The KPC Estevan mosquito AAA Sluggers went 1-3 in a busy homestand on June 11 and 12 with a big comeback win providing the team's highlight for the weekend.
The Sluggers started the weekend with a 13-1 loss in four innings to the Swift Current Indians (4-9) that came down to a strong pitching performance by the Indians starter who kept the balls in play and scoring opportunities to a minimum. They followed that up by going down 11-4 after four innings to the Indians in the second half of the doubleheader at Cactus Park only to find their hitting touch in the final two innings.
Ryan Siever, head coach of the Sluggers, said the team came out hard in the bottom of fifth inning scoring four runs to make the score 11-8. He said they didn't stop there and got another four runners to cross the plate in the bottom of the sixth to take a 12-11 win. “It was a nice comeback victory,” said Siever. “It was nice to storm back and have the kids realize they can do that because we had done it earlier in the year...we came all the way back and tied a game when we were down six, but then we went out and gave up a run right away to lose the game. So, it was nice for that game to come all the way back and complete the comeback.”
The Sluggers failed to keep that momentum intact the next afternoon at the Pleasantdale Softball Diamonds by coming out slow against the Regina Buffalos (13-2) in an eventual 9-2 loss, which was followed by a 10-5 defeat at the hands of the Buffalos in the second half of the doubleheader. Siever said the team made a number of mental errors in the first game and if they could have managed to put together a clean game would have kept the score close.
“The 10-5 game, again, we had some errors in the field,” he said “We were tied 4-4 going into the fifth inning and we gave up six runs in the top of the fifth and just the same thing. We should have made some plays and we didn't.”
The Sluggers (3-13) are now off for a couple weeks before heading back onto the field for a doubleheader in Swift Current against the Indians on June 25 before heading to Regina the next afternoon for a doubleheader against the White Sox. The team will then complete their Baseball Regina league regular season schedule with a home and home against the Weyburn Beavers on June 29 and 30 with playoffs set to begin in early July.
