Welland 9, Barrie 4

The Welland Jackfish exploded for five runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Barrie Baycats 9-4 in Intercounty Baseball League action Thursday at Vintage Throne Stadium.

James Smibert hit a three-run single to give the Jackfish its first lead of the game in the top of the ninth inning. Hogan Brown then hammered a double to score two more runs.

In the eighth inning, Steven Moretto tied things up for Jackfish thanks to his solo home run. 

The Jackfish got on the board with three runs in the third inning after trailing 3-0. That rally was capped by a two-run homer from Brandon Nicholson.

The Baycats got off to a great start, scoring three runs on three hits in the first inning. They scratched their way to another run to take the lead again in the third inning.

Noel McGarry-Doyle and Starlin Rodriguez had two-hit nights for the Baycats.

Brandon Underhill earned the win on the mound, while Brandon Hillier took the loss. 

Jackfish starter Scott Gillespie worked seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and struck out four.

Baycats starter Frank Garces struck out six in six innings of work. He gave up three runs and seven hits.

Brantford 11, Panthers 5

The Brantford Red Sox got contributions offensively from nearly everyone, pounding out 14 hits to defeat the Kitchener Panthers 11-5 Thursday during Intercounty Baseball League action at Jack Couch Park.

After scoring one run in the first and another in the second, Roger Keen smashed a two-run home run in the third inning. The Red Sox added three runs on three hits in the fifth, before adding three more in the sixth, sparked by the long ball. Christian Kuzemka got it started with a solo shot, before Jeremie Veilleux added a two-run homer.

Stephen Whalen and Blake Jacklin led the way for the Panthers with home runs.

Isaiah Ramos started on the bump for the Red Sox and got the win. In six innings of work, he gave up three runs on four hits, and struck out six. Panthers starter Jacob Douglas was tagged with the loss.

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By Carlos Verde

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) announced its B45 Baseball Players of the Week for the week of May 29 – June 4.

Welland Jackfish infielder James Smibert (Mississauga, Ont.) was named Batter of the Week, following a .538 (7-for-13) weekend in which he drove in 10 runs and scored five himself — and helped the surging Jackfish to three wins in as many games.

Smibert, a University of Mount Olive alumnus, leads the IBL in doubles (6) and ranks third in hits (16) thus far in 2023.

Hamilton Cardinals pitcher Colby Ring (Langley, B.C.) was named Pitcher of the Week, following a six-inning shutout performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs — the league’s top-ranked offence — on June 2.

Ring allowed just two hits while striking out eight en route to his first win in the IBL. The Cardinals’ left-hander has now allowed one solitary earned run through 11 innings of Intercounty work.

Fans can follow the IBL on social media @IBL1919.

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is the top-level baseball league in Canada, boasting ex-major league professionals and elite NCAA college baseball players. The 2022 season will mark the IBL’s 104th in operation. The IBL is one of the longest continuously operated baseball leagues in the world and serves as a valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff. More than 40 IBL players have advanced to Major League Baseball or returned to the IBL following their MLB careers. The league is comprised of teams from Barrie, Brantford, Kitchener, London, Toronto, Guelph, Welland, and Hamilton. For more information, visit www.theibl.ca.

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By Chris Lazar

Three weeks into the 2023 season and the games have been – for the most part – tight, competitive, and unpredictable. The quality of play has been sloppy at times, but that is to be expected in a league with no “spring training”, and certainly doesn’t mean it hasn’t been entertaining. This week, I will choose three words to describe each team’s current state, followed by an explanation. Let’s get right into it.

#8. Guelph Royals (1-7, Previous Week: 7)

Ship Is Sinking. After winning their opening game of the season in convincing fashion, the Royals have lost seven straight and things have continued to go downhill. This was supposed to be the week where they turn things around, with three games against the two teams below them in the standings coming into it. Now, they head into a four-game week which includes matchups against two of the top teams in the league, as well as the defending champions. If Guelph doesn’t fix their leaks quickly, they could be facing a similar fate to the Titanic.

