imeson, while another error allowed Quintin Earle to score, putting the Lords ahead 4-3. Durham added two more runs in the fourth inning, including an RBI single from Adam Carmichael that scored James, before continuing to build its lead with three runs in the fifth. Ethan Service and Quintin Earle each recorded RBI singles during the inning, as Durham extended its advantage to 8-3.

The Lords continued to add to their lead in the sixth inning, scoring three more runs to move ahead 11-3. Caden Williamson and Timothy Imeson each drove in runs, while another Durham run came across unearned. Sault College answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning when Tyler Caruso singled to right field, scoring Jayce Prgomet and cutting the deficit to 11-4. On the mound, Sault College used Gabriel Eichmann and Frankie Buda, while Durham sent Gareth Mann and Connor Candolini to the mound. The Cougars will look to regroup and build on the offensive flashes from the opening inning as they continue their weekend series against Durham.

Looking for their first win of the 2026 OCAA regular season, the Sault College Cougars returned to Sinclair Yards on Sunday for game three of their weekend series against the visiting Durham Lords. Durham wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Tyron James doubled to left field to bring home Quintin Earle for a 1-0 lead. Luke Bovoletis followed with an RBI double to right field, scoring James and extending the Durham advantage to 2-0 after the opening inning.

The Lords continued to build their lead in the fourth inning, with Earle delivering a two-run single that scored Brody Borutskie and Ethan Zega. Adam Rich then doubled to left field, bringing Earle home to make it 5-0. Durham added four more runs in the sixth inning. An error allowed Zega to score, Rich brought Borutskie home with an RBI single, and Aidan Narinesingh capped the inning with a two-run single to score Caden Williamson and Rich, giving the Lords a 9-0 advantage.

The Cougars finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when Ben Weatherbee doubled to left field, bringing Brooks Aylward home to make it 9-1. Durham’s pitching staff limited the Sault College offence throughout the game, with Mark Baxter facing 22 batters and throwing 56 pitches, including 39 strikes, while Ryan Bongelli recorded the final four batters with 17 pitches and 12 strikes. For the Cougars, Olavi Ojanpera faced 20 batters and threw 68 pitches, followed by Ryan Tays with 11 batters faced and Josh Cooney with five. The Cougars will now return to Sinclair Yards next weekend to host the St. Clair Saints in OCAA baseball action. Saturday, September 25 will feature games at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., followed by a 12:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, September 26.