Portage Padres are a win away from the Santa Clara Baseball League championship. They defeated the Royals in Carberry last night, by a 12-7 margin, for a 2-0 best of 5 series lead.

Carberry opened the scoring in the first inning, with one run, and that lead held up until the top of the third, when the Padres pounded out eight runs, for an 8-1 advantage.

The Royals rebounded in the bottom of the third, with four earned runs off Padres' starting pitcher Rod McLeod. That brought Dustin Donald to the mound in relief. He pitched the remainder of the game.

Portage went on to score four more runs in the top of the fifth inning, while Carberry could only manage two over the course of the rest of the game.

The Padres' Rod McLeod says their offence was evenly spread.

"A big highlight would be Jeff Burke hitting a three-run home run," he says, "Part of the eight run inning, as well as Dustin picking up the win on the hill, in relief."

The Padres have a chance to sweep the series in Game 3 tomorrow night at home. Game time's 6:30 at Republic Park.