Guelph Royals put together hit parade to trample Kitchener
The Guelph Royals scored at least two runs in each inning but one as they clouted the Kitchener Panthers 27-6 in Intercounty Baseball League play Sunday at Kitchener’s Jack Couch Park.
The Royals connected for 21 hits including four homers and five doubles and the batters second through fifth in the order (Blake Simpson, J.D. Williams, Garrett Takamatsu and Josh Garton) collected a total of 13 runs, 12 hits and 23 RBIs.
Guelph grabbed the lead in the top of the first inning as the locals scored two runs without the benefit of a hit. Ryosuke Ohashi and Simpson were both walked while an error allowed Williams to reach base and Ohashi to score. Takamatsu brought in the other run with a sacrifice fly while Garton was walked and David Stanley reached base on a fielder’s choice before Marc Nellis flied out to end the top of the opening inning.
Kitchener got a run in the bottom of the inning before a scoreless second. The Royals followed with two runs in the third, five in the fourth and then three consecutive four-run innings. They finished the game with three runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth. And they stranded 14 runners.
Kitchener picked up two runs in the fifth and its other three in the sixth.
Williams, batting third, drove in seven runs with three hits including a homer and a double. Takamatsu, batting fourth, knocked home six runs with three hits including a homer and a double and Garton, batting fifth, drove in six with a pair of homers to give him three in two days. Simpson, batting second, scored six runs, hit four singles and had four RBIs.
Ohashi hit a double and two singles while Stanley and Mike Cecchetto each hit two singles, Ashton Patterson hit a double and Nellis hit a single.
Panthers pitchers also hit six Guelph batters while the Royals pitchers hit a single Kitchener batter.
Leadoff batter Jett Jarvis had two singles, three RBIs and a stolen base for Kitchener while cleanup batter Nick Parsons hit a double, the lone extra-base hit for the Panthers. Nolan Misa, Jorden Carthy and Coulson Reidel each hit one single.
Starter Hector Yan picked up the win for the Royals. He yielded three runs, two earned, off three hits and three walks in five innings. He had two strikeouts.
Danny Garcia, Jorge De la Cruz, Yomar Concepcion and Yuki Narita each pitched an inning. Garcia gave up three earned runs off three hits and a walk while the other three kept Kitchener hitless and scoreless during their stints. Garcia, Concepcion and Narita each had two strikeouts.
Carson Hepburn took the loss for Kitchener. He gave up eight earned runs off six hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings while Brett Reid yielded nine earned runs off six hits and three walks in two innings. Max Todd surrendered four runs, three earned, off four hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings while the Royals scored six runs, five earned, off Crawford Passy on five hits and two walks. Adam Robertson shut Guelph down in the final 2/3s of an inning. Hepburn, Todd and Robertson each had one strikeout.
London Majors lead the league at 3-0 and are followed by the Royals, expansion Chatham-Kent Barnstormers and Hamilton Cardinals each at 2-0. Barrie Baycats are at 1-1 while the Welland Jackfish are at 1-2. Brantford Red Sox are at 0-1, Kitchener’s at 0-3 and Toronto Maple Leafs are at 0-4.
Next up on the schedule for the Royals is a game against London Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hastings Stadium.
- Guelph Sports Journal