It was no contest for the Estevan Sherritt Coal Haulers on the weekend, as the bantam AA club rolled over Melville and Yorkton in a pair of doubleheaders.
The Haulers dominated Yorkton 15-0 and 13-0 in two games on Saturday, then moved onto Melville for 10-1 and 16-6 victories on Sunday.
"The pitching was bang on, none of the pitchers struggled at all, and the bats were alive the whole weekend. It was great," said Haulers head coach Kent Phillips.
"The hitting, right from the first pitch to the end, the boys were hitting the ball well and running the bases well."
Kyler Phillips threw a complete game one-hitter in the first contest in Yorkton on Saturday, and the team supported him with three big innings. They scored four runs in the third inning, four more in the fifth, and six runs in the seventh.
Damon Hutt went 2-for-2 with a walk, and Phillips batted 2-for-4.
In the second game, the Haulers steadily added to their lead throughout, only going scoreless in two innings. Starter Dalton Loustel threw four innings, with Kyle Sargent and Hunter Piche later coming on in relief.
The Cardinals made 12 errors on the day, six in each game.
In the first game against Melville on Sunday, most of the Haulers' offence came in two innings, as they scored four in the fourth inning and five more in the seventh.
Brady Third went the distance for Estevan on the mound, allowing three hits. Melville's lone run came in the fourth inning.
The Haulers' final game of the weekend was the closest, although they were still in control from the start after driving in eight runs in the first inning. Only the Baseball Regina rulebook could stop them, as they only had one out when they hit the eight-run limit per inning.
The Haulers scored four more runs in the third inning and continued to add to the margin later in the game, which ended after six innings.
Sargent pitched four innings for Estevan, with Brett MacMurchy throwing the last two.
Phillips said he was impressed with his team's play in the field, adding that they've been as good as last year's provincial championship squad so far.
"I think we made maybe two or three errors all weekend and that was it. If there's any improvement to our game so far, it's definitely been our defence.
"I think we're comparable. We hit the ball well, we pitched well last year too, so I think we're right there with last year's team."
The Haulers suffered their first loss earlier in the week, going down 16-15 in Weyburn on May 21. Phillips said the team was trying out some new pitchers in that game.
The next action for the Haulers (6-1) comes Saturday when they host a doubleheader against the Regina Buffalos. Game times are 1 and 4 p.m. at Cactus Park.
