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First-place Brewers’ win streak reaches five with doubleheader sweep of the Mariners in Midland

June 26, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

The Bolton Brewers reclaimed first place in the NDBL’s Senior Division on Saturday with an impressive pair of road wins over the Midland Mariners.

The doubleheader sweep, in “The Heart of Georgian Bay”, extended the Brewers’ winning streak to five. 

Three-spot hitter Ben Sterritt hit a grand slam and starter Nick Fiorucci went the distance in the Brewers’ 14-6 mauling of the Mariners in Game 1.

Starter Mike Blackwood delivered a quality six-inning performance in Game 2 to impel the Brewers to a narrow 6-4 win versus the third-place Mariners.

Player-Coach Mike Wallace—who blasted out six hits and scored three runs in the double dip—offered reasons for the Brewers’ five-game heater and the club’s subsequent ascent in the standings.

“With our starting pitching—Matteo (Stothers], Nick [Fiorucci], Mike, and Chris [Fafalios]—and Sterritt and [Brett] Chater out of the bullpen, we’re throwing the kitchen sink at them and seeing what works.

There’s a team approach to hitting—our table-setters are doing such a good job.  The guys at the bottom of the order are getting on and moving runners and guys at the top like Brett and Ben are driving them in.  That’s the stuff you have to do to win games.”

In Game 1 versus Midland, Coach Wallace praised the efforts of starting pitcher Nick Fiorucci and centerfielder Ben Sterritt.

“Nick went the distance. Ben hit a grand slam, drove in six runs, and scored three times.”

In addition to Sterritt’s heroics, two-spot hitter Drew Volkey scored three runs, drew two walks, and collected a hit to provide top-of-the-order production.

Six-spot hitter Stephen Warden had three knocks in the opening game rout. The Brewers plated nine runs in the first four innings to take a 9-4 lead before scoring five more at the top of the seventh to remove most of Game 1’s suspense. 

Coach Wallace was pleased with Blackwood’s strong starting performance and his club’s timely hitting which subdued the home side in Game 2.

“Blackwood pitched great: one earned run through six innings and Brett Chater earned the save. Evan McFadden and Logan Hart had big two-out RBI singles to break a 3-3 tie in the fifth.”

Chater chipped in two hits out of the lead-off spot before ascending the bump to close the game for the surging Brewers. 

With the doubleheader sweep of the Mariners in Midland, the Brewers improved their record to 8-3-1.

Bolton has plated 63 runs during their five-game winning streak. Coach Wallace’s club hit the century mark in runs scored on Saturday afternoon and is averaging 8.3 runs per game at the regular season’s mid-way point. 

Alas, the weather gods played havoc with the NDBL schedule the rest of the week. Thursday night’s game versus the sixth-place Barrie Angels (5-4-3) at North Hill Park was rained out and will be rescheduled.  

The Brewers host the fifth-place Lisle Astros (6-6-1) at North Hill Park on Thursday, June 26, at 7.30 p.m.

Bolton will look to avenge an 8-3 season-opening loss that Lisle meted out on May 9 at Ross Houston Memorial Park.

As Dorothy Parker once noted, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

NDBL Notes:  

The newly-minted Caledon Cardinals picked up their second win of the season on Friday the 13th by thumping the Astros 12-7 in Lisle.  It was the biggest offensive outburst for Coach Dalton Cooke’s expansion club in their inaugural NDBL campaign. Andrew Weber leads the team in two offensive categories with eleven hits and a .423 batting average.  The Cardinals (2-9-0) currently reside in twelfth-place in the Senior Division—just three points behind the Orillia Majors and Mansfield Cubs. The Cardinals and the Brewers renew acquaintances on Sunday, July 6. First pitch between the crosstown rivals will be 4 PM at North Hill Park.  The Brewers edged the Cardinals 5-2 on May 29.

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