Week in Review: Royals Get Back on Track
GUELPH - The Guelph Royals got back to their winning ways, with their bats being every bit as hot as the weather over the weekend.
SATURDAY
The Royals welcomed the Brantford Red Sox to Hastings Stadium on Saturday night for their first Saturday night game of the season. It was Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Day at the ballpark and there was plenty of memorabilia for fans to see and trivia to answer. Beer was on sale for the first time as we officially kicked off summer in Guelph.
Starting pitcher Jacob Kush had another strong outing, going five innings and only giving up two runs with only one earned. Gaku Ueda threw his first win of the season in relief after he entered the ballgame in the seventh inning and retired all five batters he faced. Edgar Garcia was credited with the save thanks to a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
The Royals bats exploded for five runs in the second inning, highlighted by a bases-loaded double from Ethan Hammond that scored two. Brantford later tied things up in top of the seventh inning, but the Royals immediately bounced back by scoring two in the bottom thanks to some heads-up baserunning from Conner Morro and a sacrifice fly from Matthew Ward that scored Garrett Takamatsu.
SUNDAY
The next day, the Royals made a short trip to Kitchener and showed the league what the team is really capable of. The Royals scored 22 runs against the Panthers, thanks to contributions from just about everyone. Former Panther Liam Wilson got the party started in the top of the first with a two-run blast to put the Royals up early. Takamatsu kept things going in the second with a two-run single to center field that scored Ethan Hammond and JD Williams. Jordan Gallo entered the game in the fifth inning and on the first pitch he saw he doubled to right field and cleared the bases to put the Royals 9-7. Then things really picked up.
Takamatsu hit a three-run home run, Anderson Fenwick scored Wilson thanks to a sac fly, Hammond singled in Andy Leader and suddenly the Royals were up 14-7 thanks to a five run seventh. Takamatsu hit his second homer in as many innings in the eighth, picked up his eighth RBI in the ninth as Fenwick, Hammond, Wilson and Gallo drove in one more run each.
Seven different Royals drove in a run and the team recorded 23 hits in what turned out to be a dominating offensive performance. The domination helped save some arms as the Royals only used three different pitchers. Owen Newman picked up the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings and Brandon Deans got the save thanks to five strikeouts
UP NEXT
The Royals are back in action this week when they host Barrie at home, have a home-and-home with Toronto Friday and Saturday and then on the road again in Chatham-Kent.