Hat rides monster fifth inning to big win over Regina at nationals
After opening the Canadian Little League Championship with a hard-fought loss to the White Rock All Stars, Medicine Hat coach Marc Seiller knew his squad needed a big inning to bounce back.
Well, they got all that and more in a 14-5 blowout win over the Regina Kiwanis Nationals at Lovell McDonnell Field.
“It brought up the mood, it brings up everybody,” Seiller said of his team’s eight-run fifth inning. “When you have everything going, it’s a good balanced attack and everything works well.”
Medicine Hat entered the fifth inning trailing by a run, but Evan Morrison quickly flipped the script with a 2-RBI single. The base hit opened the floodgates for Medicine Hat, with his teammates following up for eight runs on six hits, including a 3-RBI triple from Stone Davis — his second three-bagger in as many days — a 2-RBI single off the bat of Brett Getz and another RBI base knock from Kevan Schafer.
No one felt the dayto-day redemption more than Getz. The Hat pitcher started yesterday’s loss against White Rock and was chased from the mound after recording just one out. But when he got the chance to redeem himself Friday, he did not disappoint — posting a pair of zeros over the final two frames to seal his team’s first victory of the tournament and a 1-1 record.
“It’s nice. Yesterday I was a little mad but today it’s all good,” said Getz, adding he feels his squad is starting to put it all together. “The beginning of the game we were playing down to their level but by the end we started playing like ourselves. We started hitting the ball and playing good defence.”
Medicine Hat’s offence wasn’t limited to the fifth inning. The host squad kicked off the game with two in the first on a solo shot from Wyatt Bishop and an RBI single from Schafer. While the lead quickly vanished on a two-run shot from Regina’s Nate Silvester and a single off the bat of Jaxon Weir, the hosts dug in their heels and tacked on with runs in each of the next two innings. First Jeff Bullock laced an RBI single through the infield in the second then Schafer added a home run in the third for a total of 3 RBI on the evening.
Regina’s Matt Jennings put his team back out in front with a 2-RBI triple in the third, but it all unravelled when Medicine Hat jumped on the sticks in the fifth.
“I think we gave them seven or eight outs in that inning. That was rough,” said Regina manager Rob Krueger, who only had nine players in the dugout. “You don’t get a break. You give up a couple of runs and there’s no place to hide. That’s one of those tough life lessons that sports deals you.”
Medicine Hat’s Trevin Dressler and Ben Van Der Sloot put the icing on the cake with back-to-back jacks in the top of the sixth. First Dressler blasted a home run to straightaway centre, then Van Der Sloot sent his first hit of the tournament onto the bleachers in right field.
“I wasn’t doing very good, kind of in a slump,” said Van Der Sloot. “But I just went up, listened to my coach and hit a good one.”
Davis collected the victory after holding Regina to five runs on four hits through four complete innings, while Weir took the loss for the Nationals after allowing four runs on three hits in three innings of relief work.
Medicine Hat will look to break the .500 mark Saturday against Mirabel Diamond Academy at 5 p.m. before hosting Lethbridge Sunday at 5 p.m. Regina returns to the field Sunday to take on the Glace Bay Colonels at 11 a.m.
Lethbridge Southwest All Stars 7, Glace Bay Colonels 1
After dropping their first matchup at the Canadian Little League Championships, Riley Pearce and the Lethbridge Southwest All Stars knew they needed to bounce back. So the hard throwing righty took the ball to the mound and held the Glace Bay Colonels in check. Pearce struck out eight while allowing just one run on four hits through 5 and 2/3 innings to lock up a 7-1 victory for the All Stars in what he says was essentially a must-win game.
“It was really important so that we weren’t down lots,” said Pearce. “It feels good. I tried my best out there.”
Brennan McTavish entered the game with two out in the sixth inning following a single from Colonels shortstop Brayden McDonald and induced a loud line-out into the glove of sprawling left fielder River Hope to end the game.
The battery was certainly charged for Lethbridge. While Pearce was fanning batters and forcing ground balls, catcher Lyle Steadman simply could not be stopped at or behind the plate.
Steadman reached base in all three appearances, going 2for-2 with a home run and a single for 3 RBI. Left Fielder David Stewart also went 2-for-2 with 1 RBI on a long ball in the first inning.
“We’re seeing the ball,” said Steadman, adding Pearce’s pitching made every inning more comfortable on the sticks. “He was just having a great game, just pitching great.”
Glace Bay’s Wyatt Wells drove in his team’s only RBI in a 1-for-1 effort, while MacDonald was the only Colonel with a multiple-hit performance in a 2-for-3 outing.
Colonels starting pitcher Dawson Byrne settled for the loss after allowing three runs on four hits through 3 and 2/3 innings.
The Colonels, now 0-1, return to action Saturday at 11 a.m. against the White Rock All Stars before taking on the Regina Kiwanis Nationals on Sunday at 11 a.m..
Lethbridge will meet up with the Port Arthur Nationals Saturday at 2 p.m. and the host Medicine Hat squad Sunday at 5 p.m.
“Hopefully we can go out and win another one,” said Pearce.