The Estevan Sherritt Coal Haulers conquered a familiar foe in back-to-back games on Sunday to get their regular season started on the right foot.
The defending bantam AA provincial champs defeated the Swift Current Indians 16-9 and 8-7 in a doubleheader in Swift Current.
"It's a real confidence booster. Swift Current's always been a thorn in our sides over the years, especially for me. I've been coaching so many years with my two older boys," said Haulers head coach Kent Phillips. "I've told my younger boys the history between Estevan and Swift Current. Any time you can get a jump on them early, it's good."
"That's going to be one of the toughest teams we're going to play in our league this year and to get a couple of wins from them"
Carson Perkins started the first game for the Haulers, throwing two hitless innings. Josh Brown and Nate Smart also went two innings apiece in relief and Brett MacMurchy closed it out.
"We were feeling out a couple of pitchers who didn't get a lot of work last year when they were rookies," said Phillips.
After scoring a run in the first inning, the Haulers exploded for five more in the second, with MacMurchy, Dalton Loustel, Damon Hutt, Hunter Piche and Kyle Sargent crossing the plate.
MacMurchy, Loustel and Hutt all got on with walks, while Sargent blasted a double and later scored.
The Haulers earned three more runs in the top of the third, with Perkins smacking a leadoff home run and Smart and MacMurchy also scoring.
The Indians got one back in the bottom of the inning, giving Estevan a 9-1 lead after three innings.
However, Swift Current would score eight runs over the last three innings, including four in the sixth.
"We kinda let them back in it as far as letting them get a lot closer than they were," said Phillips. "We were experimenting with some pitchers there. The strike zone was exceptionally small, pretty small for this early in the season. I don't know if the major leagues is that small."
Kyler Phillips went two innings in the second game, while Loustel managed four innings of two-hit, scoreless ball. After that, Brady Third came on for the seventh.
Phillips said Loustel's long relief appearance was a pleasant surprise.
"He was doing so well and he only got to pitch like two innings all of last year (in Carlyle). It was unreal how well he was pitching. I kept asking him how he felt because early in the season, you don't want to overextend someone's arm."
The Indians tagged Phillips for three runs in the first inning, coming on a home run, a double, a single and two errors.
"A couple of errors, a couple of hits and next thing you know, they had three runs on us. We were making the game a lot tighter than it needed to be," said Phillips.
"It's early, the first two games (of the year) and you're bound to make a few errors. A couple of them were mental mistakes, not throwing to the right bag. Those eventually will be taken care of."
The Haulers didn't really break out until the fourth inning, when Phillips and Ty Brown both doubled to fuel a three-run inning. That pulled the team into a 4-4 tie.
While Loustel held the Indians scoreless for the next two innings, the Haulers scored four more runs to take a decisive lead.
In the fifth, Hutt singled and later scored, and Third eventually came home after walking his way aboard.
The next inning, Perkins and Smart both crossed the plate, with the Haulers benefitting from two walks and an error on a dropped third strike.
But the Indians weren't done left, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh, coming on a hit batter, two errors and two singles.
The Haulers' home opener was scheduled for last night against Weyburn, but its status was unclear due to a rainy forecast.
