The Parkland Expos midget AAA baseball team of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League had their home opening games last weekend. The Expos hosted four games at the Jubilee Baseball Park on Saturday and Sunday.
Their first game of the season was played on the road in Regina last week against the Regina Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack took the win on their home field, forcing the Expos into a loss for their first contest this year. The finals score was 11-1.
In Yorkton on Saturday, the Expos hosted two games against the Northwest Prairie Pirates. The first was a win for the Expos with a final score of 12-3.
In the second game, the Pirates retaliated and took the win with a final score of 10-9.
Expos assistant coach Larry Kitchen said one pitcher had a great day on Saturday, and that helped get them their first win and another very close game.
“Gregor Farquharson went a complete game. 87 pitches, and 72 of them were for strikes,” said Kitchen. “That definitely helps, when you have a strong pitcher like that.”
On Sunday, the Saskatoon Giants were in town for two games against the Expos. Unfortunately for the Parkland team, the Giants would take both wins.
The first game was a 13-2 final and the second game was 13-5.
In the first game, runs were scored by Kaito Farquharson and Jarod Stachowich.
After the first game, Kitchen told Yorkton This Week that they had to cut down on their walks and errors going into the second against Saskatoon.
“We’ve given the other team too many free plays and they’ve capitalized on it. They have a polished team. We have to learn from it, too. We’re a young team,” said Kitchen.
Although the second game of the day was a loss, it was a better showing from the Expos.
Kaito Farquharson led the team in RBIs with two. Zach Goulden-Maddin, Grady Hawkins and Jarod Stachowich each had one.
Despite their 1-4 record so far this season, Kitchen said the Expos will improve.
“We have to work hard for every game, this league is very strong,” said Kitchen.
“It’s early in the season. We can practice indoors as much as we want but in a game situation, hopefully that’s where we can start shining,” he said. “The batting is going to come around.”
Kitchen credited the league for being extremely talented, mentioning the Muenster Red Sox in particular because of their success last season at the national championships.
He also mentioned that facing teams from larger centres like Saskatoon can be challenging due to their big pool of players to select from compared to the Parkland area.
The Expos’ next action will be on the road this coming weekend in Regina. They’ll be back on their home field on Saturday, May 27 at 1 and 4 p.m. against the Muenster Red Sox.
