Majors fight but fall to Fish

Written by Dan Haugh/Photo by Matt Hiscox 

The London Majors scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, but their bats went pretty much silent from that p[oint on in a 6-2 loss to the first-place Welland Jackfish on Saturday night at Welland Stadium.

Jackfish starter Brandon Underhill picked up his sixth win of the 2024 season with seven strong innings. After allowing the two runs in the first inning Underhill recorded six scoreless innings before handing the ball over to Mike Mueller and Deivy Mendez. Mueller retired the side in order in the eighth inning and Mendez did the same to the Majors in the ninth,

London ́s two run-rally in the first inning started with a walk to leadoff hitter Gibson Krzeminski who moved to second on a Ty Mosher groundout. Krzeminski scored when Eduardo De Oleo ́s hard-hit ground ball hit the bag at third and caromed into left field for a double. Next man up was DH Cleveland Brownlee who drove the first pitch he saw through the left side of the infield scoring De Oleo from second.

The Major's five hits were well scattered as they only managed to put men on base in three of the nine innings. Eduardo De Oleo had a single and a double. Cleveland Brownlee, .Champ Garner and Brad Verhoeven had one hit each.

London starter Jose Arias allowed five runs on 10 Jackfish hits in his six innings on the mound. Daniel Gore came on in relief of Arias to pitch the final two innings.

The London Majors will see plenty of the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers. In the next two days. They will head west down the 401 to Fergie Jenkins Field on Sunday for the completion of a previously suspended game.

The two teams will then close out the Civic Holiday weekend back at Labatt Park on Monday in a regularly scheduled game.After both teams suffered losses on Saturday, London has a 19-13 record good for fourth place, while the Barnstormers are sitting in fifth place with a 15-19 record. Chatham-Kent are 4 1⁄2 games behind London.