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Aug 22, 2011
Harwood Sends Series to Game 5
Harwood evened up the opening round series with a 10-6 win in Ayr last night. The Vics led 5-2
going into the 6th inning but once again Harwood had plenty of offensive power left for the final two
innings. After falling behind 10-5 Ayr loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th but could only push
one more run across.
The decisive game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday Aug 23 at 8:30pm in Hickson
Aug 10, 2011
Vics Take Series Lead With 8-5 Victory
Ayr travelled to Hickson on Wednesday to take on Harwood in game 3 of the best-of-five first round
series. After a strong performance in game 2 it was Bob Gillow taking the ball for the Vics. Ayr struck
first as Scott Freeman belted a homer to right center to plate Ken Sherk and Dean Clement. Fred
Killing responded for the home side with a triple in the bottom half and he scored on a double by
Willy Wills. Despite Harwood putting several runners on base Gillow continued to close the door
with the help of some solid defense. In the top of the fifth his team rewarded the effort with 3 more
runs. A Sherk single was plated by Clement and then Jeff Sayles singled home Clement and Gillow
to give Ayr a 6-1 lead. In the bottom half Harwood looked ready to cut into the lead when they put
runners on the corners with two out but Josh Yost made an outstanding sliding catch on a short fly to
right to end the threat. The Vics continued to pour it on with another pair of runs in the sixth. Rookie
Jesse Leeming doubled and was then tripled home by Sherk. Gillow then delivered a sac fly to
center which plated Sherk and put Ayr in position for a mercy win. Gillow returned to try and close out
the contest but once again Harwood found a way to pick themselves up and pour on the offense they
showed all season. Fuller led off with a long homer and then after a single it was Rob Flood who
went deep to cut the lead to 4. Brad Thomson was brought in to relieve the lefty and was greeted by
a double off the bat of red hot Fred Killing. Harwood pitcher Klingeberg later singled Killing home to
make it a 3 run game. After closing out the inning the Vics were dispatched quickly to set up the
critical seventh inning. MIndful of the game 1 comeback Thomson made no mistakes as he retired
the side in order to give the Vics a 8-5 win. Ayr will take a 2-1 series lead back home on Aug 22.
Aug 08, 2011
Vics Even Series With 3-2 Win at Home
After a crushing game 1 defeat the Vics needed a strong pitching performance by veteran lefty Bob
Gillow and he delivered. There was a large crowd on hand as many stayed after watching the Ayr Jr.
Vics Peewee team open their ORSA Championship round. Once again the Vics got off to a fast start
with Chad Wells singling up the middle in the first and later scoring on a wild pitch. Gillow stranded
3 runners in the first but a leadoff walk in the second scored after a steal and then a single to level
the score at 1. Gillow then led off the third with a single and beat out a fielder's choice from the bat of
Graham Scott at second base. When a passed ball put both runners in scoring position it was time
for the Vics big man to deliver and Thomson did with a single to plate two and give Ayr a 3-1 lead.
Gillow could not keep the Harwood team off the bases but he managed to avoid big trouble and
strand them all until the fifth when a leadoff single and passed ball put a runner on second. Another
single scored the second Harwood run to make it a 3-2 game. The Vics defence came up with
several solid plays including a couple running catches by rookie Jesse Leeming in center field. The
Vics offence couldn't add any more to their tally so they once again went to the 7th inning with the
lead although much slimmer this time around. Ayr turned to Thomson to close the game out and the
big righty was solid as he quickly dispatched the top of the Harwood order to seal the deal. The
home crowd left the park happy as the Vics evened the series with a 3-2 win.
The next game is Wednesday night at 8:30pm in Hickson and then both teams will have a one week
break as several of the players will travel to Moline, IL to compete in the ISC World Tournament.
Aug 07, 2011
Harwood Stuns Vics with 7th Inning Rally
The first round series began on Sunday night in Hickson and the Vics came out swinging hard. Ken
Sherk opened the scoring with a solo homerun in the first and was then supported by Scott Freeman
who doubled home Brad Thomson and Dean Clement who had both reached on hits. Ayr added to
the lead in the second when Sayles singled and then chugged home ahead of Chad Wells who had
tripled to the outfield fence. Wells then scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Sherk to extend the
lead to 5. Harwood countered in the bottom of the second with the help of a couple errors in the
infield to score two runs. With the Vics threatening again in the third with the bases juiced and none
out Harwood brought in veteran Bobby Burgess to pitch. He was able to end the inning without
another run scoring. Harwood took some energy from that escape and in the bottom half and strung
together a couple hits along with a walk to cut the lead to 5-3. Scott Freeman came up big again in
the fourth as he cashed in two with a single to extend Ayr’s lead to 7-3. Thomson then took control of
the game and mowed down the Harwood lineup retiring 11 in a row from the third to sixth innings.
Thomson also belted a solo homerun in the sixth to give himself a comfortable 5 run lead heading
into the final frame. Klingenberg led off the bottom of 7 with a solo shot to cut the lead. After a
groundout there was a base hit then a two run tater by Nate Fuller to reduce the lead to 2. This was
enough to knock Thomson from the mound and the Vics turned to another veteran hurler Bob Gillow
to close the door. After an infield single, two walks loaded the bases and then a controversial line
drive down the left field line was called fair which allowed 3 runs to score and hand the Vics a
devastating 9-8 loss.
August 2, 2011
Vics Face League Leading Harwood Corners in A Playoff Opener
The Vics finished the regular season in 8th place, good enough for a spot in the Tri-County Fastball
League A playoffs. They will face the top ranked Harwood Corners squad in a best-of-five first round
series. The schedule of games will be as follows:
Opening game in Ayr postponed due to no umpires available
Game 1 in Hickson, Sun Aug 7, 8:30pm
Game 2 in Ayr, Mon Aug 8, 8:30pm
Game 3 in Hickson, Wed Aug 10, 8:30pm (if necessary)
Game 4 in Hickson, TBD (if necessary)
The Vics will need your support as they try to knock off the 2011 pennant winners so come down to
Victoria park on Monday and make some noise!
