After dropping quite a few games in a row, the Southeast Pump Performance Midget AAA Twins were happy to finally get on the right side of the scoreboard.
The Twins split a pair of games with the Swift Current 57s in Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League action Saturday at Lynne Prime Field, winning the first game of the doubleheader 5-1 and dropping the second one of the day 3-2.
“We'd dropped the four games last weekend and had overall a six game losing streak,” said Twins assistant coach Blaine Kovach. “It's good to get a win under our belts and get a little more pep to the step and try to get back on track again.”
The Twins went up 4-1 in the fourth inning on the strength of a Trent Husband RBI single followed by a walk to Brett MacMurchy, an RBI single by Luke Niemegeers and a passed ball while Jaxon Robertson was at the plate that scored Rhett Nikolejsin.
Burke Lyons pitched a solid complete game on the mound, throwing a lot of first pitch strikes and striking out seven in the game while scattering four hits and two walks.
“He was fantastic in the first game,” said Kovach.
Niemegeers went 2-for-3 in the game with a run batted in and Husband went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
The second game was a bit tougher for the Twins to get runs on the board. The 57s went up 3-0 by the top of the third inning and it took until the fifth until the Twins were able to get some runs on the board. A two-out Layne Shad RBI single brought the Twins to within one but they were unable to cash a tying run. In the sixth, Nikolejsin had made it all the way to third base with two out but Niemegeers grounded out on a close play at first base to end the Twins' threat.
“Guys don't have the right approach,” Kovach said. “They're just free swinging and not having a plan when they go up there and it's costing us.”
MacMurchy pitched a complete seven-inning game, allowing only five hits and a walk while striking out eight.
“Those runs weren't his fault,” Kovach said. “There were a couple of costly errors and you lose by one run. That's just how she goes.”
The Twins are currently in eighth place in the 11-team league with a 5-8 record. They host provincials July 21-23.
Practice will be light with the Weyburn players having their high school grad celebration this week. The Twins are scheduled to play Wednesday night in Regina against the Regina Athletics before coming back home for a June 14 tilt against the Regina White Sox.
