Sox Can't Finish Against Panthers

KITCHENER - On Sunday the Brantford Red Sox made their 2nd trip this week to Kitchener to face the Panthers. Coming off a lacklustre 2 hit shutout loss on Saturday night in Guelph, Brantford needed to bounce back.

Good news for the Sox as they topped last night's hit total in today's first inning. Leadoff batter Jesse Fishbaum got things started with a single, and was cashed in via a Nick Burdett double. A Liam Sutherland walk and Brodie Mackay hit by pitch then loaded the bases. Colton Fountain brought home Burdett via a sacrifice fly, followed by a Spencer Jamieson double scoring Sutherland. Brantford was off to a strong start with a 3-0 lead in the first inning, in what was hopefully a sign of their bats coming back around. 

Kitchener would respond in the home half of the 2nd inning.  Sloppy play by Brantford as a botched pickoff attempt allowed  a Panthers runner to advance from 1st to 3rd. A sac fly then cut Brantford's lead to 3-1. 

Brantford bats remained idle and it would cost them in the 3rd inning, with a Kitchener home run tying things up 3-3.  The Panthers would then pull ahead in the 4th. Red Sox starter Sean Hood Tidman would give up his 2nd home run of the day, this time a 3 run blast to give the Panthers a 6-3 lead. Brantford cut Kitchener's lead to 6-4 in the 5th inning, but Kitchener answered right back. Hood Tidman, still in the game, loaded the bases with 2 walks and a single. Red Sox Manager Rick Pomerleau finally went to the bullpen, but the Panthers cashed in a pair before Brantford could escape, now trailing 8-4.

Bright spot for Brantford in the 6th inning as Roger Keen hit a solo home run, his first of the season. The Red Sox would put two more runners on base before an inning ending double play killed the rally. Kitchener would respond again in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot of their own. Panthers took a 9-5 lead into the 7th inning.

Brantford would surrender another pair of runs in the 7th. The Red Sox then went 3 up 3 down in the 8th and 9th innings. Final score Kitchener 11 Brantford 5.

FOR BRANTFORD: Sean Hood Tidman's 3rd start of the year fared better than his last, where he gave up 12 runs and only lasted 1.1 innings. But as seems to be the trend this season, Brantford has been far too slow to go to the bullpen. That combined with the Red Sox's inconsistent run scoring has been a recipe for disaster. Some sloppy play after a long week of baseball also cost the Sox, with 4 errors on the day contributing to 4 unearned runs. Nick Burdett and Jordan Young each had a pair of hits. Brantford stranded 7 runners.

NEXT UP: After playing 5 games in the last 7 days, a much lighter schedule lies ahead for Brantford this week. The Red Sox are now off until Thursday, when they visit the Barrie Baycats. Brantford is then home for a pair of games on Friday (vs. Guelph) and Saturday (vs. London), both with an 8 pm start at Arnold Anderson Stadium. Stay tuned for a special announcement regarding Saturday's game coming tomorrow!

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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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