Aumont strikes out nine as Champions beat Shikoku Island 6-3

Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) struck out nine batters for the independent Can-Am League’s Ottawa Champions on Tuesday. Photo: Ottawa Champions

July 2, 2019

By Kavan Young

Ottawa Champions

OTTAWA – Vinny Guglietti went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI as the Ottawa Champions won 6-3 against the Shikoku Island League Plus All-Stars on Tuesday.

Phillippe Aumont (5-2) moved into a tie for first in the Can-Am league with his fifth win of the season, and his nine strikeouts on the night brought him to 69 on the season, which also moved him into the league lead. His dominant performance lowered his ERA down to 2.38, also tied for league best.

Champions manager Sébastien Boucher couldn’t help but smile when asked if this type of outing is what he asked for.

“It’s always what I ask for,” said Boucher with a laugh. “He’s been great all year so I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. He was really dominant again today. He hadn’t thrown for the last three or four days but it looks like he never really stopped.”

Ottawa scored three runs in the sixth inning to extend their lead to 6-2 on RBIs from Jordan Caillouet, Maikol Gonzalez and Guglietti. Shikoku scored a run in the top of the ninth but that’s as close as they would get.

Boucher was satisfied with the win but admitted that he expects his defence to help his pitchers out a little more.

“We’ve been struggling with ground balls over the last few days,” he said. “ We haven’t been able to catch and throw in the infield and it’s kind of hurting us a little bit. It’s making our pitchers throw a few extra pitches.”

“Phil easily could have gone eight and probably could have gone nine if we made the plays behind him. We’ve got a be better there.”

Jiandido Tromp nearly hit the first inside-the-park home run for the Champions since 2016 after Katsuya Shirakata slid to catch a fly ball but missed. Tromp rounded third and almost beat the throw but was tagged just at the last second for the out.

Malik Collymore (Mississauga, Ont.) gave the Champions their first lead of the game on the fourth inning, drilling a single up the middle that scored Leonardo Reginatto and Guglietti.

Ottawa tied the game 1-1 on an unusual balk by Shikoku pitcher Yuji Fukuda. With the bases loaded, Fukuda wound up for his pitch but inexplicably tumbled to the ground on his follow-through without letting go of the ball.

Shikoku Island opened the scoring for the second straight game, this time in the top of the second off an RBI single from Koki Kawabata that drove in Katsuya Shirakata.

Yuji Fukuda pitched six innings for Shikoku Island, striking out four and walking three with six earned runs. Michitaro Nakamura went 2-for-4 while Junichiro Kishi and Koki Kawabata each had an RBI.

Game three of the four-game series goes tomorrow at 7 p.m. at RCGT Park with Jared Mortensen (Abbotsford, B.C.) on the mound for the Champions.