 By Staff
June 19th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits did to the Guelph Royals what the league has been doing to them almost since the beginning of the season – beating the daylights out of their opponent.
The Bandits have been longer in the basement most of the time but yesterday they served up the Royals their fifth straight loss.
Christian Hauck (2-1) scattered four hits and one run over seven innings to lead the Burlington Bandits to a 10-1 win over the Guelph Royals Saturday afternoon.
Hauck survived seven walks and struck out four.
Justin Gideon tripled, singled and drove in three while scoring twice. He also walked three times. Jim Martin had two hits and two RBI, Carlos Villoria drove in a run on three hits, Kevin Hussey had two hits, an RBI and scored twice. Adam Odd, Canice Ejoh and John Whaley all drove in a run.
Matt Schmidt had the Royals’ lone RBI. Jeff MacLeod singled twice.
Evan DiMichelle (0-4) lasted four outs and gave up four runs on four hits, walking four and striking out two.
The Royals and Bandits are tied for last place with 4-12 records. Guelph has lost five straight games.
The Kitchener Panthers beat the league leading London Royals in battle for first place.
Needing a win to move into first place, Cory Hammond stepped up for the London Majors.
Hammond (2-0) struck out five in a complete-game victory as the Majors beat Kitchener 2-1 Saturday night and moved past the Panthers atop the standings. Hammond scattered 10 hits and didn’t walk a batter.
Keith Kandel drove in both London runs with a bases loaded single in the second inning. He added a double and accounted for two of the Majors’ five hits.
Ian Rendon (3-1) took the loss for Kitchener, allowing two runs on five hits over 7.1 innings, striking out eight and walking four.
Sean Reilly hit a solo home run in the third inning. Terrell Alliman had three of the Panthers’ 10 hits, while Justin Interisano added two singles.
London (13-4) is a half game ahead of Kitchener, which dropped to 12-4.
Third-place Baycats win third straight
Kyle DeGrace and Brandon Dhue each hit their first home runs of the season as the Barrie Baycats beat the Hamilton Cardinals 13-5 Saturday afternoon.
DeGrace added a single and had two RBI and two runs, while Dhue finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs. Ryan Spataro had four hits, two runs and an RBI, Jordan Castaldo, Zach Sardelletti and Jared McCord each had two hits and drove in a run, and Kevin Atkinson had an RBI. Jeremy Walker singled twice and scored twice.
On the mound, Brett Lawson (3-1) got the win after throwing 5.1 innings and allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits, striking out three and walking two.
For Hamilton, Dre Celestijn finished a double short of the cycle, driving in a pair of runs. Geoffrey Seto had an RBI, and Jake Osborne had two singles and scored a run.
Kyle Adoranti (0-4) took the loss, giving up nine runs on 13 hits before he was pulled with one out in the sixth. Adoranti struck out three and walked three.
The third-place Baycats won their third straight and are 11-6. Sixth-place Hamilton fell to 5-13.
Future games
Sunday, June 19
Brantford at London, 1:05 p.m.
Guelph at Toronto, 2 p.m.
Burlington at Hamilton, 2 p.m.
Barrie at Kitchener, 7 p.m.
By Staff
June 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The participants in the Inter County Baseball league who will play in the All star game have been announced
The players were nominated and selected by the field managers of the IBL.
The Barrie Baycats are hosting the 2016 IBL All-Star Game on Saturday, July 2nd at Coates Stadium in Barrie, Ontario and the game will feature the IBL All-Stars against the Canadian National Junior Team with first pitch set for 2:00 p.m.
There are just two players from the Burlington Bandits on the roster.
Ouch!
Justin Gideon and Christian Hauck got the call.
2016 IBL ALL-STAR ROSTER
P – Justin Marra, Toronto Maple Leafs
P – Chris Nagorski, Barrie Baycats
P – Jamie Richmond, Brantford Red Sox
P – Nathan Forer, Brantford Red Sox
P – Christian Hauck, Burlington Bandits
P – AJ Mackey, Guelph Royals
P – Phil Owen, Kitchener Panthers
P – Owen Boon, London Majors
P – Elis Jimenez, London Majors
P – Oscar Perez, London Majors
C – Kyle Degrace, Barrie Baycats
IF – Jordan Castaldo, Barrie Baycats
IF – Kevin Atkinson, Barrie Baycats
IF – Conner Morro, Barrie Baycats
C – Ricky Murray, Brantford Red Sox
2B – Ben Bostick, Brantford Red Sox
2B – Brandon Dailey, Brantford Red Sox
C – Tyler Hardie, Hamilton Cardinals
IF – Mike Glinka, Kitchener Panthers
1B – Sean Reilly, Kitchener Panthers
IF – Mike Ambrose, London Majors
1B – Jon Waltenbury, Toronto Maple Leafs IF – Johnathan Solazzo, Toronto Maple Leafs OF – Ryan Spataro, Barrie Baycats OF – Justin Gideon, Burlington Bandits OF – Chandler McLaren, Guelph Royals OF – Dre Celestijn, Hamilton Cardinals OF – Tanner Nivins, Kitchener Panthers OF – Byron Reichstein, London Majors
 Last game of the season last year for the Bandits was an exciting game – it looked possible in the closing innings.
