Royals Reel In the Jackfish 8-5

The Guelph Royals' 8-5 victory over the first-place Welland Jackfish might do wonders down the road for the team as the regular season wraps up.

The Jackfish built up an early 4-0 lead off Royals ace Claudio Custodio started by a three-run blast by Brandan Nicholson’s in the first inning and a run in the top of the fourth.

But the Royals climbed back into the ballgame with a five-run bottom of the fourth inning in which they sent nine batters to the plate started by a solo blast to centerfield by Malik Collymore who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.  

The Royals added three more in the sixth inning making it 8-4  capped by  J.D. Williams' two-run single in the frame.  He scored from first base on a single by  Ethan Hammond in the next at bat.

Brando Leroux went 3 for 4 with an RBI double while Josh Garton had a pair of hits in his return to the Royals lineup.

The Jackfish attempted another signature late-inning rally but Andrew Case slammed the door shut in the 9th  for the 8-5 final and snapped their 8-game winning streak in the process.

Custodio went eight innings, allowing only five hits and a pair of walks while striking out 13 for his seventh win of the season.

 The Royals (20-9) are in Toronto at Christie Pits Sunday afternoon to take on the Maple Leafs at 2 p.m.