The London Majors can't seem to crush the woeful St. Thomas Storm as other teams have been doing all this Intercounty Baseball League season. Last night at Labatt Park before about 400 fans, they eked out a 2-0 victory to improve to 19-14 and hold on to at least share of fourth place with three games remaining.

Playoffs begin Thursday.

"That wasn't pretty but it was done," Majors manager Bob White said of the win over the 1-31 Storm. "We seem to play down to their level when we know they are a poor team.

"We took them lightly."

It took three of the Storm's four errors for the Majors to produce single runs in the fifth and sixth innings for the margin of victory.

Right-fielder Sean McGregor scored London's first run on an error after getting on base on an error. In the sixth, designated hitter Todd Bargman slammed a double to the left-field wall that scored catcher Chris Robinson, who was aboard courtesy of an error.

Chris Gosnell (0-5) pitched the complete game, giving up eight scattered hits. The Storm still have four games left to try for their second win of the season.

White used five pitchers during the game get some of them qualified for the playoffs. They need a minimum number of appearances and games for postseason play.

Yoel Fernandez-Cruz got the win with two hits, five strikeouts and a walk in four innings of work.

Starting pitcher Gordon Walters faced just one batter, striking him out, as part of his qualification. He has one win, beating the Barrie Baycats. The import from the University of Texas-Dallas with a sizzling fastball will see action tomorrow -- although Rob Robinson (7-2) is scheduled to start -- when the Majors play their most crucial game of the season against the Brantford Red Sox at Labatt Park starting at 7 p.m.

The two teams are deadlocked for fourth. However, the Majors have three games left and the Sox just one.

"The big game is Sunday right here," White said. "That will tell you where we will end in the standings."

The last regular-season home game for the Majors is Tuesday against the ninth-place Waterloo Tigers. They wrap up the schedule Wednesday in Barrie against the eighth-place Baycats.

MAJORS 2

STORM 0