Strong start to new season

P.E.I. Juniors go 3-1 on opening weekend

The P.E.I. Juniors scored five times in the top of the eighth inning to secure a 15-12 victory over the Metro Mudcats Monday in Moncton.

The win earned the Juniors a split and gives them a 3-1 record after the opening weekend of play in the New Brunswick Junior Baseball League.

With the Juniors thin on the mound in Sunday’s finale, Logan Gallant battled into sixth inning. Moncton came back from five runs down against reliever Brandon Condon to send the game to extra innings.

Ryne MacIsaac got the win while Chris Marcoux took loss.

J.J. Oram had three hits for the Islanders while Matt Barlow, Kyle Pinksen, Jed Noonan and Riley Gallant all added two.

Jeremy Arsenault, Jesse Malone and Shawn Bartley each had three hits for the Mudcats.

Ryan Bartley and Malone combined to scatter six hits as the Mudcats won the opener 5-1.

Islanders starter Matt Barlow battled control problems, walking six, but only gave up one hit. Condon and MacIsaac threw in relief.

MacIsaac had two hits while Connor McGregor, Curtis McGregor, Oram and Darcy Affleck each had a hit.

The Islanders swept a doubleheader from the Chatham Ironmen Saturday at Memorial Field, winning 3-2 and rallying for a 7-6 come-from-behind decision.

Porter Smith pitched a complete game victory in the opener. He allowed six hits and one walk while striking out five.

The Islanders scored all three of their runs on bases-loaded walks.

MacIsaac, Dominique Ryan and Noonan had P.E.I.’s hits off Leeam Young and Matty Carroll while Jake Digham had two hits for the Ironmen.

In Game 2, P.E.I. fell behind 6-0 as shoddy defence victimized starter Spencer Horne.

Chatham starter Zach Gosse was perfect into the fifth inning, before Brett Hicken’s two-run double got P.E.I. on the board. The Islanders scored three more times in the sixth, which set the stage for Conor McGregor’s walk-off two run single in the seventh inning.

McGregor, a midget affiliate, went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBI, while brother Curtis chipped in two hits. Noonan and Condon had the other P.E.I. hits.

Hicken relieved Horne in the fourth, and was outstanding. Hicken only surrendered one unearned run on two hits, two walks while striking out seven. Digham took the loss.