 By Staff
June 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Brantford and Burlington:
A four-run eighth inning gave the Brantford Red Sox a win over Bandits making up for a sloppy start that ended with the Bandits losing 9-5 Thursday night.
Brantford led 1-0 after the first inning on Ricky Murray’s RBI single, but the Bandits scored five runs the second – four of them unearned – after the Red Sox committed two of its four errors.
The Red Sox chipped away and tied the game in the seventh before pulling away in the eighth. Nic Burdett delivered the decisive blow, belting a three-run blast with two out and Brantford holding a one-run lead. Burdett also singled twice for a three-hit game.
 Despite a decent start the Bandits lost the game to the Brantford Red Sox. Murray finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs, Dan Jagdeo drove in a pair, Dennon Koziol had an RBI, while Benjamin Bostick singled and doubled, and Brandon Dailey scored four times. Jeff Hunt added two hits, an RBI and run.
Jamie Richmond (1-1) went seven innings for the win, giving up five runs (one earned) on nine hits, striking out three and walking two.
Canice Ejoh led the Bandits with three hits and two RBI. Bryce Dimitroff had an RBI, and John Whaley added two hits and scored once.
Branden Kuzyk (0-2) took the loss in relief. He threw 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on three hits without walking or striking out a batter. Starter Derek Zwolinski went six innings and allowed five runs on 10 hits, walking five and striking out two.
Brantford improved to 9-7 and sits fourth in the IBL standings. Burlington dropped to 3-12.
Entenza dominates Leafs as first-place Panthers pounce KITCHENER
The Kitchener Panthers stopped a mini two-game slide with a 9-0 home win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night.
Tanner Nivins had two hits, including his 10th home run, two RBI and two runs. Sean Reilly singled and homered and drove in two.
Jonathan Brouse added two RBI, while Mike Glinka and John Interisano each drove in a run. Frank Camilo Morejon had two hits and scored twice.
Noelvis Entenza struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings. He scattered five hits but didn’t allow a walk.
Grant Tamane, Jon Waltenbury, Jonathan Solazzo, Connor Lewis and Dan Marra accounted for all five of Toronto’s hits.
Harold Rumion took the loss, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits over five innings, walking five and striking out three.
Kitchener improved to 12-3 atop the standings, while Toronto slipped to 7-7.
Barrie and Guelph
Atkinson, Arruda poweredthe Baycats past the Barrie Royals where Kevin Atkinson drove in three runs and Nate Arruda went seven innings as the Barrie Baycats beat the Guelph Royals 8-5 Thursday night.
Atkinson had a single, double and scored twice to lead Barrie’s offence. Jeremy Walker singled and had three RBI, while Jordan Castaldo and Ryan Spataro each had a hit and RBI.
Arruda (1-3) allowed both runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking three.
For Guelph, Santino Silvestri and Matt Schmidt each had two hits and an RBI. Brendan Power had the Royals’ other RBI.
Alberto Rodriguez (0-1) took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits over six innings. Rodriguez struck out seven and walked three.
Future games
Friday, June 17
London at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at Brantford, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 18
Burlington at Guelph, 1 p.m.
Hamilton at Barrie, 7 p.m.
Kitchener at London, 7:35 p.m.
By Staff
June 16, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Jordan Castaldo, swinging a bat for the Barrie Baycats doubled twice and had two RBI as that team doubled the Burlington Bandits 8-4 in the only IBL game Wednesday night.
Castaldo’s two-run double with one out in the fifth gave the Baycats a 4-2 lead and helped spark a five-run inning that turned the game around for the home side. Barrie’s first baseman also scored twice.
Steve Lewis had two RBI, Joey Guaragna had two hits and drove in a run, and Kevin Atkinson and Conner Morro each added an RBI. Ryan Spataro singled twice and came around to score both times.
Cole White (2-0) allowed three runs on five hits over 6.1 innings for the win, striking out two and walking three.
