Cardinals fall behind 2-0 in Finals as Abram deals complete game for Jackfish

WELLAND – Down two games to none, the Cardinals are headed home with their backs against the wall. The Hamilton Cardinals fell 6-2 to the Welland Jackfish in Game 2 of the 2026 CBL Dominico Cup Finals on Saturday night at Welland Stadium, dropping into a 2-0 hole in the best-of-seven championship series. Ben Abram was about as good as it gets. The Welland right-hander threw a complete game, retiring the Cardinals on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a clinical 2-hour, 42-minute performance in front of 2,262 fans. The Jackfish did their damage in a four-run third against Luis Ramirez. A walk to Gianfranco Morello and a Daiki Abe single set the table, a Jonah Weisner sacrifice bunt brought home the first run, and Ethan Mann followed with a two-run single to left. Robert Mullen capped the rally with an RBI single to right to make it 4-0. Trevor Nicoll gave Hamilton life in the seventh, turning on an Abram pitch and launching a two-run homer to right field after a Dario Borrero single to cut the deficit to 4-2. But the Jackfish answered immediately – Brendan Luther and Mullen singled to open the bottom half, and James Smibert ripped a two-run double to right off Logan Warkentin to restore the four-run cushion. Borrero had half of Hamilton's first four hits, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. On a night when the Cardinals needed some of that Game 1 magic from the bats, every rally instead ended with a softly struck grounder or a lazy fly ball off Abram. Caleb Seroski gave the bullpen some stability in relief of Ramirez, who took the loss after allowing six hits and four runs – two earned – over 3.1 innings. The series now shifts back to Bernie Arbour Stadium, where the Cardinals went 18-6 in the regular season. With Welland two wins from the Cup, Sunday afternoon is as close to a must-win as it gets. Remaining CBL Finals Schedule (Hamilton Cardinals vs. Welland Jackfish — best-of-seven, Jackfish lead 2-0) Game 3: Sunday, Sept. 20 — 4:05 p.m. at Bernie Arbour Stadium, Hamilton Game 4: Wednesday, Sept. 23 — 7:05 p.m. at Welland Stadium, Welland Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Sept. 25 — 7:35 p.m. at Bernie Arbour Stadium, Hamilton Game 6 (if necessary): Saturday, Sept. 26 — 7:05 p.m. at Welland Stadium, Welland Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, Sept. 27 — 4:05 p.m. at Bernie Arbour Stadium, Hamilton 🎟 Get your CBL Finals tickets here Can't make it to the park? Catch all the CBL Finals action live on Cable 14 and streaming at Cable14.com .