Image

September 9, 2026

The Port Lambton 16U Pirates were a perfect 5-0 at the Provincial Championship over Labour Day weekend.

The Pirates defeated Simcoe team 11-6 to capture the gold.

The 11-team tournament was originally scheduled to begin Thursday, but heavy rain left the diamonds in Petrolia, Courtright and Port Lambton too wet to play until Saturday.

Port Lambton opened with a 13-5 win over Orillia, followed by a 10-3 victory over Kingsville, before facing Grimsby in a memorable night game under the lights at Mackenzie Field in Courtright. With close to 100 Pirate fans cheering them on, Port Lambton defeated Grimsby 12-4 to advance directly to the semifinals.

The Pirates then faced Mitchell in what Coach Jack Lozon says was “a back-and-forth semi-final.” Down 7-4 in the fifth inning, Port Lambton chipped away at the deficit before completing the comeback with a walk-off hit which gave the Pirates an 8-7 victory, and sending them into the Provincial Championship game.

Port Lambton supporters filling the park for the final game and Jaxon Jacobs started on the mound for the Pirates. He went the full six innings, before Austin Lozon came in to finish the game. Port Lambton closed out Simcoe 11-6, securing the Provincial Gold.

The championship was the culmination of a remarkable season for a team that had been assembled in the fall of 2025. Head coach Jake Lozon approached Port Lambton about the possibility of forming a 16U team. “We knew of eight players that wanted to play,” Lozon said. “We just needed to get five or six more and we would be good.”

Players from Dresden, Wallaceburg, Blenheim, Bothwell, Shetland, Sarnia, Brigden and Port Lambton came together to form the 2026 Pirates led by a group of new coaches. The team posted a regular-season record of 23-10-1 and a 12-3-1 tournament record.

The championship was particularly special for Lozon as it marked his final year as head coach in Port Lambton. He’d been behind the bench for 12 years.

After a season that brought together players and families from communities across the region, the Pirates finished with five straight wins, Provincial Gold and a championship which Lozon said provided the perfect ending to his coaching career in Port Lambton.

Share This

Image
Front Page

Sarnia all-candidates debate a revealing evening

October 21, 2026

Cathy Dobson/The Independent With less than a week until election day, 28 candidates vying for eight council seats, spent four hours Tuesday trying to stand out as the right choice for Sarnia voters. They gathered at The Imperial Theatre in front of an audience of 200, with another 500 streaming the marathon event online. Compared to Monday night’s mayoral debate,

Read More

Image
Front Page

St. Clair will be reimbursed for help at Chatham ethanol plant fire

October 21, 2026

Heather Wright/The Independent St. Clair Township Councillor Brad Langstaff wants to know what it cost for the fire department to help fight an ethanol plant fire in Chatham. Sept. 16, 15 firefighters, the township’s two tower trucks and its drone headed to Chatham to help battle a massive fire at Greenfield Global. St. Clair was called on because it has

Read More

Image
Front Page

Enniskillen rejects request for ATVs on township roads

October 21, 2026

Blake Ellis/The Independent ATVs won’t be allowed on Enniskillen roads. A request by Enniskillen Resident Mark Braet failed to sway Enniskillen Township Council to allow all terrain vehicles on township roads. Braet made a presentation to council on Oct. 8 along with representatives from the Tri-Shore ATV Club. Braet wanted to be allowed to drive ATVs on roads in the

Read More

Image
Front Page

LAMBTON VOTES: Petrolia Candidate Surveys

October 21, 2026

The Independent sent a questionnaire to each candidate for Petrolia Council. Below are the unedited responses from the candidates: Work Experience: Policy Advisor, Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce; former Constituency Assistant to MPPs Bob Bailey and Billy Pang; former parliamentary intern with MPs Marilyn Gladu and Jake Stewart; former Town of Petrolia Parks & Recreation Summer Labourer; former Dietary Aide at

Read More