 Adam Odd singled twice and added a solo home run to lead the offence. Odd also scored two of the Bandits’ four runs. For the Burlington Bandits, Adam Odd singled twice and added a solo home run to lead the offence. Odd also scored two of the Bandits’ four runs. Nate Pettipiece had two hits.
Ryan Beckett (1-2) went 4.1 innings and gave up seven runs (six earned) on six hits, striking out four and walking one.
Third-place Barrie improved to 9-6, and eighth-place Burlington dropped to 3-11.
Burlington is still in the basement of the league standings.
Future games
Thursday, June 16
Guelph at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
Brantford at Burlington, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 17
London at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at Brantford, 8 p.m.
 By Pepper Parr
June 13th, 2106
BURLINGTON. ON
 Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon – now a member of the provincial cabinet Mary Eleanor McMahon, has been appointed at the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Indira Naidoo-Harris has been appointed the Associate Minister of Finance (Ontario Retirement Pension Plan)
McMahon takes over a Ministry that was once held by former Mayor Cam Jackson when he was part of the provincial government. Better luck to McMahon with that portfolio.
Her Share the Road work gets her close to sports – her family day skating party suggests that she might want to spend some time outdoors.
 India Nadoo-Harris, MPP for Halon and now a member of the provincial cabinet Naidoo-Harris has a job as long as the provincial government has to go it along with their plans for a provincial retirement plan. Good management suggests the federal plan and the proposed provincial plan be merged.
McMahon and Naidoo-Harris are two very very different politicians. It will be interesting to see how they turn out.
Big change in the life of Mary Eleanor McMahon.
By Staff
June 13th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
In a significant change of events – the last place in the league Burlington Bandits managed to outlast the first team in the league and outlast Panthers in extra-inning win
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bandits outlasted the Kitchener Panthers to win 9-8 in 10 innings Sunday night.
The Bandits scored two runs in the eighth and ninth innings and produced the winning run in the 10th after the Panthers made their sixth error of the game.
 Photo by Sean Moffitt Justin Gideon had a home run, two RBI and two runs for the Bandits. Jim Martin had two hits, including a home run, an RBI and run. Adam Odd went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run, and Nolan Pettipiece drove in a run and scored once.
Odd picked up the win, throwing three scoreless innings of relief. He scattered five hits and struck out two without issuing a walk.
Branden Kuzyk started and went four innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out two.
Burlington made four errors in the field.
For Kitchener, Mike Gordner homered and had four singles to drive in a pair of runs while scoring twice. Sean Reilly had three hits and an RBI, Tanner Nivins singled twice and drove in a run, and Darren Saunders and Colin Gordner each had an RBI. Terrell Alliman had two doubles and a single and scored once.
Andrew Simonetti took the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits in two innings, walking one without striking out a batter. Matt McGovern started and went seven innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits, striking out two and walking one.
Burlington improved to 3-10, and Kitchener fell to 11-2.
Elsewhere in the league …
The London Majors scored 10 runs in the first two innings and rolled to a 13-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday afternoon.
Cleveland Brownlee had two hits, including his fifth home run of the season, three RBI and scored twice. Keith Kandel, LeJon Baker and Elis Jimenez each had two hits, two runs and an RBI, while RJ Fuhr had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Carlos Arteaga had two RBI, Michael Ambrose, Tristan Buntrock and Kyle Gormandy all drove in a run. Humberto Ruiz singled, doubled and scored twice.
Oscar Perez (2-1) went eight innings for the win. Perez struck out seven and walked three, allowing two runs on seven hits.
Connor Lewis and Grant Tamane each had three hits and an RBI for the Leafs. Jonathan Marra drove in two with two hits, and Julio Guzman had a single RBI.
Dillon Mulhollond (1-2) took the loss after giving up 11 runs (10 earned) on 14 hits over five innings. He walked four and struck out three.
London improved to 10-4 and moved within 1.5 games of first-place Kitchener, and Toronto fell to 7-6.
Celestijn paces Cardinals past Red Sox
HAMILTON – Dre Celestijn singled twice and tripled to lead the Hamilton Cardinals to a 10-3 win over the Brantford Red Sox Sunday afternoon.
Celestijn, the Cards’ cleanup hitter, drove in a run and scored once. Callum Murphy and Jason deVos each had two hits and an RBI and combined to score three times. Tyler Hardie and Jake Osborne singled and scored once.
Robert Wilson (1-1) went five innings for the win, scattering three hits over five innings and allowing two runs (one earned). He struck out three and walked two.
