Cardinals Drop Fourth Straight Game

Griffin Keller's three-run blast in the first inning gave the Welland Jackfish a lead it wouldn't relinquish on its way to a 7-2 win over Hamilton Wednesday night. 

Keller connected on Ryan Burnside's first pitch with two outs in the inning, which is all Welland needed to improve to 8-9. Nolan Pettipiece and Dane Tofteland each drove in two, while leadoff batter Brandon Nicholson went 3-for-4 and scored twice. 

Jake Polancic (1-0) struck out nine over eight innings for the win. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and walked two. 

Hamilton's Burnside (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven runs (four earned) on seven hits over seven innings. He walked three and struck out three. 

At the plate, Laine Renaud went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Josh Niles drove in the other run as the Cards dropped to 7-10.