Thirteen may be an unlucky number for some people, but for the Red Lions June 22, it was pretty close to perfection.
Led by pitcher A.J. Bosman’s one-hitter, the Red Lions took advantage of some sloppy play by the Edmonton Warriors to walk off the field 13-0 winners at Keller Field.
“It all starts with pitching,” said coach Ryan Rau. “A.J. didn’t give them a sniff.”
For their part, the Red Lions also made a few errors during the game, three to be exact, taking a bit of the shine off Bosman’s one-hitter.
After being shut down in the bottom of the first, the Red Lions came alive with two runs in the second. Trevor Miller led off with a double, before advancing to third on a wild pitch. He would come around to score on Nathan Swap’s fielder’s choice. Adam Sawatzky was next up, and drew a walk before making his way to second on another wild pitch. Curtis Smith followed with a single of his own, cashing in Sawatzky.
In the third, the Red Lions continued to score, pushing another two runs across the plate. With one out, Chris Brand walked, and was followed by a single by Miller. A wild pitch moved both runners up to second and third, before Sawatzky drove them home with a single, making the score 4-0 through three innings.
While Bosman continued his mastery on the mound, his teammates kept plating runs.
The fourth inning saw three more runs cross the plate. With two outs, Brand cashed in Rau, Miller drove in Brand and Swap plated Miller.
After the Warriors pitcher struck out the side in the fifth, the Red Lions got right back on the sticks in the sixth, plating six more runs to run their lead to 13-0.
“The batters did their jobs,” Rau said after the game. He added he was happy to see the offence keep up the pressure in the later innings after the Red Lions had established a solid lead.
Although the team was rusty after not having played or practised in a while because of the rain and wet conditions, he said he thought the team played well.
The next day, the Red Lions travelled to Legal to take on the Indians.
Up against 2009 North Central Alberta Baseball League MVP southpaw Blair Cowley, Westlock was in tough to score, Rau said. However, taking the hill for the Red Lions, and equally up to the task was Adam Sawatzky.
After seven scoreless innings, the Red Lions broke through for their only run of the game in the top of the eighth.
With one out, Bosman drew a walk. This was followed by Ryan Teske and Jordan Brand each drawing a walk of their own to load the bases. The stage was then set for Rau, who delivered a clutch suicide squeeze bunt.
“A.J. came scampering home on the squeeze bunt,” Rau said.
Playing with the lead, the Red Lions didn’t make it any easier for themselves in the bottom of the inning.
The Red Lions retired the first two Indians, but the next two batters hit a single and a double, putting runners on second and third with two outs. Sawatzky intentionally walked the next batter, loading the bases. The game’s final batter grounded out on a close play at first, ending the game.
“It was a huge win for us and a crushing loss for them,” Rau said.
Westlock returns to the diamond June 27 in Bon Accord for a make-up game, and then heads to Edmonton the following day to take on the Blackhawks.
