Cruising at a well-managed pace throughout the COBA Major regular season at about their normal spot in the overall standings, the Milton Red Sox were possibly thinking little about their step-forward they took at last year's Senior Men's AAA Qualifiers. Fast-forward; all anyone would be reminded of in this season's 'Senior Elims' would be the showing that the Milton Red Sox had during this past weekend in Windsor.
WIth no disrespect to eventual champions - Windsor Stars - the 2026 Milton Red Sox were definitively the talk of the Men's AAA Qualifiers, early on.
For the second consecutive year; the live, online draw for matchups during the double-knockout tournament served the Red Sox another familar, first-round opponent - COBA division rivals; Burlington Brants. Two teams that know each other so well they finish each other's sentences routinely. The two COBA freindly foes squared off against one another on a warm, humid afternoon at Bernie Soulliere Field in Windsor for a 3 pm, Friday opening round matchup.
With that all-important first round win on their minds, the two teams traded zeros for the first 3 innings with neither team looking like they would make the first move. Then, like so many matchups gone-by; one team opened the gate, and the other stormed in right behind.
The visiting Red Sox opened the scoring in the 4th inning when catcher Jake Siracusa blasted a no-doubt, one-out solo bomb to put Milton up 1-0. Next batter; Chris Smorenburg doubled, with Aaron Nash lining a single to right fied to get runners at the corners for Christian D'Cruz. The Milton shortstop - known for his contact skills, but not his power - lifted a line-drive laser over the left-field fence for a 3-run home run and a 4-0 Sox lead.
But, as forementioned.. the Brants would answer with some flex of their own in their half of the 4th with a 2-run jack, followed by a solo home run to cut the Milton lead to 4-3 entering the 5th. Leadoff hitter Chris Bloom started the 5th inning with a single, and Owen Dobosh smacked a double to right field advancing Bloom to 3rd. With one out, Siracusa would ground out to the right side scoring Bloom and give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead after 5.
Afer dispatching Burlington quietly in their half of the 5th, Nash led off the 6th reaching on an error and was replaced by pinch runner Ethan Xavier. D'Cruz singled sharply in the next Milton at-bat, and the speedy Xavier scored when the Burlington outfielder could not field the ball cleanly - D'Cruz advancing to 2nd base on the play. Luke Crowley would advance D'Cruz with a right side ground out, and Josh Maxwell singled with one out to plate D'Cruz and give the Sox a 7-3 advantage. Bloom singled next to advance Maxwell to 2nd. Dobosh would then hit a grounder to short which was thrown away and Dobosh took off for 2nd, then 3rd and scored on another Burlington misplay during the same sequence. Maxwell and Bloom scoring ahead of Dobosh and staking the Milton lead to 10-3.
Having a day already - D'Cruz would hit his 2nd home run of the game - a solo shot - in the Milton 7th and put the final touches on a banner offensive day for the Sox. The Brants would scrap for 3 runs of their own in the last half of the 7th, but it was too little, too late.
Final:
Milton 11
Burlington 6
Nathan Hamel earned the victory for Milton, while gutting out 7 innings for his team that saved much-needed arms in the first round. Hamel allowed 7 hits, 6 runs (6 ER), striking out 2, and walking 5. Offensively, D'Cruz led the offence with 2 home runs and 5 RBI, with Siracusa adding his early blast to the rare Milton air show. Bloom and Chris Smorenburg each collected multiple hits, with the Sox counting 12 knocks for the game.
With the opening round victory, Milton would move on to play OBA powerhouse - Sarnia Brigade at 7:30 pm at Soulliere Field.
Same team. Same venue. Same 2nd round matchup. Deja vu 2025/26. Different result.
The 2025 version of this AAA Qualifier pitted the Milton Red Sox against these same Sarnia Brigade in last season's 2nd round. The Sox led early, then late by one, and were then walked off by the Brigade and into a what-could-have-been.
New year, new version, new result.
Milton got things rolling in the visitors' 1st with Owen Dobosh's base-knock, scoring Chris Bloom who led off the inning by way of a free pass and swipe of 2nd. The Red Sox continued to press into the 2nd inning with catcher Brendan Mahoney's leadoff single, Christian D'Cruz singled, and with one out Mahoney advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. Ben Singh unselfishly grounded out to the right side scoring Mahoney, and pushing D'Cruz to 3rd with two out. Bloom would then lay down a perfect bunt down the 3rd base line for a single - D'Cruz sticking at 3rd on the play. Dobosh potted his 2nd RBI in two innings with a single scoring D'Cruz - Bloom to 2nd. Liam Butchereit smoked a single to left field to count Bloom and give Milton an early 4-0 jump.
Then .. as good teams do, they regroup. Sarnia cut the Milton lead in half in the 2nd, chipped in another in the 3rd, and then tied the game in the 4th to give the game an all-too-familiar feel dating all the way back to 2025.
Getting into the late stages - innings 5 through 7 - of a tournament match is a game of anticipated excitement like no other. It can become one of great triumph, or lamented disappointment - plainly black, or white - there is no grey. In what could have been some subtle game of 'one thing is not like the other', the 2026 version of the Milton Red Sox seemed to enjoy playing the underdog and flying under the radar this weekend. Ranked 11 out of the 19 entered senior squads, the Sox read the pre-tournament material and kept it close to the vest for safe-keeping.
