By: Ken Beckett

BURLINGTON – Having won two of three match-ups against Hamilton this season, another chapter in 2018’s Skyway Series is set to be written on Saturday as the Burlington Herd return home to Casey Cosgrove Field to host the Cardinals.

Saturday is Strikeout Cancer Day in support of the Terry Fox Foundation in honour of Casey Cosgrove. Casey, who lost his battle with lung cancer last summer, was a major supporter of the Terry Fox Foundation who the Herd have chosen to benefit from this amazing event.

$1 from each ticket sold will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation. Fans are also encouraged to donate by participating in the day’s silent auction and draws. 

The Herd come into Saturday’s game off a big 10-2 road win over the Brantford Red Sox on Friday night. The ten runs tied a season-high, previously scoring that amount in a home game against the Red Sox on June 9th.

In Friday’s rout of the Red Sox, Herd hitters launched a 14-hit attack, with five different batters registering multi-hit nights.

Leading the way offensively in Brantford was Herd centerfielder Justin Gideon, going 4-for-5 at the plate, while driving in two runs and coming around to score twice as well. Gideon’s two RBI’s give him 19 on the year in that stat category, which is tops on the team and ties him for sixth overall in the league with Johnathan Solazzo of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Two of Gideon’s four hits on Friday night went for extra bases as doubles to give the Herd veteran another franchise record. Gideon’s two doubles catapulted him over former Burlington player and IBL Top 100 Player of All-Time honouree Branson Joseph with 31 career regular season doubles, the most in Herd history. 

Also registering multi-hit nights in Brantford were Nolan Pettipiece who had three hits, while Vaughn Bryan, Canice Ejoh, and Ben Braun all had two hits. Veteran catcher Andrew Mercier drove in multiple runs meanwhile with a two-run single in the third inning.

Getting the start on the mound for the Herd in Saturday’s Skyway Series match-up will be left-handed pitcher Rich Corrente. The veteran pitcher is still looking for his first win of the 2018 season, having thrown 28 innings over six appearances, five of which were starts, while giving up 13 walks and 41 hits to go with nine strikeouts.

The Hamilton Cardinals visit Burlington having lost three of their last four games, however picking up a 5-4 home win over the Barrie Baycats on Wednesday night. Barrie jumped out to a 4-0 lead in Wednesday’s game, but the Cardinals bounced back with five unanswered runs to pick up their seventh win of the season.

Designated hitter Jake Foden was the catalyst of the Cards’ offense against the Baycats, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  

The Toronto native is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, collecting 16 hits in that span. Six of those 16 hits have been doubles, while Foden has also hit two home runs during this current stretch. The 21-year old has seen his batting average increase from .233 on June 15th when his hitting streak started to where it currently sits at .361.

First pitch between Hamilton and The Herd is scheduled for 2:00PM and tickets are available at IBLHerd.com or at Casey Cosgrove Field.

If you can’t make it to the game, “The Voice of The Herd” Ken Beckett has the call for all Herd home games on Mixlr.com/IBLHerd. For live-game broadcasts, interviews, player profiles, game previews, and recaps, follow Ken on Twitter at @KenBeckett.

The Burlington Herd are a member of Ontario's most elite baseball league, the Intercounty Baseball League. The 100-year old summer league is one of the oldest baseball leagues in the world, with the league established in 1919, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. For more information, visit www.iblherd.com or follow the Herd on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @IBLHerd.