For the Red Sox, Nate Burdett, Lee Delfino and Benjamin Bostick all had an RBI. Rick Murray added a pair of singles.
Matt Martinow (0-1) took the loss. He lasted 4.2 innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits, striking out two and walking three.
Hamilton improved to 5-11, and Brantford dropped to 7-7.
Future games
Monday, June 13
Brantford at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 14
Guelph at London, 7:35 p.m.
The Gazette thanks the Inter County Baseball league for the news and game results.
By Staff
June 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
They are still in the basement and they are still in the game.
The Burlington Bandits will be playing twice this weekend:
Upcoming games
Friday
Burlington at London, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, June 11
Toronto at Burlington, 1 p.m.
By Staff
June 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
For those who enjoy a pleasant game of baseball as one of their ways to relax – it was a disappointing weekend.
There was a full slate of games scheduled for Sunday with all eight teams in action but rain, combined with an ominous forecast, scrubbed three-quarters of the scheduled action and rain caused havoc with the only game that was completed.
Guelph Royals at the London Majors was called early and the Brantford Red Sox didn’t go to Kitchener to play the first-place Panthers. The Burlington Bandits travelled to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs at Christie Pits but that game was called after two innings with the Maple Leafs ahead 4-3.
 The ball got there first – but the Hamilton Cardinals embarrassed the Bandits with a massive win. The Barrie Baycats and Hamilton Cardinals toughed it out in Hamilton with a rain delay of over two hours and the end result was a 17-7 win for the Baycats.
Barrie scored once in the top of the first and added six more runs in the second inning. It was 8-4 after five innings then Barrie scored again in the sixth and added another six spot in the seventh inning to put things away.
The Baycats pounded out 24 hits in the five-hour marathon with leadoff batter Ryan Spataro leading the way. Spataro had four hits, scored four runs, drove in a run, walked, reached base five times and upped his batting average to .417.
Kyle DeGrace had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs. Jeff Cowan had four hits and scored three times and Conner Morro had four hits and scored three times.
For the Cardinals, right fielder Dre Celestijn had a day, with a double and two singles, an RBI and he scored twice. Third baseman Callum Murphy had two doubles and TJ Baker had a single and a double.
Barrie improved to 8-4 with the win and Hamilton slipped to 3-11.
Standings:
Team
W L
Kitchener Panthers
9 1
London Majors
7 3
Barrie Baycats
7 4
Brantford Red Sox
6 4
Toronto Maple Leafs
5 4
Guelph Royals
3 7
Hamilton Cardinals
3 10
Burlington Bandits
1 8
Future games:
Tuesday
Barrie Baycats at Guelph Royals, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Burlington Bandits at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m.
London Majors at Brantford Red Sox, 8 p.m.
 By Staff
June 4, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits (1-8) dropped both games of a double-header to the Hamilton Cardinals (3-9) both by scores of 8-5 in front of 647 Bandits’ fans at Nelson Park.
Hamilton started the scoring early in the first game by bringing home Geoffrey Seto off two wild pitches by Jack Dennis (0-2).
647 people at a Bandits ball game is some kind of a record. The Bandits would get on the board in the second bringing in five runs off a RBI single by Justin Gideon and walks by Shawn Mayhew and Julian Johnson.
The Cardinals would come alive in the following innings, putting up two runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th to bring the lead to 7-5.
The Cardinals would add a run in the final inning to seal the win. Cardinals Jonathan Palumbo (2-0) would take the win.
Game two saw a much more even affair as the contest went to extra innings. The Cardinals would open up the scoring in the first driving in two runs off a Connor Bowie RBI single.
The Bandits would respond down 3-0 in the third with a four run inning. John Whaley would drive in a run with a single, followed by Canice Ejoh RBI single and a Carlos Villoria single that would drive in two runs to bring the score to 4-3.
The game would become tied in the 6th with a single by Jonathan Palumbo to score Marcus Dicenzo.
The game would remain tied through the 9th inning before the Cardinals exploded in the 10th with a four run inning to take the win once again 8-5.
Burlington’s Christian Hauck would take the loss going 4.1 innings while giving up five hits and four runs with two strikeouts and two walks. Hamilton’s Jonathan Palumbo would take the win going 4.0 innings allowing one unearned run and striking out one.
Burlington replaces Hamilron as the team in the league holding to the bottom rung.
Panthers Win 6-2 Saturday over Guelph
The Kitchener Panthers beat the Guelph Royals 6-2 Saturday to win their ninth of their last 10 games.
The game was tied 3-0 after the opening inning and remained the same until the fifth when the Royals got on the board with one run.
