The thing about the Moose Jaw All-Stars appearance at the Little League Canadian Championship is each and every contest has seen the team put together impressive flashes of brilliance in every aspect of the game.
It's what happened in between those flashes that has led to difficulties.
The local squad ran into another afternoon of early pitching woes and untimely errors in the field against Alberta representative Calgary West, giving up five runs in the second and four in the third on their way to an 11-6 loss.
The defeat saw the All-Stars fall to 0-4 and virtually knocked them from contention for a spot in the tournament semifinal.
The All-Stars got off to a solid start at the plate, as Max Simmons hit a lead-off single before coming around to score when Javin Boynton hit into a fielder's choice.
Boynton got the start on the mound and struggled with his control from the outset, walking six in 1 1/3 innings of work. He left the game with a 3-1 deficit and bases loaded for Gerritt Gulutzan, who surrendered a three-run triple to the first batter before a passed ball one hitter later increased the All-Stars deficit to 7-1 through two innings.
After Simmons scored the All-Stars' second run in the third, Calgary West went right back to work at the plate, with a three-run home run keying a four-run inning that saw the Alberta representatives take an 11-2 lead.
Moose Jaw put together a mini-rally of their own in the top of the fourth, stringing together four straight base hits and bringing home a pair of runs to close the score to 11-4.
The All-Stars held Alberta off the board in the fourth courtesy a solid inning of mound work from Ryan Duncan, who hit the first batter but struck out the next three to hold the Calgary lead to seven.
Moose Jaw tagged one more run on in the sixth, but that would be as close as they'd get.
It was yet another solid day at the plate for Simmons, who has continued as one of the All-Stars' offensive leaders through the week after a 2-for-3 showing that saw him score the first-inning run and knock in one.
Cooper Gregor was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Jackson Folliott 2-for-2 with a run scored and RBI.
The All-Stars close out the round robin against Coquitlam, B.C. on Tuesday (9 a.m.) Moose Jaw time and Ontario on Wednesday (10 a.m.). Both games will be streamed on CBC.ca.