Jul 22, 2011
Vics Rally for 3 in 7th to Defeat Ingersoll
The Ingersoll Masters came to Ayr for a rare Friday night game in Victoria Park with 4 points at stake
due to earlier cancellations. Paul Sutton faced off against Bob Gillow in the circle. The Masters
struck in the opening inning as they took advantage of a couple Vic errors to post a 1-0 lead. Ayr
came back strong in the second as Ken Sherk tripled home Scott Freeman and Jesse Leeming then
scored on an infield hit by Kevin Ryrie to take a 3-1 advantage. The Masters bats responded quickly
as they hit 3 singles followed by a couple more Ayr errors and posted a 4-3 lead in the third inning.
Both pitchers and defences seemed to settle down after that point and only 4 baserunners reached
until the 7th. In the visiting half Ingersoll padded their slim lead as Jackson singled home Daniel
and put the Masters up by a pair. Despite being off balance all night the Vics bats were up to the
challenge in the home half as Sherk doubled, Ryrie singled then Chad "Mickey" Wells plated a run
with a single. Graham Scott couldn't leg out an infield hit but the grounder was good enough to
score Ryrie to tie the game. With two down Mickey agressively took third on a ball in the dirt to set up
the winning run. Freeman hit a hot shot to second base that was misplayed by the fielder to allow
Wells to trot home and gave the Vics a crucial walkoff 6-5 victory.
Jul 19, 2011
Vics Late Rally Not Enough Against Bulls
With playoff positioning on the line the Bulls visited Victoria Park to take on the Vics on Monday night.
Steinhoff started for the Bulls and Mitchell took the mound for Ayr. Both chuckers seemed to be on
their games as neither offence could put any sustained rallies together. Burgessville struck first in
the third inning as Dave VanWyk doubled home Furlong for a 1-0 lead. That would hold up until the
6th when the Bulls finally found some holes in the defence and cashed in four runs. After Steinhoff
once again held the Vics off the board Mitchell was relieved by Bob Gillow and the Bulls Hamilecki
delivered a two run blast to make it a 7-0 lead. Not wanting to be shut out at home the Vics bats
finally came to life as Mitchell, Gillow and Clement drilled extra base hits to open the 7th. Bevan
Wells singled home Clement to make it 7-3 and then Freeman and Ryrie reached on a walk and hit
batter to load the bases. The Vics had brought the tying run to the plate at the top of the order so the
Bulls decided to hand the ball to reliever Neil McDonald. He was up to the task as he recorded a
strikeout and groundout to end the game with the Bulls taking it 7-3.
Jul 12, 2011
Vics Mercy Mets
The Vics headed to Mt Elgin shorthanded on Wednesday night and had to start the game with only 8
players. The Mets took full advantage of the extra room in the outfield and immediately put up a
couple runs on three hits off Vics starter Dan Mitchell. Once the ninth man arrived the defence
settled down and got out of the inning without any further damage. Mets starter Ryan Fewster kept
the Vics off the scoreboard for the first two innings before the Ayr bats finally got into rhythm. Ayr
pounded out four runs on four hits in the third to take the lead and then blew the doors off with 8 in
the fourth. They added another in the fifth and Mitchell cleaned up on the rubber to end a 13-2 mercy
win. Gillow, Mitchell, Wells and Clement each had a pair of hits and Gillow recorded 4 RBI.
Jul 06, 2011
Eagles Shut Out Vics
Dan Mitchell took the ball for Ayr against Rob Dickson for the Eagles in Innerkip on Wednesday
night. This one had the earmarks of a pitchers duel right from the start as both pitchers were
dealing and setting down the opposition. The Eagles struck first in the home half of the second as
Thornton singled home Witzel for a 1-0 lead. The Ayr bats struggled to get into a rhythm and left
runners seven runners stranded on base through five innings. Meanwhile Mitchell was keeping the
Eagles off balance with a great mix of speeds and locations. They finally cashed in on an
opportunity in the bottom of five when Nate Awde singled home Krieger and Atkinson with two outs.
Dickson looked to be in control heading to the 7th inning with a 3-0 lead but the Vics decided to
make it interesting. A pitch that hit Thomson opened the frame and then a walk to Chad Wells and
an error allowed Sherk to reach and load the bases. Unfortunately that was as close as the Vics
could get as the next two batters were retired to end a well played game.
Jul 04, 2011
Vics Offense Mauls the Mets
The Ayr bats were ready to break out after being denied in back to back games against Harwood and
the Mets were the unfortunate visitors to Victoria Park on Monday night. Ayr opened with four in the
first followed by another four in the second and five in the third. Dan Mitchell had the start for Ayr on
the mound and only allowed one baserunner in the first three innings before handing the ball to
Dean Clement. Clement set down Mt Elgin in order in the fourth and the Vics added another pair in
the bottom half. The Mets finally hit the scoreboard in the fifth on a double and single to make the
score 15-1 before Clement shut the door and ended the mercy win. Mitchell had a 2 run tater while
Scott went 3-3 with 3 runs and 3 RBI. Sherk also added 3 hits and 3 runs while newcomer Jesse
Leeming recorded 3 RBI.
Jun 27, 2011
Harwood Too Much For Vics
There was a good crowd on hand Monday night as the Vics hosted Harwood Corners in the first of a
home and home series this week. Dan Mitchell took the ball for the home side against Jamie
Adams. Harwood opened the scoring in the second frame on a couple singles and a hit batter that
set up a hard ball through shortstop to put Harwood up 1-0. Mitchell got out of the inning leaving the
bases loaded. That would be a recurring theme on the night as Harwood continued to put runners
on and threaten to run away with the game. The Ayr bats were very quiet although the batters did
work for several walks and put some runners on the basepaths. Harwood added another pair in the
fourth on a sac fly and rbi single. In the 5th inning they scored another on a couple hits but once
again Mitchell closed the frame with the bases packed. After a couple more hits in the 6th Brad
Thomson came in to relieve the Vics starter and was greeted by a single through the drawn in infield
to score another pair. He then closed out the inning to bring the Vics back to the plate trailing by 6.