#7. Brantford Red Sox (1-8, Previous Week: 8)

Losing Streak Snapped. Going back to last season, Brantford was riding a 23-game skid, having not won a game since July 13th of last year. Nearly a full year later, that skid ended with a hard fought 4-2 victory on Tuesday night in Guelph. Pitcher Daniel Howat got the save that night and has been excellent for the Red Sox, posting a 3.00 ERA and averaging over a strikeout per inning. Although the weekend was much of what we’ve been used to seeing from the Red Sox over the past couple of years, getting that first win must’ve been a good feeling for a team and a fanbase that has endured a lot recently.

#6. London Majors (4-4, Previous Week: 5)

Possible Championship Hangover? The Majors are currently middle of the pack in the standings, although they are 1-4 against teams besides the Brantford Red Sox, and have yet to beat a team in the top half of the standings. Defending champions have started slowly in the past and found a way to bounce back and repeat – the Barrie Baycats started 6-6 in one of their later championship seasons – so it’s not the end of the world for London, and they have earned some benefit of the doubt. The concern lies in what is happening around them, as it appears all the teams that they will be competing with for the title have improved from last year. No need to panic yet, but it’s about time the champs start to show their championship pedigree.

#5. Barrie Baycats (4-4, Previous Week: 6)

Three Outs Away. That’s how close the Baycats were to putting together a perfect week and knocking off the mighty Kitchener Panthers. With closer Chris Cox on the mound and a three-run lead, Barrie was fully in the driver’s seat, until they were reminded of a harsh reality – there are no safe leads at Jack Couch Park. A five-run ninth by the home team put a damper on what had been a great week, but the Cats should still feel good after sweeping their home-and-home series with Guelph and giving one of the top teams in the league everything they could handle. The bullpen is still concerning however, as they’ve blown multi-run leads late in two of their four losses.

#4. Hamilton Cardinals (5-3, Previous Week: 3)

Back and Forth. The good news for Hamilton is they haven’t lost back-to-back games yet this season. The bad news is they’ve only won back-to-back games once and have struggled to find consistency in their game. Their pitching staff looks excellent one game, and the next they give up double digits. They get clutch hitting one night, and the next they don’t. The schedule certainly hasn’t been kind to them either, as they are in a stretch where five out of six games are against either Kitchener or Toronto. Give them credit though as they’ve been able to keep their head above water through the adversity.

#3. Kitchener Panthers (6-2, Previous Week: 1)

These Guys Rake. It feels like a broken record at this point, but it is truly amazing what the Panthers offense has been able to do this season, scoring at least six runs in every game and double digits in all six of their wins. Last week wasn’t their finest, getting blown out by Toronto on Wednesday and losing third baseman Elliott Curtis to injury, before narrowly squeaking by Barrie Sunday afternoon. The pitching staff was viewed as a potential weakness coming into the season, and that was the case in the last three games, allowing 29 runs over that stretch. Putting it into perspective, they allowed 28 runs in their first five games combined. How they perform on the mound is something worth keeping an eye on going forward.

#2. Welland Jackfish (6-2, Previous Week: 4)

Fish Go Streaking. The hottest team in the league has won their last six straight, and they look like they’re picking up steam as they go. Ethan Hunt returned to the lineup Saturday after a stint in the Frontier League, and he made his presence felt immediately by launching a two-run blast on route to a 12-11 win over the Majors. His addition as well as the emergence of Hogan Brown at the top of the order have made the Jackfish lineup one of the deepest in the league, scoring 11 runs or more in each of their last four games.

#1. Toronto Maple Leafs (7-3, Previous Week: 2)

Train Keeps Chugging. Led by the conductor Johnathan Solazzo, the Maple Leafs sit atop the rankings for the second time this season. The first team to score over 100 runs, Toronto has slugged their way to seven wins, scoring at least five runs in each of their ten games. Having played the most games of any team so far, the Leafs have had to contend with a difficult schedule while trying to manage their pitchers’ workloads early in the year. If not for a couple of rough innings, they could be 9-1 right now. A core that has come up just short of the ultimate goal in the last two seasons, this club looks poised to take that next step in 2023.

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