WESTLOCK – The Westlock Red Lions find themselves looking up at the top two spots of the North Central Alberta Baseball League following an unexpected 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Fort Saskatchewan Reds.
The July 5 loss in Fort Saskatchewan is the second-straight for the club that now occupies third with a record of 7-5, while the St. Albert Cardinals lead the league at 10-3 and the Parkland Twins sit at 8-6 — the Cardinals defeated the Twins 9-5 in a July 7 tilt in Spruce Grove.
Red Lions player/manager Chris Brand said they got off to a good start with two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Reds cut the lead in half in the bottom of the frame.
From there the Red Lions just couldn’t cash in any runners and stranded “nine or 10” on base, while the Reds went ahead 3-2 in the fourth inning, then tagged on two more in the fifth to cruise to the victory.
Brand said the two-game losing streak is a bit of a wake-up for them as they hadn’t dropped a game to the Reds in a few seasons and now find themselves in a dogfight for one the Top 3 spots with eight games remaining. The Barrhead Orioles currently sit in fourth at 4-10, while the Reds are a game behind at 3-8, with three games in hand.
“We had our chances to break things open and had the bases loaded a few times. But give Fort Saskatchewan credit, they played a pretty-flawless game,” said Brand the day after the defeat. “This is a team we haven’t lost to in three years, so eventually they do get your number. It is what it is.”
This week the Red Lions will look to right the ship when they host the Reds July 11 at Keller Field, then head to Barrhead the following night to take on the Orioles — first pitch for both is 7:15 p.m.
“Nothing is a guarantee and that’s something we discussed. Certainly, we’re not panicking, but we talked about coming to the diamond with more of a purpose and getting on a bit of a run,” Brand added.
