Brewers blast Mansfield Cubs 13-3, blow 6-3 lead in 13-8 loss in Midland, and coast to 6-1 win versus Creemore

July 9, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

With playoff positions up for grabs, the Bolton Brewers took two of three games in seven days to strengthen their hold on fifth place in the NDBL Senior Division standings.

Last Monday, Bolton mercied Mansfield 13-3 in a five-inning game.

Timely four-RBI performances by Carter Burnside and Brett Chater, and the lineup’s saint-like patience at the plate to draw ten walks, were two key ingredients in the Brewers’ winning offensive recipe.

Bolton scored three runs at the bottom of the second. Burnside blasted a leadoff double to the left-centre warning track and Chater cashed in Burnside with a hard ground ball to shortstop that was mishandled.

Ben Sterritt’s hard single between first and second loaded the bases. Josh Hickey was hit by Cody Bryan’s pitch to earn the Brewers’ third baseman an RBI, and Chris Fafalios’s bases-loaded walk secured an RBI.

Mansfield responded at the top of the third with a sacrifice fly by Alex Attenborough and a hard single by Devon Caldwell over second base to pull the visitors within one at 3-2.

The Brewers added to their lead when Chater lashed a two-out clutch single to cash in Burnside to make it 4-2.

Bolton starter Paul Cota was dominant in his last inning of pitching.

After the offence gave him a two-run lead, the NDBL rookie befuddled the Cubs hitters—inducing a pop up to third, and two strikeouts swinging.

His 1-2-3 inning was the contest’s turning point.

The Brewers’ hitters manufactured two runs at the bottom of four by combining two consecutive walks and two consecutive singles to push ahead of Mansfield 6-2. Burnside did the damage, delivering a bases-loaded, none-out line drive into left field to plate Luke Witty and Fafalios.

The Brewers took the suspense out of Monday night’s contest by plating seven runs at the bottom of five.

With patience, self-sacrifice, and athleticism, Bolton batters drew three walks, were hit three times by pitches, and produced three singles to create a ten-run lead and a mercy victory.

Burnside capped off a four-RBI game with a bases-loaded single and Chater’s hard single to the centerfield warning track cashed in two more.

Cota, who moved to shortstop when Chater came in from the bullpen in the fifth and made a smooth, nonchalant 6-3 putout to support his fellow pitcher, delivered the knockout punch in his first AB of the game with a sharp single up the middle that plated the game-winning run.

Head Coach Mike Wallace described Cota’s role with the Brewers: “He’s our Swiss Army knife.”

“He’s a starting pitcher, closer, infielder, outfielder. We had to get him stretched out before we could start him against Mansfield. He can cover shortstop when Brett comes in to pitch. He’s a great fit for the team and I think he’s going to be an X-factor for our club.”

The first-year Brewer earned the win with his four-inning quality start (zero earned runs and seven strikeouts) and earned his first save of the season last Monday in the Brewers’ stirring 6-4 win over Barrie.

It’s been a momentous week for Cota. He earned his first save and win in the NDBL, and his two hits spurred a rally versus Barrie and ended the game mercifully versus Mansfield.

The two-way player admitted he was fatigued and achy after the bursts of action versus Barrie and Mansfield.

“I haven’t played regularly for three years and this was my first start. I’m tired and my back hurts. I felt good to throw four innings tonight—someone needed to pitch. Thank God I got that hit to end the game because my hamstring was sore running up the line. I’ve been a pitcher my whole life and this is the first time I’ve started to play a position regularly. It was good to get a save and a win this week—I’m trying to do a bit of everything here.”

In Midland on Tuesday night, the Brewers let a 6-3 fourth inning lead get away and wasted a solid 4-inning start by Matteo Stothers in a 13-8 loss to the Mariners.

Midland jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, but the Brewers scored one in the third and five more in the sixth to build a 6-3 lead.

The roof fell in on the visitors at the bottom of the sixth when the Mariners plated ten runs. The home side took advantage of Brewers’ reliever Jaineel Purohit’s five walks allowed in one inning of work.

On the bright side, Luke Witty hit his first home run of the season for the Brewers.

Chater and Jack Larmer continued their productive ways by driving in two runs each in Midland.

The Brewers got back in the win column at home on Monday night with a tidy 6-1 win over the Creemore Padres.

Charlie Hughes delivered a seven-inning CG gem—striking out seven Padres and limiting the visitors to three hits.

Coach Wallace praised his starter’s performance versus Creemore: “That was all Charlie. We needed a good start. Matteo and Charlie are really rolling right now. Charlie always gives us a chance.”

Stothers, the veteran leader of the pitching staff, echoed his Head Coach’s remarks about Hughes: “Charlie threw great. Big kid with lots of zip. We started calling him the Men’s League’s Misiorowski.”

A flattering reference, indeed, to Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers who is leading MLB in ERA, WHIP, and Ks.

In addition to the quality start by Hughes, Coach Wallace identified other key factors behind the 6-1 victory: “All in all, it was a good team win. Josh Hickey had a big two-RBI single. Our D bounced back, too, after a rough game in Midland. We rebounded well from that loss.”