The Southeast Performance Pump Midget AAA Twins probably won't remember that their second last game of the 2017 Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League regular season was a bit of a dog, but they wouldn't have wanted an entire weekend ruined with the memory of a loss.
The Twins lost their first game of the weekend 15-1 to the last-place Parkland Expos Saturday at Lynne Prime Field but recovered in the last game to stomp off with a 16-0 win. Such swings are common in baseball, depending on who's pitching – and who's paying attention in the field.
“This week, it was just a nice easy talking to,” said Twins coach Blaine Kovach, whose team is hosting provincials this weekend. “They just have to trust in their abilities a lot better that what they do. They are good ballplayers. They just have to start realizing it.”
The good ballplayers took their time to show it on Saturday. The score was 3-1 for the Expos going into the top of the fourth, with the Twins run coming off an RBI single from Jose Reyes, scoring Luke Niemegeers in the bottom of the third. But the wheels came off in the fourth when errors compounded control problems on the mound and the Twins found themselves down 7-1 after four. Another eight runs crossed the plate for the Expos in the fifth and due to not scoring n the bottom of the fifth, the game was called due to mercy rule.
Brett MacMurchy shouldered the loss, allowing eight hits and three walks and three earned runs in four innings. Thomas Husband and Hunter Perkins mopped up the game on the mound in relief.
But the second game was a much different story. The Twins jumped out to a 12-0 lead after the first inning. Niemegeers shut the door on the Expos hitting, allowing only one hit and six walks over four complete innings. Even McLarty finished the fifth inning unscathed.
At the plate, Ryan Gaab went 1-for-1 with three walks and three RBI, while Trent Dorrance went 2-fpr-3, also with three RBI. Everyone who took a turn at bat for the Twins reached base safely at some point during the game.
“It was definitely a much better effort, especially going into provincial time,” said Kovach. “It's a little bit of a confidence boost going into the weekend because we will be seeing some tough competition, that's for sure.”
At provincials, the Twins will play a three game round robin on Friday and Saturday. The top two teams in each of the two pools will go to the playoffs Sunday at 10 a.m. with the gold and bronze medal games scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, unless tiebreakers are needed. The Twins will go with five scheduled starting pitchers and have a good idea who will go when when it comes to the weekend.
The Saskatoon Diamondbacks — who currently have a nine game league winning steak and a 24-5 record this season — are likely to be ranked as the top team. If the eighth place Twins are seeded eighth, that's who their first opponent will be.
“If you go 2-1 in the round robin, that usually guarantees you a spot Sunday,” Kovach said. “That's ultimately what we're playing for. You get yourself Sunday to the semifinal, anything can happen there.”
