Royals power past Cards in season opener

HAMILTON – Sean Reilly went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead the Guelph Royals to a 6-4 win over Hamilton in their season opener Sunday afternoon.

Reilly doubled home a run in the first inning and added a three-run blast in the seventh in the Royals’ first game since 2019. There was no season in 2020, and Guelph took a leave in 2021.

Jeff MacLeod and Malik Collymore each drove in a run and scored. Dalton Pompey went 3-for-4 and Darius Barlas had two hits.

Claudio Custodio was dominant, striking out 11 over seven one-hit, shutout innings. Nelson Mercado recorded the last four outs for the save. He allowed a run on two hits over 1.1 innings, striking out two.

Robin Fox-Pappas went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run for the Cardinals. Aidan Muir drove in the other run.

Chris Lazar (0-1) took the loss, giving up two runs on five hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out three.