Winning not in the Cards for Jackfish
Hamilton reliever strikes out the side in 10th
Kelvin Pichardo was lights out under the lights Thursday at Welland Stadium.
The Hamilton Cardinals reliever faced a minimum of six batters over the final two innings and struck out five of them to earn the victory in a 3-2 extra-inning win over the Welland Jackfish.
After the Cardinals scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, Pichardo struck out the side
to end the game and even his record at 1-1.
Casey Bouillere-Howard, the third of three pitchers to see action on the mound for the Jackfish, was tagged with the loss falling to 0-2.
He gave up three hits and walked three allowing one run in three innings of work.
Welland lost its second in a row to fall to 9-9 in Intercounty Baseball League. Their last loss, a 4-3 setback to the London Majors, was also in 10 innings.
The Cardinals, 7-8 overall, 2-0 versus Welland, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in their first at-bat.
Brendon Dadson and Nolan Pettipiece scored runs for the Jackfish in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to tie the game.
Dadson doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and went home on Vaughan Bryan’s single to right field. Pettipiece walked, went to second on Wilson Soriano’s single to first, stole third and scored on Caleb Feuerstake’s sacrifice fly to the centrefielder.
Wilson Soriano, with two hits in four plate appearances, led the Jackfish, who collected seven hits in all and left five runners on base in the loss.
Hamilton had eight hits and stranded 12 base runners.
Jackfish starter Euclides Leyer surrendered two runs in six innings. He scattered five hits and walked four before giving way to Pelham native Ryan Bench, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning striking out two.
Welland visited the 11-10 London Majors Friday night and is home for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch today versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Jackfish are 2-1 against the Majors and 0-2 versus the Maple Leafs so far this season.