It wasn't without some drama, but the North Battleford Beavers started their 2013 North Saskatchewan River Baseball League season with a win over the Mervin Flyers.
It was a pitching duel through four innings and each team was held to a single run. Hits were at a premium. Strikeouts and groundouts filled the score card for most of the game.
The Beavers scored in the second, playing small ball. An infield single followed up by a stolen base and a passed ball put the runner on third, who then scored on a sacrifice fly to put them on the board early.
The offence for both teams dried up until the fifth when Mervin was able to answer. The runner on third base was able to score on a misplayed fly ball by North Battleford's outfielder.
The Flyers' glory would be short lived as it woke up the Beavers' bats.
North Battleford put up three runs in the inning with no outs, capped off by a two-run double. The Beavers next three batters were sat down in order to end the inning.
The Flyers answered in the sixth with a run of their own, but they needed a shutdown inning on defence if they were looking for a comeback and they didn't get it.
The Beavers scored twice more in the sixth, pushing the lead to 6-2.
Not to be outdone, Mervin came back out in the seventh and gave the Beavers all they could handle. After scoring three times to make it a one run game, the Flyers had men on second and third with two outs. The ball was hit hard, but right at the third baseman. The whole team seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, winning by a single run over Mervin, who won only two games last year.
Both teams seemed to shake off the rust from a long offseason. The Beavers will be back in action May 24 when they host the Wilkie Brewers.
Other scores from the NSRBL schedule Tuesday night:
Lloydminster Twins 10 - Lloydminster Midgets 4
Wilkie Brewers 12 - Unity Cardinals 12
Standard Hill Lakers 4 - St. Walburg Reds 3
