The Pirates U18 Rep team, inspired by the village's baseball heritage, brought home the first OBA "A" level provincial championship in Port Lambton history. Port Lambton, designated a "D" level centre, entered the "A" provincial tournament to challenge itself against larger centres that had also qualified, such as Windsor, London, Ajax, Stratford, Brockville, Sault Ste. Marie, Woodstock, Barrie, Mississauga, St. Marys, Caledonia, and Toronto. The team returned home undefeated provincial "A" champions, capped off by a thrilling walk of victory against the host team in the championship game.
On Thursday, the U18 Pirates started with a strong showing against Woodstock, beating them 4-1 at their home field. The home game for Woodstock took place as Stratford, the host city, had run out of space. Jacob started the game on the mound, with Duncan closing the final inning.
Friday began with a close 3-2 victory against Windsor. Graeme delivered a complete game pitching performance. The victories kept coming for the Pirates. Barrie was defeated 8-3, led by the complete game pitching performance by Jake.
Saturday brought the Pirates into a game versus Stratford, the host team. Powered by Duncan pitching a complete game, Port Lambton secured a decisive 3-1 victory. This game handed Stratford their first loss, and propelled Port Lambton forward.
The second game of Saturday for the Pirates was against Ajax. A win would propel Port Lambton into the championship round undefeated. In a close contest, Port Lambton prevailed 11-10. Nate started on the bump, followed by Jackson, Reid, and Brock to close out the pitching performance. The teamwork shone through and kept the Pirates on track.
Sunday was for the history books. In the championship game, Port Lambton took on the host and defending OBA "A" champions, Stratford, in a rematch from earlier times. Port Lambton supporters came out in full force, almost outnumbering the host team's supporters. The Pirate ball players listened to Ric Flair, who says, "If you want to be the champ, you've got to beat the champ." Brock and Ethan combined to pitch during this game. Both teams delivered impactful moments, including Nate belting a 2-run homer over the monster fence in right field. With the teams tied in the bottom of the seventh and the Pirates batting, they almost scored the walk-off winning run. However, the call was overturned and the game went to extra innings. In the top of the 8th inning, Stratford was held scoreless. This set up the biggest bunt in Port Lambton baseball history. The bottom of the 8th progressed with Port Lambton having two base runners. Jace laid down a bunt, and Duncan scored with some heads-up baserunning. Water flew. Sunflower seeds rained down. Hats tossed to the side. The challenge was accepted and completed. The new champs took their spot at home plate. Port Lambton Pirates U18 baseball team were the 2025 Ontario "A" champions.
The third-year players led the way. Caleb scored 6 runs and made crucial catches in the outfield. Jacob pitched with an ERA of zero. Jake pitched, only allowing an opposing batting average of 0.154. Reid was on base 60% of the time at the plate and scored 10 runs to lead the team.
The second-year players were key to the success. Ethan, named tournament MVP, had a batting average of .500 and drove in 7 runs. Jace collected 6 hits and scored twice. Tyson drew a key walk to be perfect at the plate and added stellar baserunning. Brock was clutch on the mound, recorded a save and started the championship game. Nate hit a home run in the final game along with 4 RBIs. Jackson pitched to 6 batters, delivering key outs. Duncan drove in 7 runs at the plate, and as a pitcher, threw an ERA of 0.875.
The first-year players contributed in key ways. Matt scored a key run and made a game-saving catch in left field. Seth delivered 2 doubles and scored 4 runs at the plate. Graeme delivered 12 strikeouts on the mound as a pitcher and scored 3 times as a batter.
The team was led by Chris Bonneau, Jake Prudom, Alan Hillis, and Nash Lane.
The players and coaches took their place in the history books. Inspired by those who played before them, their supporters and families, and the community of Port Lambton, sitting nestled along the St. Clair River.
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