Ayr finally put some offense together against reliever John Klingenberg as Freeman and Bevan
Wells walked to set up Thomson who delivered a 2 run double. That was all the Ayr team could
muster as they dropped the game by a 6-2 count.
Jun 20, 2011
Vics Get Past Lakers
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs out of the way it was time for local sports fans to make a visit to Victoria
Park and see the Port Burwell Lakers take on the Vics. Ryan McCurdy took the ball for the Lakers
against Dan Mitchell. Ayr leadoff hitter Graham Scott opened the scoring on the first pitch he saw
when he drilled a majestic homer to left center. Rock and Sayles cashed in big with 2RBI singles to
give the Vics a quick 5-0 lead as Sherk, Mitchell, Rock and Freeman scored the runs. The Lakers hit
the scoresheet in the third as Matt Unger drilled a triple to the fence to score 3 runs before being
gunned down at the plate by Jeff Sayles through a cutoff by Dean Clement. With the score 5-4 for the
Vics both pitchers settled in and held the opportunities to a minimum. Brad Thomson came in to
pitch the 7th to close out a hard fought victory for the Vics. Mitchell finished with 6 strikeouts over 6
innings allowing only 4 hits.
Jun 13, 2011
Sweaburg Crushes Vics in Final Inning
Sweaburg came to Ayr for their second meeting of the season on Monday night and faced a lean
Vics squad. Brad Thomson took the ball and faced off against Todd Winkworth. Ayr struck first as
they cashed in Chad Wells with a 2 run tater by Bobby Gillow then Brad Thomson was doubled
home by Dan Mitchell for a 3-0 lead. Sweaburg struck back quickly as a triple by Eaton was
sandwiched between single to cut the lead to 3-2. The Crush evened the score in the fourth when
Eaton singled home a double by DJ Latford. With the Vics bats unable to put away their opportunites
on the bases teh Crush finally took the lead after a walk, single and two fielder's choices. They
added some insurance when Darryl Wharram launched a deep fly to score 2 and give Sweaburg the
6-3 lead. The Ayr boys refused to roll over in the home half of the 7th as Bobby Gillow singled home
Wells to cut the lead to 2 and bring the tying run to the plate in Brad Thomson with 2 out. The Crush
decided to bring on reliever Miller to face the big righty and he came up with a strikeout to end the
game.
Jun 12, 2011
Vics Finish Strong to Drop the Stealth
The Vics travelled to Straffordville on Sunday night with only 9 players to face the Stealth. Dan
Mitchell took the ball for Ayr against Jeff Lyons. Kevin Ryrie struck first in the opening frame as he
came home on a Bob Gillow sacrifice fly. The Stealth responed with a pair in the home half and
another in the second with the help of a couple infield errors. Lyons was struck on the finger with a
pitch in the inning and could not continue on the mound where he was relieved by Scott Lovell. Ayr
evened the score in the third as Chad Wells and Ryrie scored on consecutive fielders choice plays
on the Stealth infield. Straffordville regained the advantage as they tagged Mitchell with three runs on
three hits. The Vics added another run in the fifth by Dan Mitchell who advanced to third on a passed
ball then scampered home as the throw eluded the third baseman. The Stealth worked to keep the
Vics in their rear view mirror as they both the run back on a pair of singles in the bottom of 5. In the
bottom of 6 Ken Sherk lobbed a single over the infield to cash in Dan Mitchell to close the gap to two
once again. Things finally came together for the Ayr offence in the 7th inning as they took advantage
of a couple errors and a walk as well as hits by Chad Wells to load the bases. Dan Mitchell drew a
walk to score his brother Carter and then Bobby "Franchise" came through with the deciding blow as
he drilled a double to centerfield that cleared the decks and put the Vics up by a pair. Gillow, who
had come in to relieve Mitchell on the mound in the 6th then completed the game by setting down the
final three Stealth batters to preserve the 9-7 victory.
Jun 06, 2011
Vics Steady Against Heat
After dropping games to two of the league's top teams the Vics were in need of a solid effort at home
against the Hickson Heat on Monday night. Brad Thomson took the mound for Ayr against Dan
Benbow. The big Vics righty was in fine form as he set down 12 of the first 13 Heat batters while
Benbow baffled the Ayr bats with his offspeed offerings for the first three innings. In the fourth the
Vics started to get on the pace and rattled off four consecutive singles by Scott, Gillow, Thomson and
Mitchell to plate a pair of runs. They added two more to the tally in the fifth as Ryrie walked, stole
second then scored on a single by Chad Wells. Bob Gillow cashed in Wells with a sac fly to put Ayr
up 4-0. Hickson wasn't ready to roll over though and fought back with a triple surrounded by a couple
singles to score two runs back. Not wanting this game to get any tighter the Vics showed more
composure at the plate and rattled off four hits along with a walk, hit batter and an error. Bevan
Wells, Edelman and Ryrie picked up RBIs and the Vics scored five runs without recording an out
which was enough for a mercy victory 9-2.
Jun 05, 2011
Woodstock Drops Vics
The Vics finally returned home to face the Woodstock Kelseys on Sunday night but the visitors would
not make it a pleasant homecoming. Bobby Gillow took the mound for Ayr and was greeted with a
barrage from the Woodstock batters. Steve Running blasted a 3 run homer and then Ryan Harmer
jacked a two-run shot to give the visitors a 5-0 lead before Ayr could get to the plate. The Vics started
to battle back in the second when Clement was singled home by Jeff Sayles. They then added three
runs in the third on four straight singles by Chad Wells, Ryrie, Sherk and a two RBI stroke by Gillow.
