By: Ken Beckett

BURLINGTON – Having won three of four games against them this season, the Burlington Herd return home for their fifth and final meeting of the 2018 regular season against the Brantford Red Sox on Saturday.

The margin of victory in those three wins have been large for Burlington, outscoring the Red Sox by a total of 31-8. That includes the two clubs’ most recent meeting, an 11-5 road win for the Herd on Wednesday night in Brantford.

The Herd collected 13 hits on Wednesday in Brantford, with five hitters in the lineup registering multi-hit games. Two of those players were Reese O’Farrell and Vaughn Bryan, who combined to account for seven of the 11 Herd runs that were driven in.

O’Farrell was the top hitter on the night, collecting three hits in a 3-for-6 night at the plate with a double and four runs driven in. The four runs driven in give the Herd utility player 13 RBI’s on the season, second best on the team to Justin Gideon’s 27 RBI’s. 

Committed to the NCAA Division I University of New Mexico Lobos next season, O’Farrell is heating up just before the playoffs begin as he is currently riding a four-game hitting streak. The Burlington native has six hits over his current streak, also driving in six runs during that stretch.

Another player on a tear as of late has been Bryan, who had himself had a productive night on Wednesday in Brantford, reaching base in five of six at-bats, going 2-for-2 with two doubles, three walks, and three runs driven in. 

Bryan is currently second on the Herd for most extra base hits with 14 of them though 25 games played. The Sunrise, Florida native also leads the Herd and the league in triples with four on the year. 

On Wednesday before the win against the Red Sox, the league named Justin Gideon its Hitter of the Week for the period of July 16-22. Gideon recorded a .400 average with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI with three stolen bases over that stretch, marking the second time this season that the Herd centerfielder has earned Hitter of the Week honours. 

As mentioned earlier, Gideon also leads the Herd with 27 runs driven in this season. That matches his total from 2017, with five more games left on the schedule this season to add to those totals. The Pickering native is currently working on a six-game hitting streak, collecting ten hits over that span.

The Red Sox visit Casey Cosgrove Field looking to snap a seven-game losing skid, most recently suffering a 2-0 home loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.

Despite outhitting the Maple Leafs by a margin of 7-4, Brantford couldn’t cash in any base runners, leaving 12 runners stranded in the loss.

Six different Red Sox batters registered hits against Toronto, with first baseman Ricky Murray leading the way with a 2-for-5 effort. The Bowmanville native leads Brantford with a .354 batting average this season, collecting 23 hits in 17 games played. The IBL veteran, who has split time between Kitchener and Brantford, is also working on a modest three-game hitting streak, registering five hits over that stretch.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05PM and advanced tickets can be purchased at IBLHerd.com, or at the front gate at Casey Cosgrove Field on Saturday.

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.