The Southeast Performance Pump Services midget AAA Twins earned a split in their Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League (SPBL) season-opening doubleheader against the Parkland Expos at Lynn Prime Park on Saturday.
The Twins beat the Expos 19-9 in the second half of the doubleheader, which was played in less than ideal baseball conditions with a cold wind continually blowing through the open ballpark at a 65-kilometre-per-hour clip. The victory came shortly after the hometown club was trounced 17-3 in the opening game of the season for both teams.
Blaine Kovach, head coach of the Twins, said their hitting and pitching both came alive in the second game. He said that began with the outstanding work of starting pitcher Luke Niemegeers, who gave up four earned runs and struck out seven batters while walking four in three innings of work, and the batting of catcher Evan McClarty, who blasted a three-run triple to the right field fence in the bottom of the first inning to put the team ahead early.
“We finally got on the bats today,” said McClarty, who ended up going two-for-four with three runs scored and four batted in. “We actually hit pitching and our pitching was more consistent.”
The Expos dominated the early going of the opening game by scoring nine runs, five earned, on starting pitcher Josh Brown in his two-and-a-third innings of work. After Hunter Perkins came on in relief and pitched one inning of shutout ball, Carter Sorenson took the mound and gave up eight runs, seven earned, in 1.2 innings while striking out three and walking four. The Expos Tyson Black allowed three earned runs on six hits while striking out eight batters and walking one for a complete-game win.
No Expos pitcher lasted longer than 1.1 innings in the second game of the doubleheader, while Niemegeers and Kylar Phillips, who gave up five runs, four earned, while striking out three and walking three in two innings, combined for the win. Sorenson went three-for-three in the Twins win and Walker Happ got three hits in four at-bats, while pocketing four runs batted in.
“One extreme to the other for both teams,” said Expos head coach Tony Black. “Both teams had pitchers that struggled. The kids just had some off days, but the potential for both teams (was shown). They’re going to do fairly well. It’s early in the season, but it’s not what I expected from either side. I thought it would be closer games with these two teams.”
The home opener marked the final Twins’ action in Estevan until a doubleheader at Lynn Prime Park against the Muenster Red Sox on May 29. McClarty said they’ll have to focus on eliminating any needless mistakes over their next 12 road dates to be in good shape when they come back for their final homestretch.
“We’ll be ready,” he said. We’ll play “more fundamental defense (and) make sure we make the routine plays.”
