So far, so good for the Estevan entries in the bantam AA and peewee AA baseball provincials being held in the Energy City this weekend.
The bantam Haulers defeated the Yorkton Cardinals 9-6 in their first game, which began at 12:30 p.m.
About half an hour before that one wrapped up, the peewee Tornados earned a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Swift Current Indians.
The Haulers, who were first in the Regina AAA league this year, racked up the runs in the early innings and took a 9-0 lead into the fifth inning.
However, Yorkton wasn't willing to concede defeat yet, and they rallied for five runs in the bottom of the fifth. But the Haulers mostly shut them down from there, allowing only one more run in the seventh on a throwing error from right field.
In the only other bantam game Friday, Swift Current edged Carlyle 7-6.
The Tornados' game featured a tighter finish. Estevan led 6-5 after five, but the Indians threatened to take the lead in the sixth.
Tornados pitcher Brett MacMurchy entered the game with no outs and runners on second and third after a double steal. Swift Current plated the tying run on a one-out grounder, with the throw home not in time. But MacMurchy struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth (the peewee games are six innings), Shae Little hit a one-out single, advanced to second on an error and moved to third on a passed ball. Then, with two down, he scored on another passed ball to give Estevan the walk-off win.
In other peewee action Friday, Muenster clobbered Melville 11-1, Moose Jaw snuck past Weyburn 6-5 and Lloydminster dumped Yorkton 15-3.
All six bantam teams make the playoffs, while only the top two in each pool advance in the peewee tournament.
Here's a look at the bantam schedule for Saturday:
10 a.m. Martensville vs. Estevan
10 a.m. Melfort vs. Carlyle
2 p.m. Yorkton vs. Martensville
2:30 p.m. Swift Current vs. Melfort
6 p.m. 3rd Pool A vs. 2nd Pool B (quarterfinal)
6 p.m. 3rd Pool B vs. 2nd Pool A (quarterfinal)
And Saturday's peewee slate:
9 a.m. Muenster vs. Swift Current
9:30 a.m. Estevan vs. Martensville
12 p.m. Yorkton vs. Moose Jaw
12:30 p.m. Weyburn vs. Lloydminster
3 p.m. Muenster vs. Estevan
3:30 p.m. Swift Current vs. Martensville
6 p.m. Yorkton vs. Weyburn
6:30 p.m. Moose Jaw vs. Lloydminster
