Majors Claim Huge Heavyweight Road Victory Against Jackfish
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Mason Dawdy
The calendar may have flipped to August, but the stakes only continue to rise. With fifteen regular-season games remaining for London, every matchup carries a little more weight, and Saturday night's showdown between the London Majors and Welland Jackfish was no exception. Facing the CBL-leading Jackfish on the road, London answered the challenge with another complete performance at the plate, on the mound, and defensively. The Majors earned a 6-4 victory at Welland Stadium, taking another step toward closing the gap for the number one seed in the CBL.
Both offences came into this matchup extremely hot, as the Majors scored seventeen runs in their win Friday night over the Kitchener Panthers, while the Welland Jackfish scored twenty-five runs in their rout of the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers Friday night.
But when the CBL's top two teams meet, the chances of either club reaching double digits in runs drop significantly.
Majors vs Jackfish offence entering Saturday’s matchup:
Welland handed the ball to Abdiel Saldana for his fifth start of the season, and he delivered a solid performance. The 30-year-old worked five innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits while striking out six. Saldana also battled some command issues, issuing three walks, but still gave the Jackfish a strong outing overall. Pedro De Los Santos, Erik Johnson, and Deivy Mendez all pitched in relief of Saldana.
Travis Keys countered for the Majors and also pitched a solid game himself, working through five innings.
Travis Keys’ Final Line Against Welland:
(Photo By Mason Dawdy)
Both offences had momentum early, as the Jackfish got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Robert Mullen hit an RBI double to center field, scoring Justin Gideon. The Jackfish would then add two more hits with two outs in the inning, as Gianfranco Morello hit an RBI single to center, followed by a Daiki Abe RBI single to left field, putting the Jackfish up 3-0 after two innings.
One underrated thing about the Majors this season has been their ability to respond. They never get rattled after giving up a big inning, and they trust their offence to back their pitching up. The top half of the third was a perfect example of this, as the Majors’ offence put up a four-spot against Saldana. The scorching-hot Trent Lenihan got things started with a deep RBI double to right field. Cristian Inoa then stepped to the plate, entering the contest 6-for-20 (.300) over his last five games. On a 1-1 count from Abdiel Saldana, Inoa blasted a deep three-run home run to left field, giving London a 4-3 lead.
(Photo By Mason Dawdy)
The Jackfish responded right back, as James Smibert launched a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the third inning, tying the contest at 4-4 after three innings.
Both offences began to cool off after the third inning, as the game turned into a pitching battle. From the top of the fourth inning through the end of the seventh, both pitching staffs settled in and kept hitters off balance, limiting quality scoring opportunities and preventing either offence from gaining any sort of momentum.
The Majors would then capitalize and break through in the top of the eighth inning as Jordan Lewis delivered a huge two-out hit. Facing Deivy Mendez on a 2-2 count, Lewis ripped a line drive into left field, scoring Eduardo De Oleo and Starling Joseph to give London a 6-4 lead.
That was all the offence that was needed, as the backend of the Majors’ bullpen did the rest. Dustin Davidson, who entered the contest with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.1 MAPLE (Modelled All-Position League Equivalency), kept the Welland offence off the board and set the stage for Majors’ star closer Skylar Janisse.
Janisse, who entered the affair with a 31.5 K% and a 117 ERA+, dismantled the Jackfish in the bottom of the ninth, using his explosive fastball and devastating breaking ball to create a double-play ball followed by a strikeout to seal a massive win for the Majors. Janisse picked up his CBL-leading seventh save of the season, while Dustin Davidson earned the win.
(Photo By Mason Dawdy)
Co-owner and GM of the Majors Roop Chanderdat reflected on the belief the team has as a group. “Very proud of our team. We have a resilient group, and we believe in each other,” Chanderdat said. “There is no quit, and we compete until the last out.”
Majors Key Performers:
Cristian Inoa: Hit a massive 3-run bomb that gave the Majors lots of momentum. Inoa now has a 1.9 MAPLE through 24 games, along with a 1.149 OPS and 133 OPS+
Dustin Davidson: Pitched two massive innings against the heart of the Jackfish order. His ERA is now at 2.22 along with a 1.07 WHIP.
Skylar Janisse: Janisse was just flat out nasty, earning his league-leading 7th save, his ERA+ after tonight's contest sits at 123.
Jordan Lewis: It’s been quite a weekend for the Majors outfielder, after being named 'Player Of The Game’ Friday, Lewis continues to come through as he went 1-4 with a clutch 2-run single in the eighth to give the Majors the lead late.
The Majors now move to 23-11 on the season, 10-8 on the road, and are now a half-game back of the Welland Jackfish for the number one seed in the CBL.
CBL standings
Team W-L GB STRK
London will look to extend their winning streak to three games Monday, August 3rd, when the Brantford Red Sox visit Labatt Memorial Park. First pitch is set for 6:05.