Red Sox Open Season In Welland

The Brantford Red Sox travelled to Welland to face the Jackfish in their 2022 Intercounty Baseball League season opener. Brantford had a 2-1 record at Welland Stadium last year, outscoring the Jackfish 24-19. 

The Sox and Jackfish started things off evenly matched, each stranding a runner in the 1st. Brantford would strand another runner in the 2nd, while starting pitcher Gabe Bruder continued to cruise tossing a 3 up 3 down inning. 

Red Sox errors and Jackfish stolen bases would help Welland break the scoreless deadlock in the 3rd inning, scoring 3. Brantford's defence would rebound in the 4th though, shutting down another looming Welland threat by picking off a runner and then turning an inning-ending double play. 

The Sox would find the scoreboard in the 5th. Jacob Reid took one for the team, advancing on a hit by pitch, then moved over on a Roger Keen single. Reid then scored on a fielder's choice by junior call-up Andrew Gorecki,  cutting Welland's lead to 3-1. 

Brantford attempted to rally in the 6th, loading the bases with 1 out, but were unable to convert. The missed opportunity to score some runs would further sting the Sox  in the bottom of the inning as the Jackfish scored another pair, extending their lead to 5-1. 

Brantford threatened once more in the 7th, putting on a pair of baserunners with no outs.  But the pair of runners were left in scoring position. Welland would tack on a few more insurance runs, making the final score Jackfish 8 Red Sox 1.

Brantford starter Gabe Bruder went 4 innings, yielding 3 runs (only 1 earned) on 5 hits. Roger Keen led the Brantford bats with 2 hits. The Red Sox committed 3 errors and left 8 runners on base. 

Prior to today's game, the Brantford Red Sox made some adjustments to the team's roster:

• Signed: Alex Gowing (RHP), Hunter James (IF), Brian Lui (LHP), Brodie Mackay (IF),  Hayden Stam (LHP)
• Released: Dean Christidis (LHP), Mike Deluca (OF), Gonzalez Germen (RHP)

Brantford's home opener takes place tomorrow, Friday May 20th at Arnold Anderson Stadium, hosting the Hamilton Cardinals at 8 pm. Tickets are available at the gate, or in advance at brantfordredsox.com/tickets

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Established in 1911, the Brantford Red Sox have been an institution in the Southwestern Ontario community for over a century. The Brantford Red Sox are the most historically decorated active team in the Intercounty Baseball League, appearing in 27 finals and winning 15 IBL championships. 

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