Late Rally Falls Short as Cardinals Drop Extra-Inning Battle to Welland

HAMILTON, ON – The Hamilton Cardinals battled back but came up just short in a 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Welland Jackfish on Sunday afternoon at Bernie Arbour Stadium. Hamilton jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Tyler Duncan sparked the offense before Darlin German ripped an RBI double to left field, and Reyny Reyes followed with an RBI single to give the Cardinals the early advantage. The Jackfish chipped away at the lead with single runs in the third and sixth innings to tie the game. Hamilton regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Brandon Nicoll lifted a sacrifice fly to score German and make it 3-2. Welland answered again in the eighth inning to even the score at three, setting up a tense finish between two of the league’s top clubs. After both teams were held scoreless in the ninth, the Jackfish broke through in the top of the tenth. Brendan Luther delivered a two-run single that gave Welland a 5-3 advantage. The Cardinals refused to go away quietly. Carlos Dominguez opened the bottom of the tenth with a single and eventually scored on a Darlin German groundout to cut the deficit to one. With the tying run aboard, Welland closer Pedro De Los Santos recorded the final out to secure the victory. German led the Hamilton offense, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Dominguez added a pair of hits and scored once, while Reyes drove in a run and Nicoll contributed a sacrifice fly. On the mound, Hector Yan turned in another strong outing, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out five. Danny Garcia contributed a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts. The loss drops Hamilton to 6-4 on the season, while Welland improves to 7-4. The Cardinals return to action Friday night when they host the Brantford Red Sox at Bernie Arbour Stadium.