After a rain-out, a smoke-out, and a weekend where the annual HAP Walters Memorial Challenge was wiped out by torrential summer weather, the Milton Red Sox had not played a league game in 11 days. No matter..

 

Season's past saw the perennial COBA league champion Rangers take care of business rather handily when entertaining the Red Sox. The season of 2026: the teams may have given themselves a shiny new rivalry, and definitively some engaging baseball games.

 

Having not seen Etobicoke since late May - where the Sox were swept in consecuitve walk-off fashion at Connorvale Park - time came for the Rangers to travel west. Third hookup, another nail-biter.

 

Milton bolted out of the gate early, staking themselves to a 4-run first-inning lead, and held on for a 7-6 victory over the COBA league leaders on Wednesday evening down at GT Field.

 

Liam Butchereit got things rolling with a long RBI double, scoring Owen Dobosh who had reached to leadoff the game with a single. With one out, catcher Jake SIrcacusa launched a moon-shot off the light pole in right-centre field to give the Sox a 3-0 advantage. Starter Nate Hamel - pressed into the batting lineup due to an injury - singled next on an inherited 0-2 count, but was forced at 2nd with Daniel Leonard's fielder's choice. Leonard advanced to 2nd base via balk and scored when Matt Fusco singled cleanly to right field.

 

Etobicoke would quickly answer with a 3-run blast of their own in the 2nd to cut the Milton lead to 4-3.

 

After the teams settled in, each starter held the opposing offence at bay and kept the game intact until the Milton 5th. Dobosh started the inning with a single to centrefield, stole 2nd, and scampered to 3rd as the throw from the Rangers' catcher sailed through the infield and into centrefield. Dobosh trotted home when Chris Smorenburg laced a single over the drawn-in infield to give Milton a 5-3 lead.

 

The Rangers would again call and answer in the 4th, with a two-out RBI single to reduce the Sox lead to one.

 

Milton opened the 6th with consecutive walks to Brett Graham, and Tyler Henshaw - giving Dobosh another opportunity to cash - which he did. His hard single to centrefield scored Graham, and put Henshaw at 3rd; but Dobosh was thrown our trying to stretch his hit to 2nd after the centrefielder bobbled the ball. Smorenburg again lashed an RBI single over the drawn-in infield to increase the Milton lead to 7-4.

 

Etobicoke would score two unearned runs in the 9th inning, but reliver Kyle Clark closed the door with the Rangers still threatening. 

 

Hamel stepped on the mound for the Sox this night. The veteran pitcher surrendered 9 hits and 4 runs (4 ER) over 7 innings, striking out two and walking three in earning the much-deserved win. Clark mopped up with two innings of relief, allowing 4 hits, 2 runs (0 ER), striking out 4, while walking none.

 

Dobosh led the Milton attack with 4 hits from the leadoff spot, stole two bases and generated chaos whenever he was on base. Smorenburg and SIracusa each drove in two runs, while Butchereit was on base 3 times in the game.

 

Offensively, Milton tallied 12 hits and walked 6 times. Defensively, the Sox turned one double play.

 

With the win, the Red Sox now find themselves on the sunny end of a 3-game winning streak. Now 11-8 on the 2026 COBA season - the Red Sox will turn around and host these same Etobicoke Rangers this Saturday at Glenn Turner Field. Game time 1:30 pm.