Majors move within 1 win of Championship Glory
In a game that could decide the championship one way or another as the Maple Leafs and Majors returned to Labatt Park for game 5. After a big 7-run 6th inning, the Majors would come away 1 game away from defending their championship with an 8-3 victory.
For the Majors, they had one of the most emotional pitchers on the roster starting in Fernando Fernandez. Fernandez allowed 1 run over his 5 innings of work while striking out 5, none more important than his final out in the 5th inning to strike out Marcus Knecht with the bases load. Daniel Gore would be the first reliever out of the Majors pen for the night, looking to lock down the win as he would go 2.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits before Braeden Ferrington came in. Ferrington would work quickly, needing only 4 pitches to get the final 2 outs in the 8th. In the 9th inning, Solazzo would walk vs the Londoner before a fly-out, fielder’s choice and a groundout would end the game.
Both teams' bats would be quiet in the game until the 5th inning where 2 walks would and a wild pitch put runners at 2nd and 3rd before a 2nd wild pitch would allow Jakob Newton to slide in at home plate scoring the first run of the ball game. After the Leafs would take a 2-1 lead the Majors bats responded in a big way as 12 Majors came to the plate and 7 runs came across. The bases would be loaded for Keith Kandel before a wild pitch would score Starling Joseph, followed by Kandel being walked for Jakob Newton who singled to score Krzeminski and Wilkie. Chris McQueen had a very veteran play grounding out to first base allowing Keith Kandel to get down the line and add on to the Majors' lead. After an intentional walk to Taylor Wright as the Leafs tried to set up a double play, both Robert Mullen and Cleveland Brownlee would get big hits to score 3 more runs on the board.
Game 6 of the series goes Thursday night as the Majors look for back-to-back championships. Game 7 if necessary, will be Friday night at Labatt Park. Tickets for that game will go on sale if needed following the conclusion of game 6.
The London Majors are a member of Canada’s top baseball league, the Intercounty Baseball League. In 2021 the London Majors won the IBL Jack & Lynn Dominico Trophy. The 100-year-old summer league is one of the oldest baseball leagues in the world, with the league established in 1919, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. For more information, visit www.londonmajors.com or follow the Majors on Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Youtube and Twitter at @Londonmajors.