Woodstock took their commanding lead back in the top of 4 as they strung together a number of hits
along with a couple defensive miscues to plate five more. The Vics were unable to mount any
offense on the final trip through the lineup and a 5th inning run by the Kelseys was enough to secure
the mercy victory.
June 2, 2011
Thursday night the Vics travelled to Port Burwell to make up an earlier rainout game. Although the
team showed up with only 9 players they made quick work of the Lakers in this one. Ayr batted
around twice in the opening frame to count a total of 13 runs. Dan Mitchell opened the scoring with a
3 run tater and then added an RBI single. Mitchell would rack up another three singles in the game
to go 5-5 with 4 RBI. Each Ayr player scored twice in the game while Jon Ecclestone crossed 3
times. Mitchell had the pitching assignment for Ayr and held the Lakers to 4 hits over 4 innings.
Bobby Gillow came in to close out the game with three strikeouts. Final score was 17-2.
May 30, 2011
Vics Unable to Shut Down Eagles
The defending league champs came to Ayr on Monday night and found themselves in tough against
a determined Vics squad. Atkinson opened the scoring for Kip in the first as Awde doubled him
home. Ayr responded with an RBI single by Gillow to plate "Mickey" Wells. Ayr ace Brad Thomson
held the tough Eagles lineup quiet for the next couple innings allowing Bobby "Franchise" to add
another RBI as he doubled home Dan Mitchell in the third. The Innerkip bats came alive in the fourth
as they regained the lead on three runs against some ragged defence. Gillow contined to pace the
offense as he walked in the fifth. A Thomson walk set the table for Dean Clement who drilled a ball
off the centre field wall to plate two and tie the game. Once again the Eagles fought back with a
leadoff homer by McIntyre followed by a double, single and sac fly to regain the two run advantage.
Innerkip relieved Rob Dickson was not able to stamp out the Vics lineup in the sixth and the home
team rallied to score three. Ken Sherk opened with a pinch hit single followed by an agressive bunt
by Kevin Ryrie that ended up with him reaching first on an error. Chad Wells plated both runners
with a solid double and then Dan Mitchell cashed in Mickey with a single to give Ayr the one run lead.
Thomson looked to close out the Eagles but the champs refused to give up. A single, double and
sac fly put Kip back in the lead and then a second straight blast from McIntyre put the Eagles up by
two. Ayr was not able to get a rally going in the bottom of the 7th and went down three straight to
drop a 9-7 decision.
May 29, 2011
Vics vs Masters Washed Out on Sunday Night
With the Masters leading 2-0 in the 4th inning rain and lightning called a halt to the game. The
match will be replayed at a later date.
May 12, 2011
The Vics hit the road for the first time this season and ran into an old nemesis on the mound in
Sweaburg. Adam Martin once again kept the Vics batters off balance as he hurled a 5 inning one-
hitter to mercy the Vics 9-1. Ryan French made his first start in a Vics uniform and fanned 3 batters
in the first inning however a leadoff double scored after an infield error to give the home side the
lead. Ayr responded in the third inning as French walked and then came home on the only Vics hit of
the night, a 2-out triple by Chad "Mickey" Wells. Sweaburg got to French in the bottom half of the
inning as they loaded the bases on two hits and a walk. A double cashed 2 runs and two errors
allowed 2 more to come home. Dan Mitchell relieved French in the fourth and allowed one run. The
Vics were unable to put any offense together and Sweaburg sealed the game with two singles and
then a walkoff homer to end the game in a mercy finish.
May 9, 2011
The Vics kicked off the 2011 season with a decisive victory over the visiting Innerkip Expos last
Monday night. A small but supportive crowd gathered to witness the '11 home opener as 2010 Tri-
County MVP Brad Thomson took to the mound for Ayr. Thomson was solid and his offence gave him
plenty of room to work. In the bottom of the first a leadoff double by Chad Wells and a walk by
veteran Graham Scott set the table for Dan Mitchell who blasted his first pitch deep into the night sky
for a 3 run shot. After Thomson racked up 5 strikouts through 2 innings the offence went back to
work as Jeff Sayles and Chad Wells scored on another long ball, this time by Scott. Mitchell,
Thomson, Bob Gillow and Eric Edelman would all cross the plate as well in the inning. Innerkip
finally hit back in the fourth as they took advantage of a dropped ball on the infield to score a couple
runs. The Vics came back with three more in the bottom half after walks to Dean Clement, Jon
Ecclestone and Wells set up Scott for a base clearing two-bagger. Innerkip would not go quietly and
pounded out three runs on five hits in the fifth inning. Thomson induced a grounder to short to end
the threat and give Ayr a 13-5 mercy win. Scott was the offensive star of the game going 3-3 with 2
runs and 6 rbi.
April 30, 2011
News from 2010 has been archived here
April 12, 2011
It's been a long cold w
April 30, 2011
News from 2010 has been archived here
April 12, 2011
It's been a long cold
April 30, 2011
News from 2010 has been archived here
April 12, 2011
It's been a long cold winter but now it's time for the boys of summer to return to the Victoria Park
field. The Vics will be holding several spring training practices throughout April weather permitting.
Anyone interested in coming out is encouraged to contact manager Ken Sherk at 519-632-9948 or
by email at ayrvics@yahoo.ca. Practice times will also be posted on this site when available.
Practice 1: Wed Apr 13, 7pm Victoria Park
Practice 2: Thurs Apr 21, 7pm Victoria Park
Practice 3: Sun May 1, 10am Victoria Park
Practice 4: Wed May 4, 7pm Victoria Park
Practice 5: Thurs May 5, 7pm Victoria Park
The Vics will open the 2011 season at home against the Innerkip Expos. They will then hit the road
for four straight before returning to Victoria Park on May 29 to face the Ingersoll Masters.
