Expos down Beavers, lose to Cascades
The Sherbrooke Expos returned to form for a brief moment last weekend, as they ended a fourgame losing streak with a win over the Acton Vale Beavers, before being toppled by the Shawinigan Cascades on the following night.
It was a much-needed victory for the Expos, who sit third in the Ligue de Baseball Majeur du Québec (LBMQ) Louisville Slugger division. They defeated the Beavers 12-3 on Friday, scoring seven runs in the first two innings to demoralize their opponents.
They finished the night off with five runs in the last two innings. Germin Lopez, one of the youngest members of the team at 22 years old, sent the team in a frenzy with a three-run home run in the second inning. Ismaël Pena also hit a home run in the win.
Pena, an offensive catalyst for the Expos, made contact three out of four times at the plate. Sherbrooke pitcher Oscar Rodriguez earned his second win of the season, pitching five innings, and allowing only three runs.
However, after finding a rhythm on offence for the first time in two weeks, the Expos collapsed on Sunday against Shawinigan. The Cascades turned it on in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, scoring 12 runs in that span to defeat Sherbrooke 15-6.
Michel Dagenais, Vincent Bourget and Michaël Laprise put up 10 of the 15 points for the Cascades. Dagenais and Laprise both hit home runs. The Expos tried to rally in the last two innings, but there was nothing left in the gas tank at that point.
Pena provided one of the game’s only highlights for Sherbrooke, hitting a home run in the loss. Expos’ manager and player Bruno Laurin had three hits, while pitcher Claudio Ortiz suffered his third loss of the season.
Sherbrooke has a busy week with three games in four days. The Expos head to Montreal Wednesday evening for a showdown against the Jets. They return to Amedée Roy Stadium on Friday to face Victoriaville. And they go up against Saint-jérôme on Saturday.