Ottawa Titans eliminated from playoff contention

Jake Sanford (Cole Harbour, N.S.) had three hits for the Ottawa Titans in their 5-4 loss to the Tri-City ValleyCats on Saturday. The loss eliminated the Titans from playoff contention. Photo: Ottawa Titans (file photo)

August 30, 2025

Official Ottawa Titans News Release

Ottawa, Ont. - The Ottawa Titans had their playoff hopes come to an end with a slim 5-4 loss to the Tri-City ValleyCats on Saturday - dropping their third game in a row.

Pitching on just three days' rest, right-hander Alfredo Villa got knocked around in the opening half inning, seeing the Titans get behind early. Chris Burgess, Ian Walters, and Ranko Stevanovic all plated runs with RBI singles, seeing the ValleyCats jump out to an early 3-0advantage.

The Titans answered right back against left-hander Stephen Still in the second, pulling within a run. With a pair on, Cristian Inoa singled up the middle to score a Victor Cerny (Winnipeg, Man.) walk to get the home side on the board. However, Inoa rolled the dice and was thrown out trying to advance into scoring position. Later, Kaiden Cardoso (Abbotsford, B.C.) blooped in an RBI single to left, scoring Jake Sanford (Cole Harbour, N.S.) to make it a one-run game.

In the third, the ValleyCats sparked a two-out rally to push the advantage back to three. Cam Jones scored Stevanovic with an RBI double, before a walk of JanCarlos Colon plated on a wild pitch to make it 5-2.

The bottom of the order was back at it in the fourth inning for the Titans, seeing two on. A Still wild pitch scored Sanford before Cardoso came through with another RBI single to make it 5-4.

After three innings from Villa, the right-hander was taken out after allowing five runs on seven hits, walking two, and striking out six. The right-hander completes the season with a team-high 98 strikeouts.

Shane Gray gave the Titans an opportunity by tossing 4 1/3 of scoreless relief, in which was the right-hander's longest outing out of the bullpen this season.

After Jon Beymer got the final two outs of the eighth, Mark Simon bounced back with a clean ninth to keep the Titans down by one.

Against the ValleyCats' bullpen, the Titans' offence could not push across the tying run - leaving runners on the corners in the eighth and a one-out walk aboard in the ninth.

Sanford went 3-for-4 in the game, while Inoa and Cardoso each had two hits. Robert Chayka walked twice, going 1-for-3.

With the New York Boulders' win over the Sussex County Miners, the Titans have now been eliminated from postseason contention. Québec will meet New York, while Sussex County will take on Tri-City in round one of the Atlantic Conference playoffs.

The Titans end their season with the finale of a three-game series against the Tri-City ValleyCats on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Ottawa Stadium.