It was a hot and humid affair on Tuesday night at McMillan Park as the Thorold Anchors (6-4) pushed their win streak to three games with a 14-7 victory over the Merritton Alliance (3-8).

 

On a night where the wind was blowing out the game started well for the Alliance with a no doubt 2-run home run off the bat of cleanup hitter Ryan Bench to left field that staked Merritton to a 2-0 lead.

 

Thorold would chip away at the lead in the bottom for the first with a shallow rbi sacrifice fly from Drew Timlock setup by two stolen bases from Mark Suntz. Merritton starter Cam Wells (0-1) laboured through a 32 pitch first inning but escaped a bases loaded jam with a strikeout of Jacob Turner.

 

The Anchors would take the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning on a towering 3-run blast off the bat of Tony Brown over the right centrefield fence which brought Adam Bartlett and Mark Suntz into score.

 

The closest Merritton would come to tying the game would be in the top of the third inning when Dylan Rush connected on a rbi single that scored Chris Sawatsky to make the game 4-3. After that, starter Dan Smith (3-1) got out of his own bases loaded jam when he got Jeff Young to ground out to second baseman Adam Bartlett. For the game, Smith pitched four and two-thirds innings allowing six runs (five earned) scattering nine hits while walking two and striking out one.

 

Thorold would blow the game open in the bottom of the third sending 10 men to the plate and scoring six times highlighted by a 2 run double from Mark Suntz to stretch the lead to 10-3. That offensive outburst spelled the end of the night for Wells after two and a third innings giving up 10 runs (nine earned) on six hits, four walks, three hit by pitch while striking out three Anchors.

 

Merritton again chipped away in the fourth and five innings to bring the game back to 10-6 before designated hitter Dylan Dempsey singled on a fly ball into centerfield that scored Mark Suntz and Tony Brown. Thorold would wrap up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth with rbis from Adam Bartlett and Dalton Procyshyn to make the final 14-7.

 

Aiden Schonewille completed the game on the mound for the Anchors pitching an efficient two and a third innings giving up just one earned run on two hits with zero walks and zero strikeouts.

 

The Anchors offense was led by Tony Brown and Mark Suntz on Tuesday night. In addition to Brown’s 3 run home run he totalled 5 runs batted in and three runs scored. Brown now leads the league with 12 rbi on the season. Suntz filled the stat sheet recording four runs scored, three hits, three stolen bases and two rbi. Suntz and Dylan Dempsey are now tied atop the team batting average leaders at .429 after 10 games.

 

With the win, the Anchors eclipsed the six-win mark for the first time before July starts in recent history and currently lead the NDBA Senior Baseball League in runs scored (83) as well as sit third in runs against (66).

 

Thorold will look to continue their win streak and improve their road record to 3-2 on the season on Thursday night. The Anchors will travel to face the St. Catharines Cobras (3-5-1) at George Taylor Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7:30pm.