Kitchener would add more insurance in the 6th with three runs and would never look back as they kept the Royals to only one more run in the 7th to take the game 6-2.
Panther’s starter Noelvis Entenza (3-1) took the win going 6.0 winnings striking out seven batters and allowing two runs. Royal’s starter Adrian Yuen (0-1) took the loss allowing three earned runs in 0.2 innings pitched.
Red Sox Offence Explodes in 17-5 win over Baycats
The Brantford Red Sox bats were hot Saturday night as they recorded multiple runs in five innings.
The Sox would start early with a three run lead after a sacrifice fly by Brandon Dailey and an RBI double by Jeff Hunt.
The Red Sox would continue in the third with two runs before exploding with a five run inning in the fourth following four hits and two walks to score runs, a RBI single by Ben Bostick and a sacrifice fly by Brandon Dailey.
Brantford would follow the fourth with three runs in the fifth including a two run home run and four runs in the sixth to seal the win.
Barrie’s offensive highlights include home runs by Ryan Spataro and Jordan Castaldo but it wouldn’t be enough to stop the Red Sox.
Brantford’s starter Grant Tebbit (1-1) took the win going 7.0 innings allowing three earned runs while striking out three and walking two. Barrie’s Nate Arruda (0-3) took the loss putting 3.0 innings of work allowing four earned runs with three strikeouts and three walks.
UPCOMING GAMES
Sunday, June 5th
Guelph at London; 1:05 PM
Burlington at Toronto; 2:00 PM
Brantford at Kitchener; 2:00 PM
Barrie at Hamilton; 2:00 PM
By Staff
June 3, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits tried to shake off last week’s heartbreaking extra inning loss. At least, that was the hope. The reality was a 12-1 blowout delivered by Guelph, sending the Bandits (1-6) back to the drawing board on a three-game losing streak.
 Bandits owner Scott Robertson – in full array, wonders if taking a bat in his hands will help the team. The highlights were few and far between for the Bandits; the Royals dominated with a five run inning in the second that included a grand slam by Chandler McLaren.
Burlington starter Liam Munshi (0-1) struggled, giving up seven runs in 1.1 innings of work. The right hander gave up home runs to Guelph’s Keegan Marsden.
The Bandits collected just four hits in the game. The Guelph Royals pounded out 10 base knocks – five of them for extra bases.
Guelph’s starter Richard Gill took home the win for the Royals going 7.0 innings only allowing four hits and one earned run.
The Bandits are now 1-6
UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, June 3rd
London at Hamilton; 7:30 PM
Toronto at Brantford; 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 4th
Hamilton at Burlington; 1:05 PM (Double Header)
Kitchener at Guelph; 1:00 PM
Brantford at Barrie; 7:00 PM
By Staff
May 31st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
On Friday, June 10, 2016, students from the Halton District School Board will participate in the 29th annual Special Athletes’ Track Meet at Craig Kielburger Secondary School, 1151 Ferguson Drive, Milton. The track meet for athletes with physical and developmental challenges will take place from 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
 When the event initially began, 29 years ago, there were only 12 special athletes participating. Coaches, school staff and home school peers, friends, family members and volunteers provided support and encouragement for the athletes. This year, more than 300 special athletes are expected to participate – a remarkable increase in participation during the event’s 29-year history.
The Special Athletes’ events will include 50m/100m/400m races, softball throw, slalom – wheelchair or ambulatory (non-wheelchair), long jump – wheelchair (independent) or ambulatory, precision throw beanbag, precision Bocce, T-ball, traditional Bocce and Frisbee.
This event provides Special Athletes with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and celebrate their successes with fellow students, friends and family.
 The Optimists Clubs of Halton Hills, Milton, Oakville and Burlington will once again be donating and serving hot dogs, hamburgers, cold drinks, and freezies at the meet.
By Pepper Parr
May 31st, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
How does a large national organization with a brand that is instantly recognized and at one point had a currency that was unique to them work with community organization to help out?
 Everyone knows about Canadian Tire and when groups in the community are looking for help and support they frequently ask Canadian Tire.
The requests can get out of hand – how do you say no?
The daughter of the founder of the Canadian Tire operation, Martha Billies came up with an idea that would raise funds to help pay for sports equipment for children whose parents could not afford the price.
She called it Jumpstart which is now in its 11th year.
Brad Gordon, general manager at the Burlington Canadian Tire, explained how it works and some of the funny quirks that crop up when people work at helping each other.
 While the focus was supposed to be on the fish in the pond – both boys kept looking at all those bicycles The store set up small play stations throughout the sprawling location and let people just bump into them. There was a free pop corn station, a fishing station and a BBQ stand.
