Gideon Powers Jackfish Into First Place With Fourth Straight Victory

The Welland Jackfish continued their red-hot stretch Saturday night at The Pond, using a pair of towering home runs from Justin Gideon to defeat the Hamilton Cardinals 12-6 and extend their winning streak to four games.

With the victory, the Jackfish improved to 21-10 on the season and moved into sole possession of first place in the Canadian Baseball League standings.

Hamilton struck first, but the Jackfish wasted little time responding. In the bottom of the opening inning, Justin Gideon electrified the home crowd by launching a three-run home run to right field, giving Welland an early lead and setting the tone for another offensive showcase.

The Cardinals battled back and eventually reclaimed the lead, but the Jackfish refused to let the momentum slip away. Trailing in the fifth inning, Gideon came through once again, crushing his second home run of the night—a two-run shot that tied the game and reignited The Pond.

Moments later, Welland capitalized on Hamilton miscues and timely hitting to take the lead for good, scoring five runs in the inning and never looking back.

Gideon finished the night with six RBIs, adding a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to cap off one of the most dominant offensive performances by a Jackfish hitter this season.

The offence didn't stop there.

Daiki Abe and Ethan Mann each collected two RBIs as the Jackfish lineup continued to produce from top to bottom. James Smibert and Robert Mullen each added an RBI, while Jonah Weisner and Carson Johnson crossed the plate twice to help fuel the 12-run attack.

On the mound, Abdiel Saldana picked up his second victory of the season, improving to 2-0. The right-hander battled through five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out three. Although Hamilton put together several scoring opportunities, Saldana made key pitches when needed and left with the lead.

The Jackfish bullpen took over from there, shutting the door over the final four innings to preserve the victory and secure another important win in the race for first place.

Hamilton's offence was led by Darlin German and Dario Borrero, who each hit two-run home runs, while Evan Magill added a solo shot and drove in another run. Brandon Nicoll and Angel Guerrero each recorded three-hit performances for the Cardinals.

The loss went to Hamilton starter Hector Yan, who allowed seven runs—six earned—over 4.2 innings.

The win continues an impressive stretch for the Jackfish, who have now won four consecutive games and continue to build momentum as the regular season enters its final weeks.

The Jackfish will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday afternoon as they continue their push toward the CBL regular season championship.