By: Ken Beckett

BURLINGTON -- Despite racking up 14 strikeouts against Brantford hitters, the Burlington Herd couldn't get anything going offensively, falling 9-2 at home to the Red Sox on Saturday.

Herd right fielder Vaughn Bryan drove in both Burlington runs on Saturday afternoon, launching a solo home run in the first inning, his third homer of the 2018 season. That was followed by a sacrifice fly in the third inning which scored third baseman Nolan Pettipiece to give the Herd the early 2-0 lead.

That lead wouldn't last long as the Red Sox took over the lead and didn't look back with a four run fourth inning. Three of those runs came off the bat of Brantford centerfielder Andris Rizquez who came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a bases clearing three run double.

The Red Sox would also rely on the home run ball to extend their lead later in the game, as designated hitter Dan Jagdeo hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. That was followed by a two-run shot from Deandre Asbury-Heath in the top of the ninth inning, for his team-leading seventh long ball of the season.

Burlington picked up eight hits in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox, with Bryan and Justin Gideon each collecting two hits. Gideon had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases. That increases Gideon's stolen bases total to 14 on the season, tying him with Wilson Soriano of the Red Sox for first in the league.

Also picking up a stolen base was Vaughn Bryan for his 12th of the year. The right-fielder went 2-for-4 on the day, also picking up a double in addition to his solo home run.

The Herd hit three doubles in the loss, as in addition to Bryan, both Andrew Mercier and Nolan Pettipiece had extra-base hits. The double was Mercier's second the season, while it was the sixth of the year for Pettipiece.

Taking the loss for Burlington is starter Trent Lunsford to drop his record to 0-3 this season. The Overland Park, Kansas native pitched 3.2 innings, giving up two hits, four earned runs, and five walks to go along with five strikeouts.

In addition to Lunsford's five strikeouts, the Herd relievers were also racking up K's on the day, with Jeremy Gwinn recording four strikeouts, while Ben Braun had four strikeouts of his own, and Kyle Symington had one.

Credited with the win for the Red Sox is starting pitcher Jose Bautista. The man with the famous namesake pitched five innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs to go along with two walks and three strikeouts. The win improves his record to 1-2 on the year.

The Herd's next home game is scheduled for Thursday as the Toronto Maple Leafs will visit Casey Cosgrove Field for the final regular season game of 2018 for Burlington. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15PM.

If you can’t make it to the game, “The Voice of The Herd” Ken Beckett has the call for 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