Cory Smith

Stratford’s 8U Nationals won gold at the InterCounty Baseball Association championships after recovering from an opening loss to Brantford with dominant victories over Cambridge and Hamilton. The team later defeated Brantford in the final by a combined 23-5 across two games. Stratford’s 9U and 14U teams also earned silver medals, while the 8U squad advanced to provincial competition in Leamington over Labour Day weekend.

The Woodstock Navy Vets have begun a four-game exhibition schedule ahead of their first Junior B season in nearly 50 years. Their 2026–27 Greater Ontario Hockey League regular season opens Sept. 11 in Listowel, followed by four consecutive home games. Woodstock will play nine of its first 13 games at home but faces a difficult stretch of seven road games in eight contests during December and January. The 24-team league will feature two 12-team conferences, with teams playing 50 games before the top eight clubs in each conference qualify for the playoffs.

The Stratford U11 Flames won the regional championship in Princeton after posting a 43-6-3 season record. They went undefeated in round-robin play, edged Waterloo Gold in a semifinal walk-off, and rallied from a 5-0 deficit to defeat Haldimand 7-6 in the final. Jill Devereaux homered during the comeback, while Lenna Roberts closed out the victory by striking out the side in the seventh. Stratford’s U13 and U15 teams also earned bronze medals at their respective provincial tournaments.