Brussels' Ty Sebastian leads Sebringville Sting to Ontario Challenge Cup win 

The Sebringville Sting are champions of the 2025 Ontario Challenge Cup after storming through six straight elimination games to defeat the previously-unbeaten Waterdown Hammer by a score of 9-5 in extra innings Sunday at Victoria Park in Ingersoll.

 

The Sting were bolstered by the addition of three players from the 2025 Huron County Fastball League champion Brussels Tigers: Ty Sebastian, Andrew Baker and Dennis Dewar. Baker was a defensive force behind the plate, catching seven of the eight games played throughout the weekend.

 

Clinging to a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning of the finals, Blair Bender sparked a rally with an infield single. Tyler Sager followed with an RBI single to extend the lead before Ty Sebastian launched a three-run home run to break it open. Sebastian, who pitched all nine innings and struck out 15, earned his seventh win of the weekend, capping a tournament performance that saw him named both Top Pitcher and Most Valuable Player.

 

The Sting opened the tournament Friday with a 7-0 win over St. George Aces, as Sebastian fired a five-inning no-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Sager had a double while Cole Bender chipped in with two RBI along with Cody Bromley, who also had an RBI.
The team’s only loss came on Saturday morning in a 7-6 battle with Saugeen, despite a big day at the plate. The Sting were kept in the game thanks to excellent pitching from Dennis Dewar. Dewar also went 3-3 with two RBI, Will Schlotzhauer was 3-4 with an RBI, and Brett Pfeifer added two hits, a walk and an RBI.

 

Sebringville rebounded with a tight 4-3 win over New Hamburg. Sebastian went the distance with 17 strikeouts, while Sager went 2-3 with a double and scored twice, Aaron Waugh added an RBI and Pfeifer contributed a double and RBI.

 

They followed that with an 8–0 mercy win over Durham. Sebastian struck out 17 again and hit a home run. Pfeifer went 2-3 with two RBI, and Dewar added two hits and an RBI.

 

On Sunday morning, Sebastian fanned 18 in a 3-0 shutout of the Georgian Bay Giants. Sager went 3-4 with a double and RBI, Cole Bender drove in two, and Phil Schmitt doubled and scored.

 

The Sting then knocked out Saugeen with a 3-2 win, powered by Pfeifer’s three-run triple in the fifth inning, with Sebastian tossing another complete game, striking out 12.

 

In the loser bracket final, Sebringville edged Highgate Rock by a score of 5-4 in eight innings. Pfeifer and Waugh each drove in two runs and Schmitt’s walk-off double sealed the win, while Sebastian struck out 15.

 

The championship win over Waterdown capped a run of six straight do-or-die victories. Sebastian finished with five complete-game wins, more than 80 strikeouts, a no-hitter, and the title-clinching homer.

 

With the win, the Sting secured a paid berth into the 2026 International Softball Congress’ World Tournament, hosted by Bear Creek Sports and Entertainment, in Chippewa on the Thames, Ontario.