Brantford Red Sox Week 1 Wrap Up

BRANTFORD - The Brantford Red Sox opened up their 2023 Intercounty Baseball League schedule with a trio of scheduled games:

Friday May 19 - Kitchener Panthers 18 Brantford Red Sox 2

Brantford kicked off their 2023 season at home on the team's 112th anniversary (Brantford's first game took place on May 19, 1911 vs. Kitchener (then Berlin) in the Canadian League). Brantford got off to a good start, with leadoff batter Jesse Fishbaum singling. He would eventually score, followed by Spencer Jamieson who was driven in by Jeremie Veilleux. Brantford held a 2-0 lead after the first inning. 

Kitchener responded with a run in the 2nd inning, before putting things away in the 3rd. The Panthers struck for 8 more runs , chasing starter Danny Howat from the game in the process, and took a commanding 9-2 lead. The Red Sox defence notably allowed 7 Panthers runs (6 unearned) to score with 2 outs in the 3rd inning. Clearly with some offseason rust still to shake off, Brantford could not recover and ended up dropping the season opener 18-2.

Fishbaum led Brantford's offence, going 2 for 4 with 1 run scored. Veilleux went 1 for 3 with a stolen base and an RBI. Noah Falkenburg pitched 3.1 innings of solid relief, surrendering 1 earned run on 1 hit while striking out 3.

Saturday May 20 - Brantford Red Sox at Welland Jackfish rained out

Brantford was denied the opportunity to bounce back from their opening day defeat by Mother Nature, with Saturday's game in Welland being rained out. The game has been rescheduled for Thursday June 1 at 7:25 pm at Welland Stadium

Sunday May 21 - Brantford Red Sox 2 Barrie Baycats 7

Brantford wrapped up opening week with a trip up the 400 to visit the Barrie Baycats. Jeremiah Sucre got the start and kept the Red Sox in contention for the bulk of the game, yielding just 1 run on 7 hits through 6 innings. Unfortunately the Red Sox bats didn't hold up their end of the bargain, with just one hit during this same stretch. 

Barrie stepped on the gas in the 7th, scoring up 3 runs to take a 4-0 lead. They would put up 3 more runs on Jr. call-up pitcher Corey Field in the 8th to expand their lead to 7-0. The Red Sox offence finally showed some signs of life in the 9th, with Jeremie Veliieux hitting a 2 run home run. It was too little too late however, and the Red Sox fell 7-2 to the Baycats.

Sucre took the loss, giving up 4 runs (all earned) on 10 hits over his 6.2 innings of work, striking out just one Baycat. Veilleux and Jaret Lupton had the only hits for Brantford. 

The Brantford Red Sox made some final additions to their roster prior to Opening Day:

	Juan Adames Right Handed Pitcher, Dominican Republic
	Matt Fabian  Infield/Outfield, Ithaca College
	Christian Herrera Right Handed Pitcher, New Mexico Highlands University

Nick Jambrosic. Right Handed Pitcher, Hamilton Cardinals

Week Two Preview

The Brantford Red Sox have a trio of games coming up this week, two at home:

• Friday May 26 vs. London Majors, 8 pm at Arnold Anderson Stadium
• Saturday May 27 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 8 pm at Arnold Anderson Stadium
• Sunday May 28 at London Majors, 1 pm at Labatt Park

The Brantford Red Sox were founded in 1911 and have won 15 Intercounty Baseball League titles. Season passes are now available at Brant Sports Excellence, 415 Fairview Drive in Brantford. Digital single game tickets, flex packs, and season passes are also available online at brantfordredsox.com/tickets. 

Read about the Red Sox in the Brant Beacon, the official media partner of the Brantford Red Sox, and follow @IBLRedSox on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.