The Moose Jaw Canucks might not have been able to hit the win column against the East Central Red Sox in Sask Premier Baseball League 18U AAA action on Sunday afternoon, but the potential for future success can already be seen.
The Canucks built a 6-1 lead through four innings in the doubleheader opener at Ross Wells Park, but the Red Sox would catch up and then pull away over the final three innings on their way to a 10-7 victory.
East Central then didn’t waste any time in the rematch, scoring three in the first inning, building a 7-2 lead through four and going on to an 8-3 win.
It all looked good early in the day, though, as the Canucks opened game one with a run in the first and another in the third before putting up four in the fourth to build their 6-1 lead.
The Red Sox clawed back four runs of their own in the fifth and a three-spot the next inning would give them the lead for good. The Canucks pulled back within one in the bottom of the sixth, but a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh would put things away for good.
Caleb Newkirk had a solid game at the plate, going 3-for-3 with four runs batted in. Gerritt Gulutzan and Keaton Hillmer scored a pair of runs each, Ty Reid had a pair of hits.
Newkirk got the start on the mound and turned in a solid showing, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out a pair in four innings of work. Cam Beisal pitched the fifth and allowed an earned run, with Owen Csada tossing the final two innings and giving up five runs, two earned, striking out three and walking four.
It was East Central’s turn to get a quick lead in the rematch, and once they were ahead, Adam Korte saw to it the lead stuck.
The Red Sox starter held Moose Jaw scoreless through three innings and ended up allowing only two runs on four hits while striking out nine in four innings of work. Cam Marshak was just effective in relief, allowing a run on three hits over the final three innings.
Beisal was the only Canuck with more than a single hit, going 2-for-4 out of the lead-off spot.
Nathan Pisio got the start for Moose Jaw and allowed four runs on five hits over 2 ⅓ innings of work, with only two of those runs earned, Hillmer tossed an inning and allowed a pair of runs, Gulutzan pitched a scoreless fifth and Nathan McDougall closed things out, allowing a run on three hits over the final two innings.
The Canucks are back in action Tuesday when they host the Regina Wolfpack. Game time is 7 p.m. at Ross Wells Park.
