Majors Stumble in Welland, Semifinal Series Tied 2-2
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Mason Dawdy
Two games into the CBL semifinal series, the London Majors looked firmly in control. They had taken both games against the Welland Jackfish, built a 2-0 series lead and put themselves one step closer to the championship series. After dropping Game 3, London saw its lead cut to 2-1 and faced a crucial Game 4 on the road. The Majors had a chance to regain control, but instead, the Jackfish came through early, beating London 13-1 to even the series at 2-2 and turn the semifinal into a best-of-three battle.
With pitching being the story for a good chunk of Games 2 and 3, offence was the point of emphasis in Game 4, and unfortunately for the Majors, they only had one of the 14 runs scored in this contest.
Ben Abram got the ball for the Jackfish and was great through his eight frames of work, surrendering one earned run on 11 hits while striking out six.
Luis Perez got the start for the Majors and struggled through two and a third innings, allowing six runs on seven hits while punching out two. The Jackfish pounced on Perez early and never gave him an easy inning to work with, scoring eight runs in the first three frames.
Robert Mullen got it all started for Welland, hitting a two-run single to left field to give the Jackfish a 2-0 lead after the opening inning. Welland added two more runs in the bottom of the second, with Greyson Barrett and Gianfranco Morello each coming through with RBI singles to extend the lead to 4-0.
One thing Welland has done well throughout this series is striking first. The Jackfish have plated the opening run in three of the four games, continuing to put pressure on the Majors’ pitching staff early.
Welland continued its offensive outpouring with a four-run third inning. Greyson Barrett, Jonah Weisner and Ethan Mann all had RBI singles, capped off by Weisner scoring on a wild pitch to blow the game open at 8-0 after three innings.
No offence was generated from the end of the third through the top of the sixth, as Ben Abram continued his efficient and effective outing, not allowing the London offence to get on the scoreboard. The Majors’ bullpen was also solid, not allowing Welland to add any additional runs. Kade Douglas had a good outing, pitching two and two-thirds innings while striking out four. Daniel Orfaly was also solid, pitching one and a third scoreless innings.
Welland added another run, though in the bottom of the sixth when Justin Gideon lined an RBI double to right field, scoring James Smibert and extending the Jackfish lead to 9-0 after six innings.
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
The Majors finally got on the board in the top of the eighth when Adam Thuss hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Maikol Escotto and giving London its first run of the ballgame.
Welland then added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth, with Greyson Barrett and Ethan Mann both contributing to give the Jackfish a 13-1 lead after eight innings. Eric Pettipiece was then the sole arm out of the Jackfish bullpen and recorded the final three outs to seal the win for Welland.
With the London loss, this semifinal series is now knotted up at two games apiece.
Majors Semi-Final Playoff Schedule:
The Majors will look to answer back tomorrow night in Game 5 of the semifinals, which will be played at Labatt Memorial Park. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.