Duncan, Boon power Cardinals past Royals in 7-6 thriller - Hamilton Cardinals

The Hamilton Cardinals held off a late Guelph Royals push and closed out a 7-6 win on a warm Monday afternoon at Bernie Arbour Stadium. It was the kind of back-and-forth game that had both dugouts on edge until the final pitch. The Cardinals improved to 20-12, while Guelph dropped to 20-15. The victory also snapped a three-game losing streak for Hamilton in the season series against the Royals. Tyler Duncan set the tone in the bottom of the third. After Trevor Nicoll led off with a single and stole second, Duncan turned on a pitch and sent it over the right-field wall for a two-run homer. Duncan finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI, giving the Cardinals their first real separation of the day. Guelph answered. Luca Boscarino cracked a two-run shot in the second and Victor Mascai added a solo homer in the fourth, both to right field, keeping the Royals within striking distance. The Cardinals kept pressing, though. A sacrifice fly from Duncan in the fifth, an RBI single from Brandon Nicoll, and another RBI knock from Evan Magill pushed the lead to 5-2. Jommer Hernandez kept the line moving in the sixth with a double and came around to score on a Trevor Nicoll single. Reyny Reyes added an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI single to right, making it 7-2. On the mound, Owen Boon was the story. The right-hander went seven innings, gave up five hits, three earned runs, two walks, and punched out 11. He handed the ball to the bullpen with what looked like a comfortable cushion. The eighth got messy. Steven Hospital recorded one out but gave up three hits and three earned runs before giving way to Connor Cory, who allowed an error and another single that let two more Royals score. Three Hamilton errors in the game, including two by Brandon Nicoll at shortstop, gave Guelph life. Freisis Adames came in for the ninth and slammed the door. He struck out two of the three batters he faced, picking up his first save of the season and sealing a 7-6 win. The Cardinals now hit the road for a Wednesday night matchup against Toronto at Dominico Field. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.