Hamilton Cardinals stun Guelph taking both weekend playoff games

Hamilton | Baseball | Sports |

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Published August 29, 2022 at 10:45 am

In what could be the upset of the Intercounty Baseball League playoffs, the Hamilton Cardinals find themselves up 2-0 over the Guelph Royals in the best-of-five series. (Photo: Art Ward)

Every playoffs has its dark-horse and that top tier team that gets stunned by an underdog.

When the Guelph Majors ended up finishing second in the Intercounty Baseball standings following a one game playoff against London, it pitted them against the seventh place Hamilton Cardinals.

It had all the makings of a whitewash with Guelph finishing the season 31-11 to Hamilton’s 12-30 regular season run. During the regular season series, Guelph went 5-1 and outscored Hamilton 52-28.

Someone forgot to tell the Cardinals that as the Hamilton squad found itself up 2-0 in the best-of-five series after games in both cities over the weekend.

The Cardinals stunned the Majors winning 4-3 in the opening game Saturday night (August 27) at David E. Hastings Stadium in Guelph.

Cardinal centrefielder Tyler Duncan smacked a dinger in the top of the first to put Hamilton up early one. Duncan would later add an RBI-double and go three-for-four on the night.

Cardinal starter Sam Turcotte went six innings, allowing just one run on seven hits as he struck out five. Closer Jose Fernandez was perfect, striking out six straight batters in the eighth and the ninth for the save.

It went back to Hamilton’s Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium on Sunday for Game Two and this time, the Cardinals got a second straight stellar outing on the mound for a 7-4 win.

Cardinal starter Corben Peters went five and two thirds innings, giving up four runs on nine hits before passing the ball to closer Daury Torrez, who closed it out going three and a third shut-out innings, surrendering just one hit, striking out four and walking no batters.

Hamilton catcher Ryan Burnside went three-for-five at the plate with an RBI, a run and a stolen base.

But the game will better be remembered for Guelph players getting the heave-ho off the diamond. Home plate umpire Steve Cochrane, who had a wide zone for both teams, threw out Guelph manager Dino Roumel for arguing strikes and balls in the fifth innning.

Former Toronto Blue Jay Dalton Pompey, now playing his final season for Guelph, got tossed in the ninth after getting struck out and having a heated discussion with Cochrane.

In two playoff games, Hamilton has outscored Guelph by a combined 11-7 and outhit them 22-19 through the first two games of the series.

The Cardinals will return for Game Three of the series in Guelph on Tuesday night (August 30) at David E. Hastings Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

 

 

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