The Westlock Red Lions took a big step towards the .500 mark with a 4-1 win over the visiting Edmonton Athletics May 24 at Keller Field.
“It’s good to have our first home win of the season,” said coach Ryan Rau.
Westlock jumped on the Athletics’ pitching early, leading off the game with three straight singles to load the bases with none out in the bottom of the first.
After a fielder’s choice force out at home retired leadoff batter Ryan Teske, Adam Sawatzky hit into another fielder’s choice to plate Rau with the game’s first run.
The Athletics would get that run back in the top of the third, tying the game 1-1.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Red Lions’ bats came to life again. Sheldon McConaghy drew a walk to lead off the inning, before being thrown out trying to steal second. Curtis Smith hit a single and was able to advance to second on the Athletics’ pitcher’s balk.
When Matt Hutchings grounded out to first, Smith moved up 90 feet to third base. Jordan Brand drew another walk and stole second, putting runners at second and third with two out. Teske took advantage of having runners in scoring position, driving both Brand and Smith home with a deep triple. After four complete innings, the Red Lions had the lead, 3-1.
“We got the key hits, like Teske’s big two-run triple,” said Rau after the game. “Those clutch hits can really shift the momentum.”
Pitcher A.J. Bosman kept the Athletics on their heels all game long, not allowing any more runs than the lone run they scored in the third.
It would take until the sixth inning for the Red Lions to score again. After Hutchings led off the inning grounding out, Brand reached base on a single. Teske popped out to second for the second out before Rau hit a single and Brand advanced to third. Chris Brand followed up with a single, scoring Jordan Brand and moving Rau to second. Nathan Swap flew out to short to end the inning.
The top of the seventh was the Athletics’ last chance to score and make the game close, but Bosman and the rest of the Red Lions shut them done with a perfect 1-2-3 inning.
After the game, Rau said Bosman was one of the difference makers in the game.
“We got good starting pitching from A.J.,” he said. “He struggled early, but he was able to find his groove. That was the key to the game.”
However, Rau also said credit had to be given to the Athletics’ pitcher, who threw a better game than Rau had ever seen him pitch before.
He added it was good that the Red Lions were able to score some runs when they were missing a few of their big bats.
“It was a character win,” he said, adding that the players didn’t give away too many at bats by swinging too early in the count.
There was only one concern for Rau in the game, he said, and that was that the team loaded the bases in the first and could only score one run.
“We wanted more, but to get that one run changed the momentum,” he said.
As of the end of games played on May 24, the Red Lions had a record of 2-3, good for eighth in the 11-team North Central Alberta Baseball League.
The Red Lions’ next game in scheduled for June 1 at Keller Field against the Mayerthorpe Mets at 7:15 p.m.
The club will also play host to the Harvey J. Doherty Memorial Baseball Tournament June 4-5. The Lions face the Edmonton Warriors at noon on Saturday, then take on the Border City Blue Jays on Sunday at 1 p.m.