Harwood Sends Series to Game 5
Harwood evened up the opening round series with a 10-6 win in Ayr last night. The Vics led 5-2
going into the 6th inning but once again Harwood had plenty of offensive power left for the final two
innings. After falling behind 10-5 Ayr loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th but could only push
one more run across.
The decisive game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday Aug 23 at 8:30pm in Hickson
Aug 10, 2011
Vics Take Series Lead With 8-5 Victory
Ayr travelled to Hickson on Wednesday to take on Harwood in game 3 of the best-of-five first round
series. After a strong performance in game 2 it was Bob Gillow taking the ball for the Vics. Ayr struck
first as Scott Freeman belted a homer to right center to plate Ken Sherk and Dean Clement. Fred
Killing responded for the home side with a triple in the bottom half and he scored on a double by
Willy Wills. Despite Harwood putting several runners on base Gillow continued to close the door
with the help of some solid defense. In the top of the fifth his team rewarded the effort with 3 more
runs. A Sherk single was plated by Clement and then Jeff Sayles singled home Clement and Gillow
to give Ayr a 6-1 lead. In the bottom half Harwood looked ready to cut into the lead when they put
runners on the corners with two out but Josh Yost made an outstanding sliding catch on a short fly to
right to end the threat. The Vics continued to pour it on with another pair of runs in the sixth. Rookie
Jesse Leeming doubled and was then tripled home by Sherk. Gillow then delivered a sac fly to
center which plated Sherk and put Ayr in position for a mercy win. Gillow returned to try and close out
the contest but once again Harwood found a way to pick themselves up and pour on the offense they
showed all season. Fuller led off with a long homer and then after a single it was Rob Flood who
went deep to cut the lead to 4. Brad Thomson was brought in to relieve the lefty and was greeted by
a double off the bat of red hot Fred Killing. Harwood pitcher Klingeberg later singled Killing home to
make it a 3 run game. After closing out the inning the Vics were dispatched quickly to set up the
critical seventh inning. MIndful of the game 1 comeback Thomson made no mistakes as he retired
the side in order to give the Vics a 8-5 win. Ayr will take a 2-1 series lead back home on Aug 22.
Aug 08, 2011
Vics Even Series With 3-2 Win at Home
After a crushing game 1 defeat the Vics needed a strong pitching performance by veteran lefty Bob
Gillow and he delivered. There was a large crowd on hand as many stayed after watching the Ayr Jr.
Vics Peewee team open their ORSA Championship round. Once again the Vics got off to a fast start
with Chad Wells singling up the middle in the first and later scoring on a wild pitch. Gillow stranded
3 runners in the first but a leadoff walk in the second scored after a steal and then a single to level
the score at 1. Gillow then led off the third with a single and beat out a fielder's choice from the bat of
Graham Scott at second base. When a passed ball put both runners in scoring position it was time
for the Vics big man to deliver and Thomson did with a single to plate two and give Ayr a 3-1 lead.
Gillow could not keep the Harwood team off the bases but he managed to avoid big trouble and
strand them all until the fifth when a leadoff single and passed ball put a runner on second. Another
single scored the second Harwood run to make it a 3-2 game. The Vics defence came up with
several solid plays including a couple running catches by rookie Jesse Leeming in center field. The
Vics offence couldn't add any more to their tally so they once again went to the 7th inning with the
lead although much slimmer this time around. Ayr turned to Thomson to close the game out and the
big righty was solid as he quickly dispatched the top of the Harwood order to seal the deal. The
home crowd left the park happy as the Vics evened the series with a 3-2 win.
The next game is Wednesday night at 8:30pm in Hickson and then both teams will have a one week
break as several of the players will travel to Moline, IL to compete in the ISC World Tournament.
Aug 07, 2011
Harwood Stuns Vics with 7th Inning Rally
The first round series began on Sunday night in Hickson and the Vics came out swinging hard. Ken
Sherk opened the scoring with a solo homerun in the first and was then supported by Scott Freeman
who doubled home Brad Thomson and Dean Clement who had both reached on hits. Ayr added to
the lead in the second when Sayles singled and then chugged home ahead of Chad Wells who had
tripled to the outfield fence. Wells then scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Sherk to extend the
lead to 5. Harwood countered in the bottom of the second with the help of a couple errors in the
infield to score two runs. With the Vics threatening again in the third with the bases juiced and none
out Harwood brought in veteran Bobby Burgess to pitch. He was able to end the inning without
another run scoring. Harwood took some energy from that escape and in the bottom half and strung
together a couple hits along with a walk to cut the lead to 5-3. Scott Freeman came up big again in
the fourth as he cashed in two with a single to extend Ayr’s lead to 7-3. Thomson then took control of
the game and mowed down the Harwood lineup retiring 11 in a row from the third to sixth innings.
Thomson also belted a solo homerun in the sixth to give himself a comfortable 5 run lead heading
into the final frame. Klingenberg led off the bottom of 7 with a solo shot to cut the lead. After a
groundout there was a base hit then a two run tater by Nate Fuller to reduce the lead to 2. This was
enough to knock Thomson from the mound and the Vics turned to another veteran hurler Bob Gillow
to close the door. After an infield single, two walks loaded the bases and then a controversial line
drive down the left field line was called fair which allowed 3 runs to score and hand the Vics a
devastating 9-8 loss.
August 2, 2011
Vics Face League Leading Harwood Corners in A Playoff Opener
The Vics finished the regular season in 8th place, good enough for a spot in the Tri-County Fastball
League A playoffs. They will face the top ranked Harwood Corners squad in a best-of-five first round
series. The schedule of games will be as follows:
Opening game in Ayr postponed due to no umpires available
Game 1 in Hickson, Sun Aug 7, 8:30pm
Game 2 in Ayr, Mon Aug 8, 8:30pm
Game 3 in Hickson, Wed Aug 10, 8:30pm (if necessary)
Game 4 in Hickson, TBD (if necessary)
The Vics will need your support as they try to knock off the 2011 pennant winners so come down to
Victoria park on Monday and make some noise!