Whether their underdog status was on their minds, or not - the Red Sox were playing like a top-tier unit, nonetheless.
The Milton 6th inning opens with a Bloom line-drive double to right field, and advancing to 3rd with Dobosh's clean single in front of the left fielder. Bloom would scamper home on a wild pitch, and Dobosh scored on Liam Butchereit's single to left field to put the Sox up 6-4 and needing 6 clean outs for the win.
A 3-up-3-down Sarnia 6th gave the Sox the chance to put up some insurance and that they did. Luke Crowley led off the inning with a single, and Josh Maxwell followed with a 2-strike, 2-run homer to widen the gap to 8-4. Dobosh would get plunked with one out, and advanced to 2nd when Butchereit's 3rd strike was dropped, forcing the Sarnia backstop to throw him out at 1st. Dobosh skittered to 3rd on yet another wild pitch, and scored on a seemingly inning-ending dropped fly ball in left field from Siracusa's bat. Mahoney lined out to 2nd to end the inning and send the Sox defence out for the bottom of the 7th.
After a leadoff walk was erased by a slick Milton double play, the final Brigade batter flied softly to Dobosh in centrefield and send the Red Sox to 2-0 to start the tournament. One dragon slayed.
Final:
Milton 9
Sarnia 4
Adrian Cookson earned the win for Milton, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs (2 ER) over his 5 innings. The young righty struck out 2, and walked 2. Kyle Clark came on in the 6th inning and threw 2 innings of no-run ball. The veteran lefty surrendered 1 hit, while striking out none, and walking 1.
Offensively, Milton bashed out 16 hits in the game. Butchereit and Dobosh were a force together in the lineup, as they each collected 3 hits, hitting back-to-back in the 2-3 spots. Maxwell, Butchereit, and Dobosh each drove in 2 runs, with D'Cruz, Bloom, Mahoney, and Crowley earning multiple hits for the Sox. Defensively, Milton turned one double play - the 7th inning twist-up.
The enormous victory gave the Sox the opportunity to get the Saturday morning off - by way of being solidly placed in the winner's bracket. The next contest would be yet another great challenge as Milton would travel to Lacasse Field in Tecumseh to face the home team and perennial OBA giants - Tecumseh Thunder - at 1 pm Saturday.
Beautiful, well-maintained, and a gem - all adjectives to describe Lacasse Park in Tecumseh. Also see: vaunted, intimidating. None mattered.
Seemingly buoyed, or possibly indifferent to what the 'OBA script' has been in the past, the Red Sox came into the game loose, but knowing that they would be challenged yet again as the 'visitors'. (even though they won the coin flip and were factually the home team) The throng of locals who attend the Thunder home games - the fans travel well too - were all seemingly on hand for what possibly was deemed as a 'stepping stone' game to Round 4. Surely, the victory over Sarnia would lend some instant credibility... maybe. LFG!!!
After spotting the Thunder a 1-0 lead in the top half of the 1st inning, the Red Sox' bats awoke in fine fashion, batting around and sending 14 players to the plate in the 2nd inning.
Jake Siracusa led off the 2nd with a walk, and Chris Smorenburg followed with a free pass of his own to get the line cooking. Aaron Nash doubled off the high centrefield fence, scoring Siracusa and sending Smorenburg to 3rd. With one out, Tyler Henshaw lined an opposite field single to left field to count Smorenburg and push Nash to 3rd. After Josh Maxwell walked to load the bases, and an infield fly-out; Owen Dobosh ripped a hard single into left field, scoring Nash and advancing all runners one base. Liam Butchereit lashed a searing liner to right field, bringing home Maxwell and Henshaw - Dobosh to 3rd. Siracusa was hit by a pitch to again load the bases ans bring Smorenburg to the dish. The contact-machine hitting first baseman worked the count deep on the new Tecumseh reliever and smoked a line drive two-bagger into the left field gap to clear the bases. Nash would single in his 2nd at-bat of the inning, and D'Cruz would walk to again load the bases. However, Milton could cash, but exited the inning leading 8-1.
After Tecumseh went quietly in the 3rd, Milton again stepped on the gas with out, Bloom walked, Dobosh doubled, and Butchereit scored both with a hard single to centre field. Milton 10, Tecumseh 1.
The Thunder would scrap and bash as they are known to do, but the Milton lead was too much. The Tecumseh offence provided the home fans with some late fireworks to cheer for, but the Sox would snuff out any potential home-side rallies with some slick defence. Another dragon slayed.
Final:
Milton 10
Tecumseh 5
Butchereit was the offensive catalyst, driving in 4 runs on 2 hits and was on-point in every at-bat with runners on. Smorenburg had 3 RBI to compliment his 3rd baseman, while Nash had 3 hits - including his 2nd inning double that would have been a no-doubt home run in any other park. Dobosh and Henshaw each had multiple hits on the afternoon. Overall, the Milton offence was again the story, clubbing 12 hits enroute to the convincing win.
