The Meadow Lake Sox spoiled the North Battleford Beavers home opener Wednesday night.
The Sox batted around the order in the second and seventh innings en route to a 10-6 win over the Beavers at Beaver Lions Stadium in NSRBL action.
Meadow Lake pitcher Jordan Stacey pitched a complete game, striking out eight Beavers batters. He gave up six runs over the seven innings of the game. Beavers pitcher Kyle Gregoire, who shifted from centre field in the sixth, was saddled with the loss, giving up four runs in the seventh inning before being pulled. David Miller started the game for North Battleford. He lasted five innings, striking out four batters and giving up six runs.
The Sox opened the scoring in the top of the second. First baseman Quincy Walker led off the inning with a double to right field. After second-baseman Shawn Irwin drew a walk, third-baseman Craig Weran singled home both runners. Centre-fielder Scott Fransky followed with a walk, putting runners on first and second. Left-fielder Cam Hawshaw knocked both runners in with a single, giving Meadow Lake a 4-0 lead.
North Battleford cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the second. Second-baseman Brendan Lampitt walked and stole second base. Catcher Ryan Muyers singled him home. After double from left-fielder Blair Geering put runners on second and third, third-baseman Derrick Chapman drove in Geering with an infield single, making it a 4-2 game after two innings.
In the bottom of the third, the Beavers tied the game at four. Gregoire, who started in centre field, walked and stole second base quickly for one of his four stolen bases on the evening. He moved to third on an errant throw on a pick-off attempt by Stacey. Gregoire then reached home after Stacey threw a wild pitch. Lampitt then singled and stole second for the second time in the game. Geering singled Lampitt home.
The Beavers briefly took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Right-fielder Kyle Palmer reached first on an error, advancing to second on the same play. Gregoire knocked him home with a single to put North Battleford up 5-4.
Meadow Lake regained their lead in the top of the fifth. Beck and Winkler drew walks to open the inning. Irwin advanced the runners and reached first on a fielding error at first base. Beck then scored after Miller uncorked a wild pitch as both Winkler and Irwin advanced a base. Weran reached on an error during the next at-at bat, scoring Winkler from third to give the Sox a 6-5 lead.
Miller helped his own cause when he got a rally started in the bottom of the sixth with a single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, before moving up to third on another throwing error by Stacey. Miller scored after Stacey threw a wild pitch to tie the game at six. North Battleford kept pressing in the inning after Gregoire walked and stole second. First baseman Tyler Russell hit a screeching line drive up the middle, but it was caught by Stacey to end the inning.
The wheels fell off for the Beavers in the top of the seventh. Weran walked to start the inning. Fransky advanced him to second and reached first safely on an error. The runners advanced to second and third on an error by Gregoire. Hawshaw then walked to load the bases. Weran was thrown out at home after Chapman fielded a ground ball from shortstop David Hildebrand, but the other runners moved up a base. Stacey was then hit by a pitch, forcing Fransky home from third. Gregoire walked the next three batters, forcing three more runs across the plate to put the Sox up 10-6. Russell came in from first to close out the inning, getting left-fielder Chris Ellis to pop up to second and Weran to ground out in his second at-bat of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Stacey made Lampitt pop up, and struck out back-up catcher CJ Miller and Geering to end the game.
It was Meadow Lake's first win of the season.
