North Bay Stingers pitcher Cody Sutcliffe pitched a complete game, three hit shutout, against Kitchener-Waterloo in their opening game of the SOBA Midget Provicial Championships.
Cody Sutcliffe struck out 14 batters in seven innings of work and only allowed 3 hits, as the North Bay Stingers blanked the Kitchener-Waterloo Wildcats Selects 7-0. Two of those strikeouts came at the top of the fifth inning, with runners on second and third with just one out.
“I threw a lot strikes, I picked my corners, had a lot of strikeouts and my defence played really well,” shared Cody Sutcliffe after the game.
"I have never seen his curve ball work so soon in a game. Usually it takes him a couple of innings but he had it right off the bat,” said Stingers Manager Chad Lucelle.
The offense exploded in the fifth, scoring six runs thanks to some key steals and aggressive base running. Ben Olmstead led way driving in the game winning run in the third and finished with 3 RBI’s.
“It felt good winning in front of the home crowd. We are in better position now that we won the first one. Hopefully we can keep in going tomorrow,” said Olmstead.
Lucelle was impressed by his defense and the focus his pitcher showed on the mound.
“He has come a long way. He has been our most improved player since Pee Wee age. He’s our number one guy. He just throws hard and in the zone. He doesn’t walk to many guys and that is all you can ask for.”
The Stingers continue tournament play Saturday at 11:30a.m.
The North Bay club has won the Provincial Midget Championship four times in the past five years.