Jul 22, 2011
Vics Rally for 3 in 7th to Defeat Ingersoll
The Ingersoll Masters came to Ayr for a rare Friday night game in Victoria Park with 4 points at stake
due to earlier cancellations. Paul Sutton faced off against Bob Gillow in the circle. The Masters
struck in the opening inning as they took advantage of a couple Vic errors to post a 1-0 lead. Ayr
came back strong in the second as Ken Sherk tripled home Scott Freeman and Jesse Leeming then
scored on an infield hit by Kevin Ryrie to take a 3-1 advantage. The Masters bats responded quickly
as they hit 3 singles followed by a couple more Ayr errors and posted a 4-3 lead in the third inning.
Both pitchers and defences seemed to settle down after that point and only 4 baserunners reached
until the 7th. In the visiting half Ingersoll padded their slim lead as Jackson singled home Daniel
and put the Masters up by a pair. Despite being off balance all night the Vics bats were up to the
challenge in the home half as Sherk doubled, Ryrie singled then Chad "Mickey" Wells plated a run
with a single. Graham Scott couldn't leg out an infield hit but the grounder was good enough to
score Ryrie to tie the game. With two down Mickey agressively took third on a ball in the dirt to set up
the winning run. Freeman hit a hot shot to second base that was misplayed by the fielder to allow
Wells to trot home and gave the Vics a crucial walkoff 6-5 victory.
Jul 19, 2011
Vics Late Rally Not Enough Against Bulls
With playoff positioning on the line the Bulls visited Victoria Park to take on the Vics on Monday night.
Steinhoff started for the Bulls and Mitchell took the mound for Ayr. Both chuckers seemed to be on
their games as neither offence could put any sustained rallies together. Burgessville struck first in
the third inning as Dave VanWyk doubled home Furlong for a 1-0 lead. That would hold up until the
6th when the Bulls finally found some holes in the defence and cashed in four runs. After Steinhoff
once again held the Vics off the board Mitchell was relieved by Bob Gillow and the Bulls Hamilecki
delivered a two run blast to make it a 7-0 lead. Not wanting to be shut out at home the Vics bats
finally came to life as Mitchell, Gillow and Clement drilled extra base hits to open the 7th. Bevan
Wells singled home Clement to make it 7-3 and then Freeman and Ryrie reached on a walk and hit
batter to load the bases. The Vics had brought the tying run to the plate at the top of the order so the
Bulls decided to hand the ball to reliever Neil McDonald. He was up to the task as he recorded a
strikeout and groundout to end the game with the Bulls taking it 7-3.
Jul 12, 2011
Vics Mercy Mets
The Vics headed to Mt Elgin shorthanded on Wednesday night and had to start the game with only 8
players. The Mets took full advantage of the extra room in the outfield and immediately put up a
couple runs on three hits off Vics starter Dan Mitchell. Once the ninth man arrived the defence
settled down and got out of the inning without any further damage. Mets starter Ryan Fewster kept
the Vics off the scoreboard for the first two innings before the Ayr bats finally got into rhythm. Ayr
pounded out four runs on four hits in the third to take the lead and then blew the doors off with 8 in
the fourth. They added another in the fifth and Mitchell cleaned up on the rubber to end a 13-2 mercy
win. Gillow, Mitchell, Wells and Clement each had a pair of hits and Gillow recorded 4 RBI.
Jul 06, 2011
Eagles Shut Out Vics
Dan Mitchell took the ball for Ayr against Rob Dickson for the Eagles in Innerkip on Wednesday
night. This one had the earmarks of a pitchers duel right from the start as both pitchers were
dealing and setting down the opposition. The Eagles struck first in the home half of the second as
Thornton singled home Witzel for a 1-0 lead. The Ayr bats struggled to get into a rhythm and left
runners seven runners stranded on base through five innings. Meanwhile Mitchell was keeping the
Eagles off balance with a great mix of speeds and locations. They finally cashed in on an
opportunity in the bottom of five when Nate Awde singled home Krieger and Atkinson with two outs.
Dickson looked to be in control heading to the 7th inning with a 3-0 lead but the Vics decided to
make it interesting. A pitch that hit Thomson opened the frame and then a walk to Chad Wells and
an error allowed Sherk to reach and load the bases. Unfortunately that was as close as the Vics
could get as the next two batters were retired to end a well played game.
Jul 04, 2011
Vics Offense Mauls the Mets
The Ayr bats were ready to break out after being denied in back to back games against Harwood and
the Mets were the unfortunate visitors to Victoria Park on Monday night. Ayr opened with four in the
first followed by another four in the second and five in the third. Dan Mitchell had the start for Ayr on
the mound and only allowed one baserunner in the first three innings before handing the ball to
Dean Clement. Clement set down Mt Elgin in order in the fourth and the Vics added another pair in
the bottom half. The Mets finally hit the scoreboard in the fifth on a double and single to make the
score 15-1 before Clement shut the door and ended the mercy win. Mitchell had a 2 run tater while
Scott went 3-3 with 3 runs and 3 RBI. Sherk also added 3 hits and 3 runs while newcomer Jesse
Leeming recorded 3 RBI.
Jun 27, 2011
Harwood Too Much For Vics
There was a good crowd on hand Monday night as the Vics hosted Harwood Corners in the first of a
home and home series this week. Dan Mitchell took the ball for the home side against Jamie
Adams. Harwood opened the scoring in the second frame on a couple singles and a hit batter that
set up a hard ball through shortstop to put Harwood up 1-0. Mitchell got out of the inning leaving the
bases loaded. That would be a recurring theme on the night as Harwood continued to put runners
on and threaten to run away with the game. The Ayr bats were very quiet although the batters did
work for several walks and put some runners on the basepaths. Harwood added another pair in the
fourth on a sac fly and rbi single. In the 5th inning they scored another on a couple hits but once
again Mitchell closed the frame with the bases packed. After a couple more hits in the 6th Brad
Thomson came in to relieve the Vics starter and was greeted by a single through the drawn in infield
to score another pair. He then closed out the inning to bring the Vics back to the plate trailing by 6.
