Timely Bats, Steady Arms Propel Majors Past Barnstormers
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Mason Dawdy
One of the defining characteristics of the London Majors this season has been their ability to find contributions from different parts of the roster. On Wednesday night, that depth was once again on display against the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, with London getting key performances on both sides of the baseball. The result was another complete team effort as the Majors took down the Barnstormers 10-4 at Labatt Memorial Park.
Both teams’ offence and pitching had their moments in this game. Pitching was the first area where the Majors found success, as Cesilio Pimentel got the nod for London, making just his second start at Labatt Memorial Park this season. He was extremely efficient through his first two innings, allowing no hits.
Yuri O’Connor Yokoyama got the nod for his 12th start of the season and was also very good through two innings, allowing no runs on three hits.
The London offence then started to find its groove, scoring first in the bottom of the third when Eduardo De Oleo lined an RBI single to centre, scoring Trent Lenihan and giving the Majors a 1-0 lead after three innings.
(Photo By Mason Dawdy)
The Majors’ offence, which entered the contest with a team .396 OBP and .905 OPS, continued its strong start in the bottom of the fourth inning. Maikol Escotto, who came into the game 20-for-47 (.426) over his last 10 games, lined a two-run single to right field, scoring Jordan Lewis and Jarrett Burney to extend London’s lead to 3-0. Trent Lenihan followed with an RBI single to left field, pushing the advantage to 4-0. Eduardo De Oleo then capped the four-run frame with a sacrifice fly, giving the Majors a 5-0 cushion.
Yokoyama was then lifted from the contest following De Oleo’s sacrifice fly. The Montreal native lasted just three and two-thirds innings, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits while striking out two.
The Barnstormers began to find some offensive momentum against Pimentel in the top of the fifth inning. Richards sparked the rally with an RBI triple to left field, bringing home Chatham-Kent’s first run of the night. Mackie then kept the pressure on, following with an RBI single of his own to cut the Majors’ lead to 5-2.
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
Chatham-Kent continued to chip away in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring one run in each frame. Yushin Ohta got the Barnstormers within two with his 13th home run of the season, a deep shot to left field, before Julien Monks followed with an RBI single in the seventh to make it a 5-4 game.
Cesilio Pimentel ended his outing with seven solid frames of work:
Cesilio Pimental’s Final Line Against Chatham:
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
One factor that has really hurt the Barnstormers this season has been their bullpen. Entering the contest with a bullpen ERA of 8.44, Chatham-Kent had a disastrous bottom of the eighth as the Majors tacked on five more runs. Maikol Escotto, Trent Lenihan and Tucker Zdunich all contributed, giving the Majors a 10-4 lead after eight innings. London also took advantage of multiple errors by the Barnstormers’ defence in the inning.
(Photo By Mason Dawdy)
Skylar Janisse was then called upon and recorded the final three outs of the game, sealing the win for London. With the win, the Majors have now won four of their five games against the Barnstormers this season, with their final matchup scheduled for August 21.
Chatham-Kent Barnstormers vs London Majors: (Head-to-Head this season)
London also moves to 28-12 on the season and maintain a two game lead for the number one seed in the CBL.
CBL standings
Team W-L GB STRK
Majors Key Performers
Cesilio Pimentel: Pitched 7 strong innings, earning his 2nd career win at Labatt Memorial Park. Pimentel has now pitched 7 innings or more 3 times this season.
Tucker Zdunich: Went 2-for-5, drove in a run and displayed elite defence. Zdunich’s OPS also moved up to 1.013.
Trent Lenihan: Went 3-for-5, drove in 3 runs and scored 3 runs. Lenihan’s batting average now sits at .402, along with a 1.124 OPS.
Eduardo De Oleo: Went 2-for-4 and drove in 2 runs. De Oleo has now recorded multiple hits in 4 of his last 5 games.
The Majors will look to build a new winning streak Friday, August 14, when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Labatt Memorial Park. First pitch is set for 7:05.