Majors on verge of upset win; ’Stangs dominate opener; Warner at Worlds

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (Aug. 21-27) — for London’s teams and athletes.

Starling Joseph’s home runs (and Owen Boon’s pitching) gave the London Majors a 2-1 series lead in Kitchener. Game 4 goes Tuesday night in London. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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London Majors

It was a successful week for the London Majors, who battled for two weekend wins on the road to take a 2-1 series lead over the Kitchener Panthers in their IBL quarterfinal playoff matchup.

The week actually began with one final regular season contest, in Guelph, where London extended its winning streak to four games with a 3-2 win over the Royals. After Robert Mackie started the game, the Majors received an impressive pitching performance from veteran Braeden Ferrington, who tossed seven innings and allowed just two runs while striking out eight en route to earning the win. Josh Williams drove in the Majors’ first run in the fourth inning, while Charlie Bowman drove in the second in the seventh. Eduardo de Oleo’s ground rule double in the ninth produced the eventual winning run.

And then it was time for playoffs. Finishing in seventh, the Majors opened their first-round playoff series against the No. 2 Kitchener Panthers on Thursday night. London jumped out to an early 3-1 lead at Jack Couch Park, but then it rained — a lot. The game was suspended in the fourth inning and scheduled to be finished back in Kitchener on Sunday. And, so, the teams tried again in London for ‘Game 2’ Friday.

Pedro De Los Santos got the start for London, and he was on his game. The lefty tossed seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts. But with the Majors leading 2-1 to start the eighth, Wilbur Martinez got into some trouble. He allowed five runs (four earned) over his two innings, which propelled the Panthers to a 6-2 win and a 1-0 series advantage. Drew Lawrence, Dan Battel and de Oleo each had two hits for the Majors in the loss.

After a day off, the teams returned to Kitchener to resume the suspended Game 1 (in the fourth inning) — and, following that, to play Game 3 of the series. And the story was Owen Boon.

London’s ace right-hander picked up where he left off Thursday and finished what he started. Over a 64-hour span, Boon tossed all nine innings and allowed just one run while striking out 10. The Majors’ offense extended its lead from 3-1 to 8-1 Sunday. Starling Joseph led the way with a big three-home run, six RBI game. Tommy Reyes-Cruz added two solo homers in the win, which evened the series at one game apiece.

Having thrown 81 pitches over five innings in the conclusion of Game 1, Boon came back out for the start of Game 2 — after just a 30-minute break. The ace then worked the first four innings of that contest, holding Kitchener scoreless and leaving with a 2-0 lead. All told, he threw 151 pitches on the day. But he couldn’t do it all. And the Panthers managed to tie the game in the sixth inning, with both runs being charged to reliever Skylar Jannisse, who took over in the fifth. But Wilbur Martinez then held Kitchener in check for the next four innings.

Meanwhile, the Majors took a 3-2 lead in the seventh on a Reyes-Cruz single. And in the ninth, Byron Reichstein provided some insurance with his second solo homer of the game. Jordan Schulefand later doubled in a run to make it 5-2 and send the Majors home with a 2-1 series lead.

Up next:

The Majors and Panthers resume their series Tuesday night at Labatt Park for Game 4. If a Game 5 is necessary, it will happen Wednesday back in Kitchener.

IBL Playoffs First Round: London Majors (No. 7) vs. Kitchener Panthers (No. 2) (London leads 2-1)

Game 1: London 8 @ Kitchener 1
Game 2: Kitchener 6 @ London 2
Game 3: London 5 @ Kitchener 2
Game 4: Tues. Aug. 29 (7:35pm at Labatt Park)
Game 5: Wed. Aug. 30 (7:30pm @ Jack Couch Park) (if necessary)

Western Mustangs Football

The Mustangs started their season off on the right foot Saturday with an 83-0 trouncing of the York Lions on the road. Backup running back Keanu Yazbeck was an igniter on offense with a 60-yard touchdown run. Reigning OUA MVP Keon Edwards ended the first quarter with his first touchdown of the season, and he totaled 128 rushing yards in the win.

Western quarterback Evan Hillock only played the first half, but he had a huge game, completing 13 of 18 pass attempts for 305 yards and five touchdowns. Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, who led the Mustangs’ receiving corps with 119 yards, caught two touchdown passes. So, too, did Mohsen Jamal (106 yards) and Seth Robertson (99 yards). Troy Thompson and Ethan Dolby, meanwhile, each earned a touchdown on the ground.

Up next:

The Mustangs (1-0) are back in action Sunday night for their home opener at Western Alumni Field against the McMaster Marauders.

Sun. Sept. 3 (7:00pm vs. McMaster Marauders)

London Beefeaters

After starting the season 2-0, the London Beefeaters were dealt their first loss Saturday, falling to the perennial powerhouse St. Clair Saints, 33-17, at City Wide Sports Park in London.

Down 17–0 to start the second half, the Beefeaters mounted a comeback attempt and scored 14 in the third quarter. But they were unable to make it all the way back, the the Saints put up another another 16 points of their own in the third and fourth quarters to earn the road win.

London’s starting back, LJ Dyer, was held in check. Although he ran for a touchdown, he was held to 39 yards on 11 carries on the night. Quarterback George Palmer was actually the team’s leading rusher in the contest, going for 67 yards on seven attempts. Meanwhile, he completed seven of his 16 pass attempts for just 58 yards. In other words, the St. Clair defense did a very good job as they held London to 219 total yards on the day.

Up next:

The Beefeaters (2-1) are back in action Saturday for a rematch against the Saints — this time in Windsor. Kickoff goes at 7pm at Acumen Stadium. showdown against the perennial powerhouse St. Clair Saints. Kickoff is 5:00pm at City Wide Sports Park.

Sat. Sept. 2 (7:00pm @ St. Clair Saints)

World Athletics Championships — Budapest 2023

London’s Damian Warner came close once again to World Championship gold in the decathlon last weekend, but he fell just short — this time, to fellow teammate Pierce LePage, who became the first Canadian to win the event at World. LePage took gold with a score of 8,909 points, while Warner earned the silver medal with 8,804 points. Grenada’s Lindon Victor was the bronze medalist with 8,756 points.

Warner won the 100m to start the event. He was third in the long jump and then turned in season bests in both shot put and high jump. A sixth-place finish in the 400m had him third overall after Day 1 of competition. On Day 2 Saturday, he moved from third to second and back before overtaking Victor in the 1500m to finish with the silver medal.