The Red Lions opened their season May 8 in Edmonton, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Edmonton Jays.
“We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities,” said player/coach Ryan Rau.
After playing a scoreless first inning, the Red Lions starting attacking the Jays’ pitching in the second, managing to load the bases with only one out. However, they were unable to get the one hit they needed to score the game’s first run.
It was in the top of the third that Westlock finally got on the board. The inning started with a leadoff single, followed by a fly out to centre field. A stolen base, a walk and a double later, the score was 1-0 Red Lions, with runners at second and third and only one out.
The next batter walked to load the bases, followed by a force out at the plate for the second out. Another walk increased the Red Lions’ lead to 2-0 before a fly out to centre ended the inning.
In the top of the fourth, the Red Lions increased their lead to 3-0 following an error by the Jays’ second baseman.
The bottom of the fourth saw the Jays get on the board, scoring a single run to cut the deficit to 3-1.
After a scoreless top of the fifth, the Jays came to life in the bottom of the inning. They scored one run early, and then added two more on a deep double, on their way to a three-run inning and a 4-3 lead.
That would be it for the scoring in the game, as the Jays withstood a Red Lions charge in the final two innings, holding on for a 4-3 win.
After the game, Rau said that there were a few times the Red Lions had men on but weren’t able to get the hits they needed to take advantage of the situation.
“We left a lot of runners on base,” he said. “If we had gotten the hits we could have had a big lead.”
However, he said he’s not disappointed with how the team played, because he knew the players would be a bit rusty with it being the first game of the season.
The Red Lions returned to the diamond May 15 in Camrose for a doubleheader against the Axemen. Their first home game is May 18 against the Edmonton Blackhawks at Keller Field.
