Majors Wrap Up July With Statement Victory Over Panthers
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Mason Dawdy
Closing out July on a high note can go a long way, and the London Majors did exactly that Friday night against the Kitchener Panthers. The Majors once again played the complete brand of baseball that has become their identity this season. Strong pitching, timely hitting and another complete effort proved to be the difference as London earned a 17-2 victory at Labatt Memorial Park, giving themselves plenty of positive momentum heading into August.
The offence was the story in this game, as the Majors scattered their offence across five innings, with everyone in the London lineup contributing in some fashion.
It all got started in the first inning when Trent Lenihan lined an RBI double to left field, scoring Maikol Escotto and giving the Majors an early 1-0 lead. Tucker Zdunich then followed that up with a two-run bomb, his eighth of the season, putting London up 3-0 at the end of the first.
Luis Perez made his second start for the Majors and was terrific through five innings of work.
Luis Perez's Final Line Against Kitchener:
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
The Majors would then score twice in the second inning and three times in the third. Maikol Escotto, Jordan Lewis, Eduardo De Oleo and David Draayers all drove in runs to give the Majors an 8-1 lead at the end of three innings. The Panthers' pitching staff, which entered the contest with a team ERA of 8.15 and a WHIP of 1.90, continued to have consistent trouble limiting the damage in the middle innings.
The Majors then exploded for six more runs in the bottom half of the fourth as Trent Lenihan scored on an error before David Draayers added an RBI single and Jordan Lewis worked an RBI walk. That brought Jarrett Burney to the plate with the bases loaded, and after driving in four runs over his previous three games, he stayed hot by drilling a 1-0 pitch from Owen MacNeil into dead centre for a three-run double, stretching London's lead to 14-1.
No runs were scored from the top of the fifth through the top of the seventh, as Alex Springer came on in relief of Luis Perez and pitched two scoreless frames. The Majors would then cap off their seventeen-hit attack with a three-run bottom of the seventh. Trent Lenihan, who is now 12 for 23 (.522) over his last five games, ripped an RBI double to center field, scoring Jaden Babuik. Cristian Inoa then followed with an RBI double of his own to left field, bringing home Lenihan and extending the Majors' lead to 16-1. Inoa would later come around to score on a wild pitch, giving London its seventeenth run of the game.
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
The Panthers couldn't scrape much across for most of the contest; apart from a Zane Skansi RBI single in the top of the second and a Malik Williams RBI double in the ninth, this game really wasn't much fun for the Panthers, as their losing streak hit eight straight after Friday night's loss.
Daniel Orfaly then pitched the eighth and ninth innings to seal the win for the Majors as they closed out July on a very high note.
Jordan Lewis, who was named "Player of the Game," emphasized that ending July on a high note is a special feeling. "It's amazing. I'm just so blessed to be out here with all these great fans and to be a part of the family. Seventeen hits, it's amazing. Just happy we got the win tonight, and we've got to keep it rolling," Lewis said.
Majors Key Performers:
Jordan Lewis: Went 2-3, drove in 3 runs, scored two runs, worked a walk and displayed some dangerous speed that helped the Majors cap off July on an electric note.
Trent Lenihan: Went 4-6, drove in a pair, scored two runs. Lenihan is now 16-for-46 (.348) in his last 10 games. His OPS+ is now at 134
Luis Perez: Pitched 5 excellent innings, continues to be a major part of London’s rotation. Perez has now pitched 11 innings combined i his last two starts.
The Majors now move to 22-11 on the season and 13-3 at Labatt Memorial Park and are still in sole possession of the number two seed in the CBL.
CBL standings
Team W-L GB STRK
London will look to carry Friday night's strong performance into another tough matchup on Saturday, Aug. 1, as the Majors travel to Welland Stadium to take on the red-hot 24-10 Welland Jackfish. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m