With an 8-3 record through their first 11 games, the Westlock Red Lions are enjoying a strong season in North Central Alberta Baseball League action.
Their record has them sitting in second place as of July 13, a game behind the 9-2 Sherwood Park Athletics. That one-game deficit is the direct result of the two teams’ last meeting on July 11 at Keller Field, a 9-0 win by the visiting Athletics.
“It was a really close game until the fifth inning,” said Red Lions manager Adam Sawatzky.
Heading into the fifth inning, the Athletics were leading 1-0, but the Red Lions had outhit them 2-1.
In the fifth, the Red Lions surrendered a few walks, followed by a few “timely hits” by the Athletics, breaking the game wide open.
“I don’t think the score was really indicative of how the game went,” Sawatzky said. “It was much closer than the final score ended up being.”
Whereas the Athletics benefited from walks issued by the Red Lions pitchers, the Red Lions were done in by strong Athletics pitching.
“It was probably the hardest throwing pitcher we’ve seen all year,” Sawatzky said. “It took us at least once through the order before we got settled in.”
The game was the first of two makeup games against the Athletics. The teams were scheduled to play a double header on June 16 in Westlock, but it was rained out. The second makeup game is slated for July 18 at Keller Field.
Thursday’s game comes on the heels of the Red Lions’ rained-out game against the Edmonton Blackhawks on July 10 at Keller Field. That game was called off in the bottom of the fourth inning when storm clouds rolled in and unleashed a deluge of rain on Westlock. Since the teams were not able to complete five full innings, the game will be made up in its entirety later in the season.
Before the loss on Thursday, Sawatzky said he was pleased with how the Red Lions were playing this season.
“We’re quite happy with the season so far,” he said. “We’ve shown a high level of competitiveness and we’ve been working hard. We haven’t peaked yet, which is good, so we’re still building towards the end of the season.”
The team’s strong season can be seen in the listing of the league’s top hitters and pitchers.
As of July 7, Sean Beaudoin’s .536 batting average was the second best in the league. T.J. Oliwa was number five with a .483 batting average, while Nathan Swap’s .393 was No. 14.
On the pitching side, Aaron Watamaniuk has posted an ERA of 0.64 through 11 innings pitched, good for a tie for tops in the league. Kris Johnson, in 20 innings pitched, has posted an ERA of 2.10.