The BBQ station was manned by volunteers from the Ontario correctional service. “These guys have been coming to this event for the past three years – this is the way they volunteer and give back to their community” said Glenn Butt, owner of the franchise who explained that every penny raised goes into the Jumspart fund. All the administrative costs are paid for by the corporation.
The distribution of the funds is done by local chapters that include organizations like the YM and YWCA, the Children’s Aid and Halton Woman’s Place. There are five intake organizations that determine where the needs are.
Harry Bell chairs the chapter that takes care of needs in the Halton – Hamilton communities.
Brad Gibson, store manager in Burlington, moves about the store on a Saturday afternoon seeing much more than most people see with his very practiced eye.
 They look pretty tough – they should be – they are officers from the Ontario Correctional Service but last Saturday they were a couple of pussy cats serving burgers to people who were donating to the Jumpstart fund. He explained that within the Canadian Tire organization there is a high level of competition between the different stores to see who can raise the most at the store level. The Burlington store placed second last year in its market area.
Commercial organizations like Canadian Tire are a focal point for the community – much of what people need to comfortably live their lives is found on their shelves. The company uses their brand to help groups raise funds and contributes in its own way to helping people who need help.
 The growth of the Jumpstart fund has been impressive – every dollar collected in the Burlington community is spent in the Burlington community – and the administrative costs are picked up by the Canadian Tire corporation. During the annual drive for Christmas gifts – The Toys for Tots – frequently referred to as “Cram a cruiser” we had people coming into the store buying a dozen hockey sticks and putting them in the police cruiser and walking back to their car – they didn’t stop to talk – they just gave. A number of people walk to that police cruiser with their arms filled with stuffed toys.”
“This is a very generous community”.
All the results for the 2016 Jumpstart haven’t been tallied yet – the traffic looked pretty good on Saturday and those correctional officers said they were doing a brisk business.
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
By Staff
May 28, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
In Burlington, the Bandits forced extra innings with a ninth inning run before the Barrie Baycats scored in the 10th inning to take a 4-3 victory on Connor Morro’s sacrifice fly.
The Baycats are now win 4-2 and in a four-way tie for second place while the Bandits sit seventh at 1-5.
 Morro led the Baycats with four hits while Jordan Castaldo hit a three run homer in the sixth inning to give Barrie a 3-2 lead. Tony Hyrnkiw also added two hits.
John Whaley’s two run triple in the first gave Burlington a 2-0 lead. Jim Martin add three hits for the Bandits.
Winning pitcher Chris Nagorski (1-0) pitched the final two six innings, giving up one run on three hits with two strikeouts. Starter Matt St. Kitts went five innings, allowing only three hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.
Burlington starter Jack Dennis went 7.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Reliever Brandon Hillier (0-1) took the loss, pitching 2.1 innings allowing only one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
The Burlington Bandits are one above Hamilton in the InterCounty Baseball League.
 By Staff
May 27, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
Aldershot Arena has now reopened for scheduled rentals and programs.
The arena was closed on April 22 to allow for electrical system replacement following a transformer issue.
By Staff
May 27th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Kitchener Panthers are on a winning streak – they pounded out 17 hits en route to a 14-3 victory over the Hamilton Cardinals and an unblemished 6-0 record to sit atop the Intercounty Baseball League.
The Cardinals are now 0-6 and still seeking their first win.
The weekend schedule for the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is as follows:
 Good family time when the Burlington Bandits play to the hometown boosters. Price is certainly right. Friday, May 27
Guelph at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto at London 7:35 p.m.
Burlington at Brantford, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 28
Barrie at Burlington, 1:00 p.m.
Brantford at Guelph, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 29
Brantford at London, 1:05 p.m.
Hamilton at Toronto, 2:00 p.m.
Barrie at Kitchener, 2:00 p.m.
Burlington Bandit games take place at the Nelson stadium tucked in behind Nelson High school – plenty of parking – but leave your car well back from the field – foul balls tend to bounce off the hood or the roof of parked cars.
 By Staff
May 26, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
More than 30 local schools across the city have signed up to participate in Bike to School Week, a Metrolinx initiative that encourages local teachers and students to use active transportation for their daily commute to school between May 30 and June 3.
We have a question – why is Metrolinx doing this – they run the GO train service.
 School board trustee Andrea Grebenc wants to see every students using a bike to get to school. This should be a local initiative – by either the city or the school board – both would be great. School board trustee Andrea Grebenc wants every student on a bicycle.
