For the first time in three years, it looks as though Red Lions fans will have an opportunity to see the boys play a semi-final game on their home turf this year.
The semi-finals of the North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) are traditionally played on the same weekend as the Westlock Fair, and with a 5-2 victory over the Mayerthorpe Mets Wednesday night, the Lions are now guaranteed at least fourth place.
“I imagine there will be a big supportive crowd for us,” coach Ryan Rau said. “We’ve had a few Westlock fairs with no Westlock games for a three years, so I think a lot of people will come out to watch.”
Wednesday’s win against Mayerthorpe didn’t come easy, however.
“It was another battle. We got off to a slow start again for the third game in a row,” Rau said. “We made an error in the first inning and it allowed them to get ahead of us 1-0.”
That didn’t last long, however, as the Lions’ Ryan Teske hit a triple on his next at-bat, then scored on a ground out.
The Mets again gained the edge in the bottom of the second, scoring to make it a 2-1 game. Pitcher A.J. Bosman seemed to find his groove and held back the Mets offence for the rest of the game.
The Mayerthorpe pitcher was also holding strong, denying the Lions a tying run until the fifth inning. At that point, however, he began to fall apart.
“Their pitcher ran out of gas and he walked the first three batters,” Rau said.
After a pitching change for the Mets, it was up to Trevor Miller to score the three runners. It was a long at-bat, with a full count and several foul balls, but his perseverance paid off.
“Trevor hit a double to the gap and scored all three runners,” Rau said.
“That was the big TSN turning point.”
Miller then scored the fifth run for the Lions on a ground out. From then on, the Lions held the Mets back, which was no small accomplishment.
“Mayerthorpe’s a team that we’ve got a lot of respect for; they do a lot of winning in our league. They always used to handily beat us,” Rau said. “The tables have turned this year. They’re out of the playoffs and we’re in the playoffs.”
The Lions still have three regular season games which will determine who plays who in the semi-finals, but Rau said the team is hoping for anyone but the first-place Parkland White Sox.
“The goal would be to battle Parkland on their turf for the finals,” Rau said.
He emphasized, however, that the Lions are confident they can take the title, despite Parkland’s strong performance this season.
“Parkland’s been showing some chinks in their armor this year; they’re losing some games that in the past they wouldn’t have,” he said. “They’re certainly not without flaws.”
After the win over Mayerthorpe ran their winning streak to 10 games, the Red Lions came home to play a doubleheader against the Sherwood Park Athletics.
The first game saw the home side lose a game for the first time since falling to the league-leading Parkland White Sox on June 9.
Led by pitcher Colin Vaughan, the Athletics used a number of timely hits in the fourth and sixth innings to edge the Red Lions 2-1.
The lone Westlock run came in the fifth inning when Chris Brand drew a bases-loaded walk to score Nathan Swap.
“The winning streak is over, so it’s time to start a new one,” said Rau.
Vaughan was able to keep the Red Lions off balance all game, Rau said.
He added that even when Vaughan had a rough time in the fifth, the Red Lions weren’t able to capitalize like they usually do.
“You got to tip your cap to the pitcher,” he said.
Despite the loss, Rau said the team still showed good defence and solid pitching, which bodes well for the playoffs.
The Red Lions wrap up their season with the second game of the doubleheader Sunday afternoon and a home game Aug. 10 against the Legal Indians.
