Brussels Tigers triumph with another win of their own tournament
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Not only did the Brussels Tigers host another successful tournament for the 51st time in their history, but the team again found itself in the winner’s circle, claiming the A Championship.
The tournament took place last weekend and brought several squads from far afield to Brussels for the festivities. There were also many fans at each game who kept the village buzzing throughout the weekend.
The Tigers won the final game of the tournament, beating the Simcoe Rostock Braves by a score of 7-0 in the A Championship final. The Tavistock Merchants beat the Georgian Bay Giants by a score of 12-4 to claim the B Championship title, the Hamilton Pirates claimed the C Championship over the Kitchener Selects with a 2-1 victory in the final and the Harwood Corners beat the Delaware Highlanders by a score of 9-0 to claim the D Championship title.
In the semi-final round, the Harwood Corners beat the Monkton Muskrats by a score of 5-4 to punch their ticket to the D Championship final, while the Delaware Highlanders defeated the Brussels Bangers by a score of 2-1 to get there.
The Kitchener Selects earned a 3-1 victory over the Sebringville Sting to earn their spot in the C Championship final and the Hamilton Pirates beat the Fullarton A’s by a score of 10-0 to get there.
The Georgian Bay Giants beat the Dundalk Smoke by a score of 6-1 to get to the B Championship final and the Tavistock Merchants defeated the Elmira Expos by a score of 8-1 to get there.
The Brussels Tigers showed no mercy in their 10-0 defeat of the Walton Brewers to get to the A Championship final and the Simcoe Rostock Braves beat the Owen Sound Selected by a score of 5-3 to set up the final game of the tournament against the hosts.
Early tournament action saw the Brussels Tigers beat the Harwood Corners by a score of 2-0 to open the tournament, followed by a 3-2 win for the Dundalk Smoke over the Kitchener Selects and a 5-1 for the Elmira Expos over the Brussels Bangers.
The Georgian Bay Giants won their first game of the tournament, beating the Sebringville Sting by a score of 6-2 and the Walton Brewers came out flying with a 7-0, shutout victory over the Monkton Muskrats.
The Fullarton A’s fell to the Owen Sound Selects by a score of 15-3, followed by the Simcoe Rostock Braves beating the Hamilton Pirates by a score of 5-2, the Tavistock Merchants blanking the Delaware Highlanders 11-0, the Kitchener Selects shutting out the Harwood Corners 3-0 and the Brussels Tigers beating the Dundalk Smoke by a score of 9-1.
The Sebringville Sting beat the Monkton Muskrats by a score of 4-1, while the Walton Brewers edged out the Georgian Bay Giants by a score of 4-3.
The Owen Sound Selects would then beat the Elmira Expos by a score of 2-1, the Fullarton A’s beat the Brussels Bangers by a score of 8-3, the Hamilton Pirates would shut out the Delaware Highlanders by a score of 10-0 and the Simcoe Rostock Braves beat the Tavistock Merchants by a score of 10-7.
In an e-mail to The Citizen, Shawn Daw of the Brussels Tigers said the weekend proved to be a great time for baseball in Brussels and that all went well. He said all members of the team pitched in to make it a success, which really helped with the organization of the tournament.
The refreshment tent was well managed and tended to by volunteers and there were no issues of note, he said. As for the tournament itself, he said there was a great mix of teams that were both new to the tournament and familiar with it, which made for a nice roster this year. He also noted that the 2024 tournament has already been scheduled for July 19-21, 2024.
As well, he thanked the team members and fans for coming out and supporting the tournament, saying that support is why the tournament has been a success for more than 50 years.