Majors win vs Barnstormers

Written by Dan Haugh / Photo by Matt Hiscox 

With a very well-played 2-1 win over the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers at Fergie Jenkins Field Tuesday night that took just over 2 1/5 hours, the London Majors moved into a second-place tie in the IBL standings with the Barrie Baycats, who lost tonight 14-1 to the Guelph Royals. 

London starting pitcher Victor Payano earned his fourth win of the 2025 season with a powerful seven-inning performance. He allowed one run on five hits while striking out seven Barnstormers hitters. Majors' field manager Roop Chanderdat shared these comments about the pitching that the fans in attendance witnessed from both teams: "Payano gave us another great start, and the bullpen was solid again, with Ryan Beitel and Skylar Janisse shutting the door.' Kudos to Barnstormers pitchers as well. ̈ Janisse recorded his ninth save of the season while Chatham-Kent starting pitcher Aden Ryan had similar numbers to Payano in his seven innings on the mound, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.

The Majors only had five hits, but they were well-placed and timely, including Eduardo De Oleo's first-inning home run. Manager Chanderdat summed up the offensive attack, "Our guys stuck with it. They put balls in play, and it paid off for us. ̈ De Oleo led the way for London with two hits, including his solo home run. Toby Simmons. Byron Reichstein and Josh Niles had one hit each. Reichstein and Ken Sugi each had a stolen base.

The London Majors have another busy three-game weekend ahead of them starting Friday night when the Kitchener Panthers come to Labatt Memorial Park for a 7:35 first pitch.