The Grey Lions will end their regular season third in the Alberta West Central Baseball Association after a 1-1 week.
The Lions came out on top 14-4 in their home game against the Edmonton Heat July 25, but lost 4-2 in a tight match-up against the Red Sox in Fort Saskatchewan July 26.
Pitcher Dean Fagnan said the Lions went into Monday’s game against the Heat looking for an early lock, and after putting up five runs in the first inning, things only got easier from there.
“We knew we needed one more win to get second or third and into the playoffs. We came out strong,” he said.
Fagnan chalked the win up to strong offence, and said that hard-hitting bats have propelled the Lions to victory all season.
“This year, if anything, our defence has been OK, and our pitching has been alright, but our offence has been getting those hits at the right time,” Fagnan said.
The Lions slipped on Tuesday against the Sox, but Fagnan called the loss a minor setback.
With their ‘A’ side playoff berth secured, a bit of hard ball is just warm-up for the post-season.
“It was well-pitched on both sides,” Fagnan said.
The Lions started off strong, up 2-1 going into the fourth inning, but Fort Saskatchewan managed to turn the tables and the club wasn’t able to recover.
“We had chances to score. The bases were loaded, but we just didn’t seem to be able to get the hits that we needed,” Fagnan said.
“We just couldn’t get that clutch hit.”
The club’s third-place finish means they will face the Cardinals in St. Albert Aug. 4 in the first round.
The team will return to Keller Field for the second game Aug. 10., but Fagnan said that when it comes to the post-season, just getting there was a big goal for the club.
“It’s another matter of who we’ll be playing in the second round, but our objective was to get into the top four for playoffs and we did that,” he said.