“This event is a great way to encourage more kids and adults to leave the car at home for short distance trips,” said Vito Tolone, the city’s director of transportation. “We have seen a 600 per cent increase in the number of schools participating from 2015.”
Schools that registered for Bike to School Week by May 6 were entered into a draw for a chance to win one of 20 bike racks, provided by Healthy Kids Community Challenge Burlington and the city.
The winning schools that will be getting a bike rack are:
Aldershot Elementary School
Alton Village Public School
CH Norton Public School
Charles R. Beaudoin Public School
Dr. Charles Best Public School
Gary Allan High School (STEP Program)
Glenview Public School
Lakeshore Public School
Maplehurst Public School
Mohawk Gardens Public School
Pauline Johnson Public School
Rolling Meadows Public School
Sacred Heart of Jesus Elementary School
Sir Ernest MacMillan Public School
St. Gabriel Elementary School
St. John Elementary School
St. Mark Elementary School
St. Paul Elementary School
St. Raphael Elementary School
Tom Thomson Public School
 This is a school in need of a bike rack. Schools that register for Bike to School Week before June 1 still have an opportunity to be entered into a draw to win a Can-Bike rodeo for their school in the 2016-17 school year.
“Being active on their way to and from school not only helps children get to know their community better but also improves their health,” said Chris Glenn, the city’s director of parks and recreation. “Active transportation is fundamental to building a healthy community.”
For contest rules and regulations, please visit www.healthykidsburlon.ca. To register for Bike to School Week, visit www.biketoschoolweek.ca.
 By Pepper Parr
May 25, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The bike lobbyists have made their mark and cycling lanes are now real and most of the people behind the wheel of a car have come to realize that they are going to have to share the road. Finally!
 New Street is a major street in the city – putting safe separate bike lanes on it makes sense. Now – what kind of bike lanes?
Public safety and cost will be the considerations. The car still prevails in this city and it will be difficult for this council to spend the dollars for what is really needed – and that is a bike lane that is separate from traffic.
When people are out cycling they should not be in any fear at all for their lives.
Most of New Street can accommodate a bike lane that is off the roadway and completely safe for younger people who are not yet completely confident on their bikes, a place where seniors who might wobble a bit will not have to fear that they will slip into passing traffic.
 Councillor Jack Dennison, on the right, with members of the Mayor’s Millennial advisory committee in th background talks to a resident about the bike lanes. Little doubt where Dennison is on bike lanes – will he go along with the completely safe and separate lanes. City council will probably go along with bike lanes – something they couldn’t muster the courage to do when the debate was over putting in dedicated bike lanes on Lakeshore Road. The Mayor was for the idea when it was being debated at standing committee but lost the courage he had when it got to city council.
There were some pretty simplistic and quite frankly stupid arguments put forward at the time by people who should have known better.
Citizens should not expect their city council to make this happen – it is going to be up to the cycling lobby to show up in force as delegations and for the members of the Mayor’s new millennial advisory committee to say – enough – get on with it and do the right thing.
It is pretty clear that there is an appetite for bike lanes on New Street – what kind is the issue.
The price tag for the right kind of bike lane comes in at $3.96 million – not cheap but worth the price when you think of the parent that will be racked with fear when they hear on the radio that a child on a bike has been struck by a passing pickup truck that had wide mirrors – and they have children that use their bikes.
We are stick with cars for some time yet – the Mayor recently said that New Street is the street he drives on most in the city. Council needs to make sure that the bike lanes put in are the safest possible.
That isn’t going to be easy with price tags that range between $3.96 million to $940,000 and a low figure of $250,000 for the different options.
You will hear people talk about the $3.96 million being a Cadillac version – it isn’t – it is the safest version.
 This sidewalk – North side of New Street looking east from Robert Bateman high school as made for bike lanes.  South side of New street doesn’t have the same width – but the potential is there to widen. Bob Jerk, one of the city engineers explained to this reporter that in parts of the city the space already exists – “Right outside this high school, which I attended” he said.
The pictures are worth a thousand words.
By Staff
May 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The position on the score board is looking quite a bit better.
The Burlington Bandits scored four runs in the ninth to break open their game against Hamilton and win 10-5.
Julian Johnson had three of the Bandits’ 15 hits. Justin Gideon, Shawn Mayhew, Kevin Hussey, Carlos Villoria and Nolan Pettipiece all had two hits. Pettipiece added two RBI, Villoria and Mayhew each drove in a run, and Gideon scored three runs.
Christian Huack (1-0) picked up the win with three innings of relief. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking three and striking out five.
 Finally – a win on the scoreboard. Starter Ryan Beckett went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out five and walked two.
