After falling into a 2-0 hole in their quarterfinal series with Hamilton, the Guelph Royals forced a deciding Game 5 on Wednesday, thanks to an 18-3 blowout win over the Cardinals at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium.
Former Toronto Blue Jay Dalton Pompey opened the scoring in the first inning after taking the second pitch of the game over the right field wall for a solo home run. The 29 year old from Mississauga fell a double shy of hitting for a cycle, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and six runs scored.
The Royals combined for four homers on the night, including two from Guelph native Sean Reilly and a solo shot from Malik Collymore. After substitutions, nine different Royals recorded at least one hit.
Guelph starter Andrew Case kept the game out of reach, lasting five innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Pitchers Emilis Guerrero and Jeff MacLeod combined for four innings of relief, allowing six hits and no earned runs.
Guelph was in jeopardy of a sweep after losing the first two games of their quarterfinal matchup.
The Royals went on to outscore the Cardinals by a combined score of 34-11 in Games 3 and 4 to even the series at 2-2.
Game 5 kicks off Friday night at Hastings Stadium in Guelph, with the winner advancing to the Dominico Cup Semifinals. First pitch is at 7:30 p.m.
If the Royals win, they’ll go on to face the Welland Jackfish. A win for Hamilton would force a second-round matchup with the London Majors.
For tickets, visit the Guelph Royals website.
