By Pat Shields
May 29, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits (1-5) found themselves in tight this past weekend, with consecutive losses in heart breaking, extra inning fashion.
On May 27 Burlington relinquished a 6-4 lead in the 9th inning, and ultimately fell 7-6 to the Brantford Red Sox (4-2) in a 4 hour and 19 minute game. Just over 12 hours later, the Bandits dropped another close matchup to the defending champion Barrie Baycats (4-2) by a score of 4-3.
Despite the two tough losses against strong opponents, Bandits field manager Jeff Lounsbury felt confident with his team’s performance and execution in both games.
“We played well – we pitched well and we hit well against two tough teams. Unfortunately, I think our next curve is to learn how to win those games,” Lounsbury said.
It took the Red Sox 12 innings to beat the Bandits on Friday night, with Brantford second baseman Benjamin Bostick singling in the winning run. After holding a 6-4 lead in the ninth inning, Brantford scored two runs on a triple by third baseman Ricky Murray to extend the game.
Ryan Beckett (0-1) got the start for the Bandits, going five innings and surrendering four earned runs on six hits. Beckett also struck out two and walked two batters before giving way to the bullpen. Reliever Alex Nolan (0-1) ultimately took the loss, following three Red Sox hits in the 12th inning.
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Guindon (2-0) notched his second victory against the Bandits this season, after pitching 2.2 innings and allowing just one hit. Although Burlington struck out a season-high 18 times on Friday, they also registered 13 hits.
Bandits’ outfielder Justin Gideon led the way, going 5/6 with two runs scored and one RBI. Following Saturday’s game Lounsbury spoke highly of Gideon’s play as of late, specifically his approach at the plate.
“He’s starting to make the adjustment that he needed to make. He made a correction and it looks like it’s showing already,” Lounsbury said.
In their Saturday afternoon matchup with the Barrie Baycats, the Bandits got an early start, scoring two runs in the 1st inning on a triple by left fielder John Whaley.
Burlington once again held a two run lead, until a 3-run homerun by Barrie third baseman Jordan Castaldo put the Baycats ahead 3-2 in the 6th inning. The Bandits rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th on an infield single by pinch hitter Brad McQuinn.
If attitude wins games and coaxing a better performance from the coach really works – the Bandits should break through any day now. We’re waiting. They are currently one place away from the bottom of the league.
However, Barrie took a 4-3 lead the very next inning on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Conner Morro and didn’t look back.
Bandits reliever Brandon Hillier (0-1) took the loss despite allowing just one hit in his 2.1 innings of work. Starting pitcher Jack Dennis (0-1) looked strong in his 7.2 inning outing for the Bandits, with Castaldo’s long-ball being his only blemish on the day.
“Our starting pitching has been great and our bullpen has done a great job,” Lounsbury said. “You could tell we were a little tired today energy-wise, but that’s no excuse.”
After Baycats starting pitcher Matthew St. Kitts (1-0) left the game with an injury in the 6th inning, three Baycats’ relievers combined to limit the Bandits to just four hits, with Chris Nagorski (1-0) getting the win. The Bandits once again struggled with their plate discipline, striking out 16 times on the day.
“We’re continuing to work on it,” Lounsbury said of his team’s strikeout frequency. “We’re starting to barrel up the ball a little bit better.”
Burlington will look to break back into the win column on Thursday, June 2 when they welcome the Guelph Royals (2-5) to town.
First pitch will be at 7:30pm at Nelson Park.
The Bandits are putting on a Youth Baseball Day Saturday June 4th starting at 9:00 am
Pancake breakfast
Skills and drills with Bandits players
UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, May 31
Guelph at Hamilton; 7:30 pm
Barrie at London; 7:45 pm
Wednesday, June 1
Kitchener at Toronto; 7:30 pm
Barrie at Brantford; 8:00 pm
Thursday, June 2
London at Kitchener; 7:30 pm
Guelph at Burlington; 7:30 pm
95% of the article is not related to the actual headline “Bandits sponsoring a Youth baseball day on the 4th – pancake breakfast followed by skills and drills sessions.”. The one sentence and 2 bullet points within the article directly related to the actual headline is insufficient information for anyone actually interested in the Youth Baseball Day. Where is the youth baseball day being held? What range of age, ability and sexes are being included? Do you have to sign up for it ahead of time? Is there a fee if you want to participate? What sort of payment methods will they be accepting? For the youth, how should they be dressed (i.e. must wear long pants, no open-toed shoes allowed, etc)? Do parents have to remain present, or can they just drop off their child? Are they looking for volunteers? How long does the day run until? Is there a link to a site with more information, etc…..
Editor’s response:
There are only so many hours in any one day – but we will work harder at proving more depth. The Bandits didn’t give us more more in the way of information – and they don’t respond all that well to inquiries. But you make a valid point.