Reds split tourneys

Times Reporter   

 

The midget Strathmore Reds traveled to Libby, Montana for the Wood Bat Classic from May 10-11, with a very successful turnout. The Reds went 4-0, winning the tournament final by a score of 2-1.

“We were really happy,” coach Zane Anderson said. “It was really our first tournament all year.”

The tournament featured teams from Montana and British Columbia; the Reds felt strong about their defensive gloves, but feel they need to get their bats going.

“The hitting is coming – we scored enough runs to win obviously, but overall it was a good weekend,” Anderson said. “Our pitchers were very good, and threw a lot of strikes.” 

The Reds were close to repeating their Libby success in Lethbridge from May 17-18 at the Ron Matthews Memorial Tournament, but dropped in the final to the hosts 10-7.

“Our first four games were really good – just like the Montana tournament,” Anderson said. The Reds won their four round robin matches, and were seeded number one going into the playoff round.

“We only had about nine or ten players,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if it’s an excuse but, we were short on guys and we played five games. We just didn’t play as good a ball game as we could have, but that’s the way it goes.”

The Lethbridge tournament, Anderson found, was much more offensive because of the metal bats that were used, where the ball can come off much faster and much more frequently due to a larger sweet spot; Libby was a wooden-bat tournament.

“There’s a little bit of difference between wood bats and metal bats,” he said. “We like wood bats because it really teaches the players how to hit.” 

The Strathmore Reds have their next tournament in Sherwood Park on May 31.