'14 PBL SCHEDULE OPENS WITH A REBELS WIN

The 2014 Powerline Baseball League schedule kicked off this afternoon on what turned out to be a cold and windy day with the Ryley Rebels and Bardo Athletics tangling for the fifth time on opening day. With temperatures dipping towards zero degrees with the wind at times and with snow flurries blowing across the field, it was the offence of both teams that came to play combining for twenty runs in the 13-7 Rebels win. 

Win - Scott Koughan (1-0)

Loss - Sean Melanson

Right hander Craig Koughan would get the Opening Day start for the Rebels for the second year in a row against the Bardo Athletics and it looked like a great start for the Rebels after the top of the first inning. The Rebels would send a total of nine hitters to the plate with the first five hitters reaching safely. SS Corey Epp would start the season off with a line drive sinlge into centre field followed by a CF Tyson Schielke single. After a wild pitch to put Epp and Schielke at third and second, P Craig Koughan would help his own cause with a two RBI single into left centre over the glove of a leaping Athletics' SS Ryan Olson's glove. C Kevin Reinholt would walk before RF Kris Kushnerick would bunt for a single to load the bases. After a fielder's choice to give the Athletics their first out, 3B Scott Koughan would reach on an error to SS Ryan Olson who over threw 2B Sean Melanson to allow Reinholt to score and Kushnerick to make it a quick 4-0 Rebels lead. 

But the Athletics would answer back for three runs in the home half of the first inning to make it a game once again. After the Rebels sent nine hitters to the plate, the Athletics also sent nine hitters to the plate. CF Dylan Berrecloth and C Rob Berrecloth would start the game with back to back singles just like the Rebels did with Epp and Schielke. This time the Bardo Field would rear its ugly head as SS Ryan Olson and 3B Ken Braget would reach first base on errors to SS Corey Epp who battled the extremely sandy and soft surface to make it 4-2 Rebels. It is rumored that the Bardo Recreation Society decided it would be best to dump a few truck loads of sand on the diamond prior to the start of the PBL season making stealing bases, bunting and fielding a ground ball incredibly tough. The A's would finish their three run inning with a P Chris Kallal flare into left field to make it a 4-3 game in what turned out to be a long and cold inning for both teams in the field.

Undaunted, the Rebels offence add to the lead in the second inning as once again SS Corey Epp and CF Tyson Schielke led off the inning with back to back hits. Epp would paint the left field line for a stand up double and Schielke would drive him in with a RBI single back up the middle. After a stolen base to get into third base, Schielke would come in on an error to Athletics 3B Ken Bragget to extend the lead to 6-3 Rebels. 

Both pitchers would settle down for the time being as Bardo P Chris Kallal hold the Rebels off the score board in the third inning with a 1-2-3 inning while Koughan would end his last two innings holding the A's off the scoreboard in the second and third inning. But the wheels would come off for the Rebels in the bottom of the fourth inning with P Scott Koughan making his Rebels debut. After a quick out to line out to the nine hole hitter, A's leadoff hitter CF Dylan Berrecloth would drive a ball into the right field jet stream which eluded new Rebels RF Brett Holmberg. Holmberg would recover and throw a strike to 2B Tyler Helgeland as Berrecloth was round second heading to third base. Helgeland would throw a strike to 3B Kris Kushnerick who seemingly but the tag on Berrecloth as he slide into third base and showed the umpire the ball. While the play looked like a double with Berrecloth out on the 9-4-5 play, the umpire would call Berrecloth safe and instead of two outs and no one base, the Rebels were faced with a runner on third base and only one out. The play would snow ball into some offence for the Athletics as C Rob Berrecloth would get a RBI single to centre field to score Dylan Berrecloth from third. Rob Berrecloth, SS Ryan Olson and 3B Ken Bragget would allow follow suit and cross home plate to make it 7-6. 

Instead of imploding and mailng it in like they have in the past, the Rebels offence got to work on the Athletics bullpen and Sean Melanson in the fifth inning. After a 1-2-3 fourth inning by Melanson, the fifth inning would start with a walk to C Kevin Reinholt and 3B Kris Kushnerick getting hit by a pitch. 2B Tyler Helgland would score Reinholt on a single and also allow Kushnerick to go first to third. P Scott Koughan would put the Rebels in the lead and collect the game winning run on a sacrifice fly to centre field to score Kushnerick to make it a 8-7 game. The Rebels would not look back.

Scott Koughan would only allow three base runners in his next three innings of work and only allow one Athletic to reach second base. Koughan would induce seven ground ball outs and collect three strike outs in the last twelve outs of the game to notch his first Powerline Baseball League victory and send the Rebels' fans home happy. 

The team was lead offensively by SS Corey Epp who would finish the game 3 for 4 with walk, double, three runs scored and a RBI. CF Tyson Schielke would also score three runs on the afternoon and P/1B Craig Koughan, who got the no decision on the mound, would plate three RBIs. C Kevin Reinholt had a very Moneyball-esque game finishing 0 for 2 but having three walks and two runs scored. Also of note was RF Brett Holmberg's RBI single in the top of the seventh inning off of former Tofield Satellites teammate Ryan Olson from the Bardo Athletics. Holmberg would also come around to score later in the inning for the Rebels thirteenth run of game. 

The Rebels will now gear up for the Camrose Roadrunners on Tuesday May 13 in Ryley. It will be the Rebels home opener and a good crowd is expected to fill the stands while the Roadrunners will be playing their first game of the 2014 season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00pm.