Pirates not worried about winless start
Posted May 16, 2015
Pirates not worried about winless start
By Andrew Brethauer
May 12, 2015 8:15 AM
The Northwest Prairie Pirates had one disastrous inning in each of their two games against the Saskatoon Diamondbacks over the weekend, losing 8-5 on Friday night and 9-7 in the follow up game on Saturday.
Saskatoon scored seven runs in the third inning on Friday night, scoring on multiple bases loaded walks as the Diamondbacks scored on just three hits and two errors. Northwest scored twice in the fifth- and sixth innings to make it close, and even out-hit Saskatoon 10-6, but the costly inning was too much to overcome, as the Pirates dropped their third straight to start the season.
On Saturday, after taking a 3-2 lead heading into the fourth, the Prairie Pirates put up three in the bottom half of the inning for a 6-2 lead. However, with the bases loaded, Eric Clauson would send a long shot to the wall, ending up on third with a triple and cashing in three runs. Saskatoon would go on to score five in the inning and tack on two in the top of the seventh for a 9-7 final.
For the second straight game, Northwest out-hit the Diamondbacks, 11-6.
“We just had one bad inning,” said shortstop Dylan Flasch. “We just need to stay more focused defensively and they just had timely hitting today.”
Flasch went 5 for 7 over the weekend, earning four RBIs against the Diamondbacks, as the Pirates managed to get in the double-digits for hits in both games. Unfortunately, timely hitting for Northwest has been their undoing in the early part of the season, as the Pirates didn’t capitalize with runners on base for the fourth straight game.
On Friday night they left 11 men on base, while on Saturday they left 13 men on the bases, including a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the seventh with the winning run at the plate.
“Our attitude at the plate, we have to have a different approach sometimes,” said Blake Robertson, who went 4 for 7 over the weekend.
“Right now (it’s concerning),” said Flasch. “But in the future we will have timely hitting like the Diamondbacks did.”
But despite a slow start to the season, players and coaches are still optimistic about the season and are not pushing any panic buttons after the first two weekends of baseball. With 26 games remaining in the season, Northwest is still just a couple of weeks into playing outdoors after spending the winter months inside, and for them, it is about peaking at the right time of the season.
“I’m not a huge fan of starting 0-4, but realistically, we want to peak in July,” said Pirates head coach Chris King. “I could care less if we are 20-4 or 4-20, as long as we playing good ball heading in. There is enough talent on this team that they are not going to be losing all their games. I look forward after May-long (weekend) to regrouping and getting back on the road and hopefully starting the winning streak.”
Northwest will be off from Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League play until May 23 and 24, when they head to Regina for a Saturday doubleheader against the Regina Expos and a Sunday doubleheader against the Regina Athletics.