For Hamilton, Chris Beer had two hits, two RBI and two runs. Kyle Adoranti drove in a pair of runs, Darek Bishop had an RBI, and Marcus Dicenzo had two hits and two runs.
Benson Merritt (0-1) took the loss, allowing two runs (none earned) on four hits in five innings of relief, walking two and striking out two.
Tim Black started, going three innings and giving up five runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking one.
Burlington improved to 1-3, and Hamilton fell to 0-5.
Toronto Maple Leafs won 8-6 over the Brantford Red Sox Sunday afternoon.
Toronto improved to 3-1 and Brantford fell to 2-1.
The Kitchener Panthers kicked off their home schedule with 21 runs and 27 hits in a 21-1 rout of the Guelph Royals Sunday afternoon.
Kitchener improved to 4-0, while Guelph dropped to 1-3.
The London Majors and Barrie Baycats split a doubleheader Sunday afternoon in Barrie.
Baycats took the first game 3-2
In Game 2, London starter Elis Jimenez (1-0) threw a seven-inning four-hit shutout as the Majors won 4-0. Jimenez struck out three and walked four.
London is 3-1 and Barrie 2-2.
Upcoming games:
Monday, May 23
Kitchener at Guelph, 1 p.m.
By Staff
May 21, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits are not the only team in the Inter-County Baseball League who have yet to win a baseball game so far this season; Hamilton shares that honour with the Bandits. Maybe it’s the water in this end of the lake?
The Kitchener Panthers hit four home runs in their 12-1 win over the Burlington Bandits Saturday afternoon.
The Bandit batters showed up – they just didn’t manage to round all the bases very often. Sean Reilly hit two longballs and added a single. He had three RBI and three runs. David Whiteside had a home run, two RBI and three runs, and Darren Saunders had a pinch hit solo blast.
Frank Camilo Morejon drove in three on a pair of doubles and scored a run, and Tanner Nivins had two hits and a run.
Eric Hall (1-0) threw five shutout innings, allowing five hits while striking out three and walking one.
Carlos Villoria had a single and double for the Bandits. Canice Ejoh scored the team’s lone run in the sixth inning.
Barinder Rakkar (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven runs (four earned) on four hits over three innings. He walked four and struck out three.
Kitchener improved to 3-0, and Burlington dropped to 0-3.
Toronto Maple Leafs edge the Guelph Royals in ninth
GUELPH – Jonathan Solazzo scored on a bases loaded walk in the the top of the ninth inning as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Guelph Royals 6-5 Saturday afternoon.
Justin Marra came to the plate after a single, hit by pitch and walk and walked on a full count to bring in the winning run. Solazzo had three hits, an RBI and run, while Grant Tamane and Dan Marra each had a hit and RBI. Will Richards had an RBI and Ryan White added a pair of hits.
Dillan Mulholland (1-0) threw 171 pitches in a complete game. He allowed four earned runs on six hits, walking six and striking out eight.
Chandler McLaren, Richard Gill, Aaron Loder and Brendan Power each drove in a run for Guelph.
Ryan Greco took the loss, giving up two runs on two hits in 2.1 innings of relief. He walked four and struck out one. Starter Matt Schmidt got two outs, allowing a run on a hit and walking two while striking out one.
Toronto improved to 2-1, and Guelph fell to 1-2.
Brantford Red Sox leave Hamilton in the dust with their convincing 15-1 win over the Cardinals
past Cardinals BRANTFORD – Ricky Murray and Nate Burdett each drove in four runs to pace the Brantford Red Sox to a 15-1 win over the Hamilton Cardinals Saturday afternoon.
Murray and Burdett each had two of the team’s 20 hits, and Murray also scored twice. Leadoff batter Benjamin Bostick had three hits, three RBI and three runs. Tyler Patzalek had three hits and scored three times, Brandon Dailey went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, Dan Jagdeo drove in a run on two hits, and Graham Tebbit had three hits and two runs.
Nathan Forer (1-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on four hits over six innings, striking out eight and walking two.
For Hamilton, Tyler Hardie and Jason deVos each had two hits.
Kyle Adoranti (0-1) went two innings, giving up nine runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out two.
Brantford improved to 2-0, and Hamilton dropped to 0-4.
Upcoming games:
Sunday, May 22
London at Barrie, 1 p.m.
Burlington at Hamilton, 2 p.m.
Guelph at Kitchener, 2 p.m.
Brantford at Toronto, 2 p.m.
London at Barrie, 3:30 p.m.
Monday, May 23
Kitchener at Guelph, 1 p.m.
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