Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
The Saskatchewan Premiere Baseball League’s 18U regular season has just passed the half-way point and Prince Albert’s two teams in that loop are hanging on by a thread to qualify for the Tier 1 provincial playdowns scheduled for next month.
“Game 1 on Sunday vs. the (Regina) A’s was one we’d like to have back,” commented Royals’ manager Troy Semenchuk in reference to a 12-8 loss at Andy Zwack Field where Prince Albert gave up four runs in the sixth inning which ultimately proved to be the difference. “Our pitchers got themselves into hitter’s counts and we really had to alter our pitching plan because of it.”
“The A’s are a team that we should beat every time out and we just didn’t come ready to play and it cost us,” added Semechuk. “As a coach’s group we were very disappointed in our play in this game.”
The team must have taken to heart whatever it was the coaches had to say as in the nightcap on Sunday the Royals trounced the A’s 16-2 with Jackson Anderson leading the way going 3-for-4 and knocking in five runs. Declan Lavallee and Kole McGregor combined on a five-hitter to record the victory.
The split on Sunday followed even more heartbreak on Saturday as the Royals jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the first inning of the opening game of a twinbill against the Estevan Brewers only to see that lead evaporate and result in a 7-5 setback. In the second game, Prince Albert scored four in the top of the seventh to square the score at 13-13, but the match had to be called after seven complete due to time constraints on the field.
The resulting 1-2-1 record from the weekend, along with a 9-4 decision over the Saskatoon Phillies earlier in the week, leaves the Royals’ record at 7-7-1, which is good enough to be tied for the eighth and final spot that would qualify them for the Tier 1 provincials.
The team they are tied with is Prince Albert’s other, and newest, entry in the 18U division – the Padres.
Like the Royals, the Padres also hosted Estevan and the Regina A’s in a pair of doubleheaders on the weekend, but the Padres faired just a bit better sweeping Regina 5-1 and 12-1 on Saturday before losing 14-3 in the opener against Estevan on Sunday and then giving up five in the bottom of the seventh inning to settle for a 14-14 draw with the Brewers in the nightcap.
Jett Miller had a pair of strong games at the plate for the Padres going 3-for-3 in the 12-1 win over Regina on Saturday and then going 2-for-3 in the opening loss to Estevan on Sunday. Josh Bonthoux was also 2-3 in the loss to the Brewers while in the draw during the nightcap he was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI’s.
The weekend results leave the Padres with a 5-5-1 record on the season, but they have some extra games to play in the final month resulting from earlier contests being postponed due to poor weather when the season started.
Both the Padres and Royals continue with their heavy schedules this week as the Royals are in North Battleford on Thursday to face the Beavers before once again hosting a pair of southern clubs in weekend doubleheaders.
The White Butte Broncos and Regina White Sox will be the opponents this weekend with the Padres facing Regina on Saturday at 9 a.m. and noon followed by the Royals squaring off against the Broncos at 3 and 6 p.m. On Sunday the times will be reversed with the Royals taking on the White Sox in the early games before the Padres tangle with White Butte in the late time slots. All games will be played at Andy Zwack Field.
The Prince Albert entry in the 15U division was quiet this week, but they were scheduled to face the Lakers in Watrous for a doubleheader on Monday. The Royals entered that twinbill with a 3-8-0 record
on the season and could pass Watrous for fifth place in the eight-team circuit if they were to sweep the Lakers. Final results were not available by press time.
One other Royals team, the 13U squad, does not compete in a league, but relies on tournament and exhibition games to prepare for provincial playdowns. The 13U Royals were idle last week, but they will be in Muenster for a tournament this coming weekend and then on June 27 they will host Muenster in a doubleheader at the Kinsmen Baseball Complex in Crescent Acres. Game times for those games will be 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Provincial champions will be determined in late July with Prince Albert being the host city for the 13U, 15U and 18U Western Canadian Baseball Championships in mid-August. There is a lot of ball to be played and as the season progresses the level of play will only get better.
