Elliott: Guelph’s Hutar holds 'em, strands bases loaded in bottom of 9th
Ontario Astros alum Landon Hutar (Midland, Ont.) closed out an 8-7 win over the Brock Badgers for the Guelph Gryphons on Friday. Photo: Guelph Gryphons
October 3, 2025
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Guelph, Ont. - Submitted for evidence No. 11,987 on why the 27th and final out is the toughest out in the game to get.
Rookie closer on the mound.
One run game, the Guelph Gryphons leading the Brock Badgers 8-7.
Bottom of the ninth.
Pop up to second. One out.
Pop up to first. Two out.
Ground ball to first base ... foul ball ... not game over.
“The umpire had it right, the ball hit him in the leg, it was foul,” said Guelph closer Landon Hutar.
Adam Geddes (Guelph, Ont.) beat out an infield hit, giving Brock a heartbeat in the three-team, round-robin OUA West Regional Qualifier. So you’re saying there’s a chance?
Then, pinch hitter Nate Parsons (Gander, NL) singled to the left-centre field gap, chasing Geddes to third.
That brought up No. 2 hitter Reid Lunney, who had homered earlier in a win over McMaster. What now?
From the third base dugout, head coach Matt Stocco gave the finger ... well four actually ... signalling a four-pitch intentional walk.
So, now the tying run was at third and the winning run was moved up to second.
Risky business.
“I thought it was a good team move,” said RF Marco De Gama (Toronto, Ont.). “I loved it ... anything to get a team win.”
De Gama hit a two-run homer in the fourth putting Guelph up 5-1. The former High Park Brave, who played 22U for coach Mark MacDonald, was 2-for-3 with two walks.
INF Cole Carpenter (St. Catharines, Ont.) took ball one ... three balls away from a tie game. Then, the rookie closer threw a strike which was fouled back and next came a ground ball to short.
SS Evan Ogston (Ottawa, Ont.) picked it clean and raced to the bag at second, barely beating Lunney for the 27th and final out, by the narrowest of margins, giving Guelph the win by the narrowest of margins, 8-7 at beautiful David Hastings Stadium.
“It was close, but not that close,” said the closer. “We don’t really have defined roles. I pitch when they ask me to, I think the left-handed hitter (Lunney) was 7-for-8 against us.”
Stocco explained “if the count on Lunney ran to 2-0,” Guelph was going to walk Lunney intentionally.
“Eventually we said let’s just walk him. He’s had about seven hits against us. We’d rather put the left-handed hitter on and have our righty face a right-handed hitter.”
Stocco said Hutar (Midland, Ont.) has recorded some important saves for his Gryphons this fall. Hutar played summer ball for the Ontario Astros and coaches Jason Booth and Kyle McKay. He’s coming off summer ball in Midland.
“We play against Ivy, Creemore, Barrie, Bolton and Owen Sound ... they get a lot of fans compared to the other places,” Hutar said.
His best day on the ball field?
Facing the Terriers, he led off -- playing infield -- with a home run, hit a ground-rule double and doubled at King’s Christian in Oakville.
When it works, it is excellent strategy.
Ogston had a pair of hits and two RBIs for Guelph. Down 6-2, Brock rallied as Geddes had two hits and knocked in two runs, Lunney had two hits and drove in a run as Gavin Taylor (Burlington, Ont.) added a double and Carpenter drove in a pair.
Hayden Cupolo (Welland, Ont.) and Daniel (One-Pitch) Lucas (Mississauga, Ont.) had scoreless outings for Brock.
* * *
Next up: McMaster meets Brock Saturday morning, with the winner playing Guelph.
* * *
First-round games: Liam Riley (Branchton, Ont.) had three hits as Brock edged McMaster 7-4 and Lunney added two hits, including a solo homer to break the 4-4 tie in the seventh.
Nicolas Velocci (Newmarket, Ont.) tripled and doubled for Mac knocking in a pair of runs, while John Dykyj (Burlington, Ont.) doubled.
Guelph won 12-4 over McMaster as Sawyer Whitaker (Mississauga, Ont.) went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Andrew Johnson (Toronto, Ont.) and Jaylen Wood (Mississauga, Ont.) each had a pair of hits. Jack Gillis (Burlington, Ont.) drove in three runs and Ogston a pair. Brendan Cooper (Burlington, Ont.) pitched eight innings, allowing four runs -- three earned -- on five hits and three walks.
SS Justin White (Ancaster, Ont.) had a pair of hits and a stolen base for Mac, while Dykyj added a double. Mac was staked to a 3-0 first-inning lead.
* * *
Stars in the crowd: Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.), who faced Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
* * *
Missing: Guelph LF Nolan Scicluna (Mississauga, Ont.) was out of the lineup with a shoulder injury, either from a home run saving catch he made or from diving head-first into second.