Plenty of news to catch up from the diamonds as fastball participants have been busy both locally and out of town over the past few weeks. Following are just some of the items that have been forwarded our way:

The Parry Island Hawks are looking anything but the newcomers to the league this year, posting key victories in the past few weeks to continue their hunt for the Commissioner's Cup. Thursday night in Garson, doubleheader action would see the Hawks draw nearer to securing first place while the Dog House Sportsbar North Stars finally escape the cellar.

In the opener, the Hounds capitalize on a slumping Pickerel River Cardinals crew, posting a 7-1 win and jumping into third place in the process. Starter Jordy "Swede" Dahlvick (2-0) pitched a gem of a game, limiting the Cards to just two base hits (the only two runners to reach base), striking out 12 along the way, a season high in the loop this year.

Jonathan Contin (6-5) went the distance for Pickerel River, surrendering nine hits and striking out 11 while being tagged with his fifth loss. Moe Coutu (2-run HR, double) and Pitou Paquette (double) led the North Star charges, both going 2 for 3 at the plate while Ed Panamick Jr was one for three in a losing cause for the Cardinals.

In the nightcap, the first place Hawks rode the strong pitching of Percy Tobobundung (3-0) and a stingy defense in turning aside the Garson Hounds 4-1. Tobobundung scattered five hits while issuing three base on balls and striking out six. Gary Lamothe suffered his fifth straight loss, giving up six hits and fanning an equal number of hitters.

The top hitters included the Parry Island tandem of Cameron Tobobundung (double) and Matt Tobobundung (two-run HR), both 2/2 while Robbie Edwards was one of five hitters to crack base hits in a losing cause. League play will resume on Monday night in Azilda (Rick McDonald Memorial Park) when the last place Athletics (3-7-1) tangle with the Dog House at 7:00 p.m. followed with the nightcap under the lights at 9:00 p.m. as Parry Island seeks to move within a win of clinching first place, battling the Hounds.

The big news this week was the confirmation from legendary fastball pitcher and ASA Hall of Fame member Metro Szeryk to attend the Brad Ringuette Northern Ontario Ladies and Men's Fastball Championships August 21st-23rd in Azilda. Szeryk was a household name in the Nickel City in the 1960s and 1970s, headlining a very strong International Hotel team that would garner success locally as well as on both a provincial and national scale.

He moved on to play semi-pro fastball along the Eastern Coast of the United States before returning home to Canada, pitching until the age of 47 and retiring in 1984. Now 71, Szeryk resides in London Ontario. Locally, his dominance was staggering - consider the following statistics posted in his final year before leaving for the States:

Szeryk posted a record of 21-1, winning 6 of seven games in the playoffs and throwing four no-hitters along the way and average a phenomenal 19.78 strikeouts per game. During a span of eight years in the U.S., playing at a variety of outposts that included the Raybestos Cardinals (Stratford, Connecticut), Cajun Kings (Shreveport, Louisiana), Poughkeepsie Brewers (Poughkeepsie, New York) and the Mid-Hudson Merchants (New York), Szeryk won 198 games while losing 31 for a winning percentage of .860.

Boasting a lifetime ERA (earned run average) of 0.81, Szeryk appeared in four ASA national championships, registering 14 wins against just three losses while striking out 152 batters over 112 innings of work. Szeryk will be on hand on Friday, August 21st to throw out the ceremonial first pitch along with Garson native Brad Ringuette.

Two of the teams which participated in the Hunstville Men's Fastball Tournament were back in action Monday night at the Rick McDonald Memorial Park in Azilda. In 7:00 p.m. game would see the Garson Hounds and Pickerel River Cardinals play to a 7-7 draw, with their positions in league standings remaining unchanged.

Jonathan Contin started on the mound for the Cardinals but gave way to Alex Ashawasagai in the bottom of the fourth frame. Gary Lamothe went the distance for the Hounds while veteran Chuck Jacobs led the way for Garson, smashing a double and home run and driving in three. Teammate Jon Treen also enjoyed a .500 evening (2/4 - triple) while Ed Panamick Jr (two doubles) and Kurt Hambly (triple) matched for the Cards.

In the nightcap, the Athletics four game unbeaten streak came to an end as the first place Parry Island Hawks picked up their 8th victory of the season with a 8-1 triumph. The game was called after five innings due to the seven run differential mercy rule. John Aisnly started for the A's and was tagged with the loss with Pat Brennan Sr coming on in relief in the top of the fourth frame.

Al Guenette of the Hawks lowered his league leading ERA to 1.47, picking up his third straight victory while teammate Jason Green led all hitters with a flawless 3/3 performance that included both a triple and a two run shot to deep centre field. Mike Martin connected for a pair of hits in a losing cause.

Some three days and 47 games later, the 35th annual edition of the Huntsville Men’s Fastball Tournament is now in the books. From the outset, it became clear that about a half dozen of the 24 participating teams from across the province were likely to remain the class of the tournament. In round robin action, both the Bradford Sox and Storm Fury (Niagara Falls) managed to hold their opponents scoreless through three games, earning their berths in the "A" championship round.

Not surprisingly, pitching was the main attraction for the assembled fans as the likes of Mark Crawford, John Hanes Jr, Paul Lizotte and young guns Dennis Dewar and Marvin Smith held opposing batsmen at bay. Sunday morning semi-final play gave way to four divisional groupings, with results as follows:

On hand for much of the weekend, former Garson fireballer Brad Ringuette enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with a number of local friends and fastball acquaintances from across the province. Currently battling cancer, Ringuette will be honoured at the Northern Ontario Fastball Championships in August, with the tournament now bearing his name.