Dylan Clark earned the win for the Sox. The starter surrendered 4 hits, and 5 runs over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 7. Eric Beharri shut the door for Milton throwing 1 2/3 innings of solid relief in shutting down one of the province's top offences. Beharri gave up one hit.
Defensively, Milton counted two double plays for the game.
Next: A date with THE perennial OBA powerhouse, Windsor Stars at their home - Cullen Field 8 pm.
Being 3-0 for the first time in a long time - possibly ever.. may have bene enough for the Sox. Many do not know the Elims history, not that much care - but it is noteworthy that this version of the Red Sox was THE talk of the tournament to this point. Receiving messages of encouragement and well-wishes from former Sox alumni, plus the tournament online chatter was a new one for Milton. The win also guaranteed the Red Sox the opportunity to play Sunday baseball at these Eliminations for the first time in some time. Sunday baseball is deemed as the most accurate descriptor of a successful weekend - especially here at this time of year and with the amount of extremely talented competition.
Time to slay another dragon? A famous wrestler once said, 'In order to be the man, you have to beat the man'. Simply put; if the Sox really wanted some OBA cred, they would have to take down the province's top dog, and do it in their city, and at their home field. Beating a team on the field is one thing, but sometimes battling a mystique and resume is another.
As the aforementioned advantages of being 3-0 to begin the Elims being well-documented, it is also advantageous to say that you have room to 'lay an egg'. Sometimes, you just get beat - and soemtimes you just get beat soundly.
To say that nothing went right for the Red Sox during their game at Cullen Field vs. the vaunted Stars would be about as politically correct a statement as one could make. Politically 'incorrect' would be that this game was a 'flusher' - possibly of a double variety.
The Stars came out brash, confident, and full of bravado - they know who they are and they know that you have to take it from them. They will give you nothing - you will earn everything, or pay a price.
Price paid.
Windsor scored 9 times in the 4th inning - the exceptional starting pitcher threw a 5-inning no-hitter, and the Stars easily dispatched the Sox 12-1 in a game shortended by the OBA mercy rule.
Now, at 3-1 for the tournament, the Sox - still squarely in the hunt for a top finish and a chance at getting to advance to the final rounds - would be pitted in their round 5 matchup with ... a return tilt with the Tecumseh Thunder.
Beating a team twice in the same tournament is tough, Beating an OBA big-gun is doubly difficult. No doubt, Tecumseh would be looking to exact some revenge for their earlier defeat at the hands of the Red Sox, but possibly with some new-found respect due.
Inclement weather surrounding most of the province on Sunday pushed the 2nd iteration of Milton/Tecumseh to 8 pm at the well-maintained Woodslee Oriole Park. Both teams sitting all day were bound to be more than ready.
Milton opened the scoring when Jake Siracusa grounded out to plate Chris Bloom, who had led off the bottom of the 1st with a walk and advanced to 3rd base by way of a wild pitch, and Owen Dobosh's ground out.
The Thunder would tie the game with a long, solo home run that ignited the 'home' crowd in the top of the 2nd, and jump out to a 2-1 advantage with a long fly ball that counted as a double to score another.
The teams traded offensive threats, and turned in some key defence to keep the score tight at 2-1 heading to the bottom of the 7th, and the last chance for some Sox magic.
With one out, Owen Dobosh singled cleanly to get some traffic on the basepaths, and would swipe 2nd to get himself into scoring position. Pinch hitter Chris Smorenburg worked the count and lashed a single into the left side infield - Dobosh stopping at 3rd. After a contested strikeout put the Sox within one out of leaving the tying run 90 feet away, Josh Maxwell lined a 2-strike, soft single over the head of the Tecumseh shortstop to score Dobosh and send the Milton bench into a wild frenzy. The Sox loaded the bases, but could not get the winning run across. Off to extra innings ...
This is where good teams know how to push the envelope - especially when they have been there before. Tecumseh, a perennial OBA top 5 is one of those teams. The Thunder came out rolling - as did their fans - and blew the game open with a 5-run 8th inning to send the Sox to their last at-bat needing some special magic in order to advance. That magic would not come, as the Milton bats would go quietly in the 8th, giving the Thunder the bye to Rounnd 7, and send the Sox home for the tournament.
Final: (8 innings)
Tecumseh 7
Milton 2
Bloom, Smorenburg, Maxwell, Liam Bucklry, Liam Butchereit, and Dobosh each joined the hit parade for the Red Sox. Siracusa and Maxwell had the Milton RBIs.
Rookie Sam Savard started for the Sox and was sparkling. The tall lefty gave Milton 5 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs (2 ER), striking out 2, and walking 4.
Defensivly, Milotn turned 4 double plays and kept the game tight when Tecumseh was threatening on many occasions.
Though disappointed that they were not moving on to play Monday in the top 3, the Milton Red Sox had a weekend for the ages. The vibe around the team all weekend was electric and a super-positive step in the overall improvement of the club. All players - whether logging many innings, at-bats, or being great teammates from the bench, this group was a noticeable bright spot for the Senior Men's AAA Qualifiers.
