2026 Tillsonburg Tournament
A Tough
Weekend
To Build On.
Tournament Recap
2-2 Overall. Second In The Pool. Work To Do.
The River Canard Mallards made the trip to Tillsonburg from June 5-7 and finished the weekend with a 2-2 record, a 2-1 mark in round-robin play, and a quarterfinal appearance.
On paper, advancing out of the pool is a positive. But overall, the weekend did not live up to the expectations the group had for itself. The bats were quiet for long stretches, a few innings got away, and Sunday’s quarterfinal was a reminder of how sharp you need to be against good teams.
The goal now is to use the weekend as motivation for the rest of the season.
The weekend started Friday night against the St. Catharines Cobras. After falling behind early, the Mallards battled back and found enough offense late to come away with a 5-4 win.
Brendan Soto drove in three runs, while Josh Verwoert and Alex Bastable each had two hits. Dylan O’Neil gave the Mallards a strong start on the mound, striking out nine over five innings, and Lucas Sorge finished it off with a scoreless inning of relief.
It was not a perfect opener, but it was a good tournament win. The Mallards answered after trailing, got key hits when they needed them, and started the weekend 1-0.
Round Robin
The Pool Play Results
Mallards 5
Cobras 4
River Canard erased an early deficit and scored twice in the fifth to take the lead. Soto drove in three, O’Neil struck out nine, and Sorge closed out the win.
Simcoe 7
Mallards 1
Simcoe took control with a five-run third inning. The Mallards were held to one hit, with Alex Bastable driving in the lone run.
Mallards 5
Lucan 3
The Mallards built an early lead and held on behind a complete-game effort from Michael Vitale. River Canard stole five bases and secured a 2-1 round-robin record.
Best Performance
Vitale Gave The Mallards What They Needed.
Michael Vitale’s complete game against Lucan was the strongest individual performance of the weekend. He allowed just one earned run over seven innings and helped the Mallards secure the win they needed to advance. In a weekend where consistency was hard to find, that outing stood out.
At 2-1, the Mallards finished second in their pool and moved on to the quarterfinals. That set up a Sunday matchup against Port Dover, who had finished first in their pool.
Port Dover jumped ahead early and never gave the Mallards much room to respond. River Canard was held to three hits from Connor Mannina, Josh Verwoert, and Shane Paradis in an 11-0 loss.
The quarterfinal was the toughest part of the weekend. Port Dover was better in all areas, and the Mallards were left with a clear reminder that quiet bats and free bases are tough to survive in tournament playoff baseball.
Weekend Takeaways
What Has To Carry Forward
The Bats Need More
The Mallards scored 11 runs in their two wins, but only one run total in their two losses. The lineup has more to give.
Big Innings Hurt
Simcoe used a five-run inning to take control, and Port Dover jumped ahead early. Limiting damage has to be a focus.
There Were Positives
O’Neil struck out nine, Vitale threw a complete game, and the Mallards found ways to win two close games in pool play.
Use It As Fuel
The weekend was not the finish the group wanted. Now it has to become motivation for the rest of the season.
Back To Work