The Ottawa Fat Cats opened their third season with a 5-4 road win in Guelph on Saturday.
Neither team scored until the third inning, where the Fat Cats and Royals traded two runs each.
That's as far as Guelph starter Mike Goemans made it, as he walked eight batters through those three innings – two in the first, three in the second and three in the third before he recorded an out.
The Royals took the lead in the bottom of the fourth off new Ottawa starter Marc-André Major when second baseman Frankie Hare drove home a pair with a single.
Both Justin Intersiano (hit by pitch) and Stevie Coates (walk) had been put on base by a pitching mistake, then were moved over on a wild pitch.
Ottawa answered back in the top of the fifth when shortstop Josh Coker's single off Brook Coatsworth drove in Brandon Huffman, then Coker reached home off a Kyle Barclay double.
Kevin Dietrich won it for Ottawa in the top of the ninth, driving in veteran Cody Mombourquette off Ryan Greco.
Returning closer Josh Soffer then retired three straight to earn the save.
This was Ottawa's first game since losing to Brantford in last year's Intercounty Baseball League final, in a season that appeared in jeoprady because of renovations at the Ottawa Stadium.
Their home opener is Saturday, May 19 against Kitchener.
