Junior Tigers still searching for groove
Peterborough Ontario Carpet Supermart Junior Tigers have hit a rough patch in their schedule but hope to be there when it counts.
The Tigers dropped both ends of an Eastern Ontario Baseball Association double-header to the Quinte Royals Saturday at the Trent University diamond. They lost 5-2 in the opener and 15-7 in the nightcap for their fourth loss in five games.
The Tigers, who are now 6-7, were missing their No. 3 and 4 hitters and were running a short bench due to player work commitments and injury.
When the team is healthy and everyone is in the lineup, coach Gus Bolin believes the Tigers are capable of contending at the Ontario Baseball Association championships in August. They still have a number of holdovers from their 2015 OBA A championship team but also have eight newcomers on the roster. Bolin said the regular season is essentially preparation for the provincials but he’d still like to see some better results.
“Everybody likes to win,” said Bolin. “We have eight first-year players and I’d only ever seen one, maybe two, before this season. You have to find out what they can do so the first half of the year is more a feeling out process. The second half I’ll have a better idea where I want to place guys.”
With veterans like Reagan Manley, Austin Hall, Mike Connelly, Liam Findlay, Josh Bolin, Shane Patterson, Nick MacLaren and Ryan Adamson. Gus Bolin says there is a solid core to work around.
“We have quite a few good pitchers and enough good hitters. It’s just right now we’re not getting everybody out all at the same time,” he said. “I think we have six good pitchers that all have experience and have good arms.”
Manley, who played junior varsity this year at West Virginia Wesleyan College, believes the recent slump is a blip on the radar.
“We’ve got some pretty good pitchers on this team who have helped us out,” said Manley. “We’ve been a timely hitting team. We haven’t really been an offensive team we’ve just got hits at the right times.”
The Tigers are back in the EOBA this season after playing in a league in the GTA.
“It was getting to be too much travel,” said Bolin. ‘We had to go to Toronto during the middle of the week and it’s pretty hard to get to Newmarket on a Wednesday night for a 6:30 game. Four of the five teams are still the same. Two years ago, we finished two games above .500 and last year one game below .500. This year we’re back to one game under .500 again.”
On the bright side, having eight first-year players, he said, insures the program should sustain itself for years to come.
In the opening game, Quinte scored two runs in the first inning and chipped away with runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh. Down 4-2, the Tigers had bases loaded and Manley hit the ball deep into the gap only to have it taken away by a strong fielding play. Braden Little and Connelly scored the Tigers’ runs.
In the second game, the Tigers were undone by an eight-run second inning by Quinte. They roughed up the usually reliable Findlay. Bolin said Findlay didn’t pitch that poorly it was more a case Quinte hit well. The Tigers reeled off five in the fifth inning but couldn’t come all the way back. Quinte had six extra base hits to the Tigers zero. Manley had two singles and scored two runs and reached base three times.
The Tigers host Oshawa Thursday night at Riverside Park.