Bantam Reds 1 get revenge on Pilots

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The Strathmore bantam Reds 1 got their revenge June 9 in Cheadle.
Taking on the Provost Pilots that eliminated them during last year’s semifinal run at provincials on a newly-christened Fair Field, the Reds beat them up and took the rematch 13-12.
“Not a lot of kids on either team were here last year, but our guys definitely know what happened. They were a little more fired up for this one,” said Reds Assistant Coach Sonny Warrack.
Like the provincial semifinal, the rematch came down to the wire.
The Reds held a one-run lead into the top of the seventh when closer Nolan Metzger walked the leadoff hitter. After striking out the next hitter, the Pilots picked up a single to right. Provost was getting aggressive and tried to score the runner from first base. The Reds executed a perfect run-down and threw out the runner who was trying to score. Behind the play, the batter that picked up the hit tried to advance to second, but he was also gunned out.
“We have practiced rundowns, but to see a game end like that on two of them was pretty wild,” said Warrack.
Warrack’s son, Ray, battled on the mound for the Reds. The young right hander went five innings, struck out five, but gave up eight runs to a strong hitting Pilot squad.
“Provost is a good team. They have a couple guys who could really hit,” said Warrack. “Our guys did a good job battling and running the bases. We kept the pressure on them all game.”
The Reds swiped nine bases against the Pilots and saw Kobe Gosling belt an inside-the-park home run in the second inning to score Metzger.
Jacob Galandy walked twice and drove in three runs for the Reds, and picked up a pair of stolen bases in the process.
Rain disrupted the start time of the Reds second game of the afternoon at Fair Field, when the Red Deer Braves were in town.
Once the field was ready to go, the Reds coasted to a 17-11 victory.
The top four hitters in the lineup of Adam Kirkpatrick, Galandy, Metzger and Gosling all scored their first three times through the order.
The Reds blew the doors open in the fourth, as they plated nine runs to grab a 17-3 lead.
Rain played a factor in the rematch with the Braves June 10 in Red Deer. The game got cancelled and will be made up on a later date.

Bumpy road
The midget Reds hit their first speed bump of the season.
It wasn’t just the rain that dampened their weekend, as the Camrose Cougars shelled them 10-0 June 9 in Camrose.
“Camrose is a big, strong team that is mostly made up of third- and second-year players,” said Red Assistant Coach Darren Cockx.
Despite Andrew Ericson striking out a pair of Cougars in the bottom of the first, the Cougars managed to post four runs on the strength of a pair of doubles and a triple.
The Reds loaded the bases in the third and put two runners on in the fifth but couldn’t get the clutch hit when they needed it, as the Cougars outhit them 14-5.
The Reds return home to Fair Field to host three games this weekend.