The Southeast Performance Pump midget AAA Twins finished with a 1-1-2 record at the Selects Tournament in Saskatoon on the weekend.
The Twins opened the tournament with a 3-3 tie against the Regina Athletics. Coach Kent Phillips said the Twins had runners in scoring position on multiple occasions, but couldn’t muster the runs.
“We led most of the game, and they tied it up late,” said Phillips.
Their second game was against the Regina Wolf Pack, which they won 9-7 for their lone victory of the tournament. Phillips said they hit the ball well, and this time managed to score the runs.
Then they suffered their only loss of the tournament, a 9-7 defeat to the Saskatoon Diamondbacks.
Their final game was a 7-7 draw against the Swift Current 57s.
“In that one, we made five or six errors in the first inning,” said Phillips. “We were down 6-2 after the first inning, and then we tied 7-7. That one we didn’t go into extra innings. They just called it a tie because both teams needed to go home. It was about 9 p.m. on Sunday night.”
The pitchers did very well in the tournament, Phillips said. Burke Lyons, in particular, had a strong game against the A’s in what was his first game on the mound of the season.
The Selects tournament is an opportunity for young players to showcase their abilities. Phillips said the scouts will take the best first and second year players from each team to represent Saskatchewan in the Canada Cup tournament later this year.
Phillips said the scouts were keeping a close eye on four or five of the Twins players.
“By the time they pick the players from Saskatoon and Regina, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for outsiders, unfortunately, from this corner of the province,” said Phillips. “There have been kids every single year … who have represented (the southeast) , but only one or two.”
The tournament featured all 11 teams from the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League, which the Twins compete in, and a team from Inside Pitch, which is a baseball training centre.
Therefore, the Selects tournament provided a good gauge of where the team stands compared with the other teams in the province, and what they need to work on. In their case, they will focus on improving their defensive abilities, Phillips said, as the season rolls along.
