Offence stalls last place Royals

The annual June snowstorm for the Armena Royals is taking place yet again. That being the cold, hard fact, the Royals can’t hit their way out of a wet paper bag.

The club has only scored seven runs in their last four games, including three runs against the Ryley Rebels in the home-and-home-series which the Rebels could only field eight players – two outfielders. Not once did the Royals take advantage of the…ummm advantage.

“You can tell they have some experience during those Saturday and Sunday morning hangover games,” said associate player-coach Jason Buzzell. “I can’t say they looked any worse with eight guys, they embarrassed us a bit by beating us shorthanded, but we can only blame ourselves.”

The Royals struggles offensively seemed to begin in a pivotal home-and-home with Holden at the end of May. Coming off a 5-1 win over Camrose, Armena could only muster four runs in 8-3 and 3-1 losses.

Despite Bardo Day, which is always a hit fest it seems with some third and fourth string pitchers vying into the mix, the Royals then were felled by the Rebels 9-1 and 5-2.

”As all the teams have found, the two-week hiatus did not help our bats,” Buzzell said, referencing the rain outs and postponements in mid-June. “Couple that with being short the first part of the year, then having 11-12 guys a couple nights in the Holden and Ryley series, guys aren’t getting the at-bats needed I guess to break out of it.”

Stranded runners have plagued the young last place team, too. Thirteen runners in those four games were stranded in scoring position. Another two were either thrown out at third or home. That’s a lot of runs to give away – especially for a team that’s giving up a few runs themselves.

”One or two runs isn’t going to cut it,” Buzzell concluded. “It’s frustrating and then at the same time you think you just need a couple hits in key situations and you’ll pull out of it. 

Maybe that’s what makes it so disappointing.”

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Jason Buzzell