WESTLOCK – A pair of dominant victories has the Westlock Red Lions back into second place in the North Central Alberta Baseball League and only a handful of games out of top spot.
The Red Lions opened last week with a no-nonsense 7-1 victory over the Fort Saskatchewan Reds at Keller Field July 11, then followed it up the next night with a 4–1 win over the Barrhead Orioles. The two-game heater, which erases a two-game losing streak the week previous, now has the club at 9-5, while the St. Albert Cardinals remain in first at 12-3. The Parkland Twins occupy third at 9-6, while the Orioles are in fourth at 4-12 and the Reds sit at 3-11.
Player/manager Chris Brand said they buckled down defensively in both games, while their starting pitchers were strong and kept the basepaths clear. Against the Reds, starter Corson Hanlan struck out 12 over seven innings and only gave up three hits, while the only run the Reds scored was unearned. At the dish, Nathan Brown led the way going three-for-four with two runs, two RBIs and a stolen base.
Versus Barrhead, starter Kyle Lawrence also pitched a complete-game gem, giving up four hits, while striking out 10 and the only run was unearned. At the plate, Nate Day went one-for-four with two RBIs.
“We had some other guys step up and give us some timely hits,” said Brand, noting they also got some good at-bats from some midget players during the Orioles game. “It gave them a little taste of senior ball, which was good.”
The club's one home tilt slated for tonight, July 18, versus the Twins has been postponed due to the rain, while the NCABL all-star game is still on track for Sunday, July 23 — no make-up date for the July 18 game has been set yet. With six games to go, Brand says the club continues to round into playoff form.
“We just want to continue working on having good habits and good approaches at the plate. If we keep focusing on playing good defence and keeping the runs down, we’ll be OK,” he said.
