Although they managed to win only one of their three home games last week, that win came with a dramatic finish for the Southeast Legacy Twins.
Tanner Odgers hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to give the Twins a 4-3 win over the Saskatoon Giants in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday in Weyburn.
But the Twins (3-5) lost the second game 9-3. They had previously lost their Estevan home opener 10-1 to the Regina Wolfpack on Wednesday at Lynn Prime Park.
The Twins needed three extra innings to get the win on Saturday after allowing the tying run to score in the top of the seventh.
Southeast took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Lucas Lafrentz scored on a sac fly by Odgers.
That lead held until the Giants scored a run in both the fourth and fifth innings. Erik Climenhaga scored on a delayed double steal in the fourth and Aaron Barrett hit an RBI triple in the fifth.
The Twins retook the lead in the sixth when Odgers and Austin Orsted advanced to second and third, respectively, on a passed ball, then both came home on a double by Mackenzie Lamontagne.
But the Giants would force extras on an RBI single by Barrett in the top of the seventh.
After two scoreless innings, the Twins loaded the bases in the 10th on walks to Lucas Lafrentz and Garret Fitzpatrick and a single by Orsted. Lafrentz then came home on the single by Odgers.
Odgers led the Twins at the plate, hitting 3-for-4 with two runs batted in. Orsted went 3-for-5 while Lafrentz hit 2-for-4. Orsted was also the winning pitcher.
In the loss Saturday, the Twins led 2-1 after the first but later allowed runs in five straight innings, including two in the third and three in the fourth.
In the first inning, Jolan Lingelbach plated Carver Krafchuk with a single to centre field, then came in to score on a single by Ketter Hoium.
The Twins would not drive in another run until the sixth inning, when Sean Jonassen stole third base and then scored on a single by Nate Koszman.
Nolan Axten was the losing pitcher.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, head coach Tom Copeland was not impressed with the beating his team took in its first Estevan game of the year.
"We've got no excuse. We came out flat. It's our home opener and we blew it."
The turning point came in the sixth inning. In the fifth, the Twins loaded the bases with only one out after singles by Hoium, Krafchuk and Josh Ferris, but the opportunity to get back into a 4-0 game was wasted by a shallow fly ball and a strikeout.
Living up to their name, the Wolfpack pounced in the sixth, scoring four runs to break the game wide open with an 8-0 lead.
The Twins' lone run came in the sixth inning, when pinch-hitter Jonassen hit a two-out infield single with the bases loaded to bring in Lingelbach.
Copeland said his team had chances to get back in the game, but couldn't get timely hitting.
"We've gotta get better at-bats from our (middle of the order) guys. Your number four hitter can't wait till the last inning to pick up a hit. We had the right guys in the right spots and we just didn't get the job done," he said.
Copeland said pitching was a key reason for the loss, as starter Lamontagne struggled with four runs (all earned), six walks and a balk in three innings of work.
James Giroux and Koszman then threw two innings apiece.
"It's way too many lead-off walks, and when you're throwing that many lead-off walks, your defence falls to sleep. And you could see it. They were dead. They were just totally on their heels and they're not ready to play the ball game," said Copeland.
"When Jimmy Giroux came in early, he came in throwing strikes and around the plate and the guys were into it because they knew he was around the plate and they were gonna be in the game somehow."
Copeland felt his players weren't prepared for the game and that they have work to do in that department.
"It wasn't good and they know it. They gotta do a lot of work between games to get ready and they're not doing that right now."