Ayr finally put some offense together against reliever John Klingenberg as Freeman and Bevan
Wells walked to set up Thomson who delivered a 2 run double. That was all the Ayr team could
muster as they dropped the game by a 6-2 count.
Jun 20, 2011
Vics Get Past Lakers
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs out of the way it was time for local sports fans to make a visit to Victoria
Park and see the Port Burwell Lakers take on the Vics. Ryan McCurdy took the ball for the Lakers
against Dan Mitchell. Ayr leadoff hitter Graham Scott opened the scoring on the first pitch he saw
when he drilled a majestic homer to left center. Rock and Sayles cashed in big with 2RBI singles to
give the Vics a quick 5-0 lead as Sherk, Mitchell, Rock and Freeman scored the runs. The Lakers hit
the scoresheet in the third as Matt Unger drilled a triple to the fence to score 3 runs before being
gunned down at the plate by Jeff Sayles through a cutoff by Dean Clement. With the score 5-4 for the
Vics both pitchers settled in and held the opportunities to a minimum. Brad Thomson came in to
pitch the 7th to close out a hard fought victory for the Vics. Mitchell finished with 6 strikeouts over 6
innings allowing only 4 hits.
Jun 13, 2011
Sweaburg Crushes Vics in Final Inning
Sweaburg came to Ayr for their second meeting of the season on Monday night and faced a lean
Vics squad. Brad Thomson took the ball and faced off against Todd Winkworth. Ayr struck first as
they cashed in Chad Wells with a 2 run tater by Bobby Gillow then Brad Thomson was doubled
home by Dan Mitchell for a 3-0 lead. Sweaburg struck back quickly as a triple by Eaton was
sandwiched between single to cut the lead to 3-2. The Crush evened the score in the fourth when
Eaton singled home a double by DJ Latford. With the Vics bats unable to put away their opportunites
on the bases teh Crush finally took the lead after a walk, single and two fielder's choices. They
added some insurance when Darryl Wharram launched a deep fly to score 2 and give Sweaburg the
6-3 lead. The Ayr boys refused to roll over in the home half of the 7th as Bobby Gillow singled home
Wells to cut the lead to 2 and bring the tying run to the plate in Brad Thomson with 2 out. The Crush
decided to bring on reliever Miller to face the big righty and he came up with a strikeout to end the
game.
Jun 12, 2011
Vics Finish Strong to Drop the Stealth
The Vics travelled to Straffordville on Sunday night with only 9 players to face the Stealth. Dan
Mitchell took the ball for Ayr against Jeff Lyons. Kevin Ryrie struck first in the opening frame as he
came home on a Bob Gillow sacrifice fly. The Stealth responed with a pair in the home half and
another in the second with the help of a couple infield errors. Lyons was struck on the finger with a
pitch in the inning and could not continue on the mound where he was relieved by Scott Lovell. Ayr
evened the score in the third as Chad Wells and Ryrie scored on consecutive fielders choice plays
on the Stealth infield. Straffordville regained the advantage as they tagged Mitchell with three runs on
three hits. The Vics added another run in the fifth by Dan Mitchell who advanced to third on a passed
ball then scampered home as the throw eluded the third baseman. The Stealth worked to keep the
Vics in their rear view mirror as they both the run back on a pair of singles in the bottom of 5. In the
bottom of 6 Ken Sherk lobbed a single over the infield to cash in Dan Mitchell to close the gap to two
once again. Things finally came together for the Ayr offence in the 7th inning as they took advantage
of a couple errors and a walk as well as hits by Chad Wells to load the bases. Dan Mitchell drew a
walk to score his brother Carter and then Bobby "Franchise" came through with the deciding blow as
he drilled a double to centerfield that cleared the decks and put the Vics up by a pair. Gillow, who
had come in to relieve Mitchell on the mound in the 6th then completed the game by setting down the
final three Stealth batters to preserve the 9-7 victory.
Jun 06, 2011
Vics Steady Against Heat
After dropping games to two of the league's top teams the Vics were in need of a solid effort at home
against the Hickson Heat on Monday night. Brad Thomson took the mound for Ayr against Dan
Benbow. The big Vics righty was in fine form as he set down 12 of the first 13 Heat batters while
Benbow baffled the Ayr bats with his offspeed offerings for the first three innings. In the fourth the
Vics started to get on the pace and rattled off four consecutive singles by Scott, Gillow, Thomson and
Mitchell to plate a pair of runs. They added two more to the tally in the fifth as Ryrie walked, stole
second then scored on a single by Chad Wells. Bob Gillow cashed in Wells with a sac fly to put Ayr
up 4-0. Hickson wasn't ready to roll over though and fought back with a triple surrounded by a couple
singles to score two runs back. Not wanting this game to get any tighter the Vics showed more
composure at the plate and rattled off four hits along with a walk, hit batter and an error. Bevan
Wells, Edelman and Ryrie picked up RBIs and the Vics scored five runs without recording an out
which was enough for a mercy victory 9-2.
Jun 05, 2011
Woodstock Drops Vics
The Vics finally returned home to face the Woodstock Kelseys on Sunday night but the visitors would
not make it a pleasant homecoming. Bobby Gillow took the mound for Ayr and was greeted with a
barrage from the Woodstock batters. Steve Running blasted a 3 run homer and then Ryan Harmer
jacked a two-run shot to give the visitors a 5-0 lead before Ayr could get to the plate. The Vics started
to battle back in the second when Clement was singled home by Jeff Sayles. They then added three
runs in the third on four straight singles by Chad Wells, Ryrie, Sherk and a two RBI stroke by Gillow.
Woodstock took their commanding lead back in the top of 4 as they strung together a number of hits
along with a couple defensive miscues to plate five more. The Vics were unable to mount any
offense on the final trip through the lineup and a 5th inning run by the Kelseys was enough to secure
the mercy victory.
June 2, 2011
Thursday night the Vics travelled to Port Burwell to make up an earlier rainout game. Although the
team showed up with only 9 players they made quick work of the Lakers in this one. Ayr batted
around twice in the opening frame to count a total of 13 runs. Dan Mitchell opened the scoring with a
3 run tater and then added an RBI single. Mitchell would rack up another three singles in the game
to go 5-5 with 4 RBI. Each Ayr player scored twice in the game while Jon Ecclestone crossed 3
times. Mitchell had the pitching assignment for Ayr and held the Lakers to 4 hits over 4 innings.
Bobby Gillow came in to close out the game with three strikeouts. Final score was 17-2.
May 30, 2011
Vics Unable to Shut Down Eagles
The defending league champs came to Ayr on Monday night and found themselves in tough against
a determined Vics squad. Atkinson opened the scoring for Kip in the first as Awde doubled him
home. Ayr responded with an RBI single by Gillow to plate "Mickey" Wells. Ayr ace Brad Thomson
held the tough Eagles lineup quiet for the next couple innings allowing Bobby "Franchise" to add
another RBI as he doubled home Dan Mitchell in the third. The Innerkip bats came alive in the fourth
as they regained the lead on three runs against some ragged defence. Gillow contined to pace the
offense as he walked in the fifth. A Thomson walk set the table for Dean Clement who drilled a ball
off the centre field wall to plate two and tie the game. Once again the Eagles fought back with a
leadoff homer by McIntyre followed by a double, single and sac fly to regain the two run advantage.
Innerkip relieved Rob Dickson was not able to stamp out the Vics lineup in the sixth and the home
team rallied to score three. Ken Sherk opened with a pinch hit single followed by an agressive bunt
by Kevin Ryrie that ended up with him reaching first on an error. Chad Wells plated both runners
with a solid double and then Dan Mitchell cashed in Mickey with a single to give Ayr the one run lead.
Thomson looked to close out the Eagles but the champs refused to give up. A single, double and
sac fly put Kip back in the lead and then a second straight blast from McIntyre put the Eagles up by
two. Ayr was not able to get a rally going in the bottom of the 7th and went down three straight to
drop a 9-7 decision.
May 29, 2011
Vics vs Masters Washed Out on Sunday Night
With the Masters leading 2-0 in the 4th inning rain and lightning called a halt to the game. The
match will be replayed at a later date.
May 12, 2011
The Vics hit the road for the first time this season and ran into an old nemesis on the mound in
Sweaburg. Adam Martin once again kept the Vics batters off balance as he hurled a 5 inning one-
hitter to mercy the Vics 9-1. Ryan French made his first start in a Vics uniform and fanned 3 batters
in the first inning however a leadoff double scored after an infield error to give the home side the
lead. Ayr responded in the third inning as French walked and then came home on the only Vics hit of
the night, a 2-out triple by Chad "Mickey" Wells. Sweaburg got to French in the bottom half of the
inning as they loaded the bases on two hits and a walk. A double cashed 2 runs and two errors
allowed 2 more to come home. Dan Mitchell relieved French in the fourth and allowed one run. The
Vics were unable to put any offense together and Sweaburg sealed the game with two singles and
then a walkoff homer to end the game in a mercy finish.
May 9, 2011
The Vics kicked off the 2011 season with a decisive victory over the visiting Innerkip Expos last
Monday night. A small but supportive crowd gathered to witness the '11 home opener as 2010 Tri-
County MVP Brad Thomson took to the mound for Ayr. Thomson was solid and his offence gave him
plenty of room to work. In the bottom of the first a leadoff double by Chad Wells and a walk by
veteran Graham Scott set the table for Dan Mitchell who blasted his first pitch deep into the night sky
for a 3 run shot. After Thomson racked up 5 strikouts through 2 innings the offence went back to
work as Jeff Sayles and Chad Wells scored on another long ball, this time by Scott. Mitchell,
Thomson, Bob Gillow and Eric Edelman would all cross the plate as well in the inning. Innerkip
finally hit back in the fourth as they took advantage of a dropped ball on the infield to score a couple
runs. The Vics came back with three more in the bottom half after walks to Dean Clement, Jon
Ecclestone and Wells set up Scott for a base clearing two-bagger. Innerkip would not go quietly and
pounded out three runs on five hits in the fifth inning. Thomson induced a grounder to short to end
the threat and give Ayr a 13-5 mercy win. Scott was the offensive star of the game going 3-3 with 2
runs and 6 rbi.
April 30, 2011
News from 2010 has been archived here
April 12, 2011
It's been a long cold w
April 30, 2011
News from 2010 has been archived here
April 12, 2011
It's been a long cold
April 30, 2011
News from 2010 has been archived here
April 12, 2011
It's been a long cold winter but now it's time for the boys of summer to return to the Victoria Park
field. The Vics will be holding several spring training practices throughout April weather permitting.
Anyone interested in coming out is encouraged to contact manager Ken Sherk at 519-632-9948 or
by email at ayrvics@yahoo.ca. Practice times will also be posted on this site when available.
Practice 1: Wed Apr 13, 7pm Victoria Park
Practice 2: Thurs Apr 21, 7pm Victoria Park
Practice 3: Sun May 1, 10am Victoria Park
Practice 4: Wed May 4, 7pm Victoria Park
Practice 5: Thurs May 5, 7pm Victoria Park
The Vics will open the 2011 season at home against the Innerkip Expos. They will then hit the road
for four straight before returning to Victoria Park on May 29 to face the Ingersoll Masters.
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