The
Sarnia Braves improved their Western Counties
Baseball League record to 11-0 with a 5-4 victory
over the Wyoming Cattlebarons. The win gave the
Braves the sweep in the three game season series
with Wyoming and a successful opening day at Errol
Russell Park in the city’s southend.
Nick
Baljeu (1.57 ERA) picked up his third win of the
season for Sarnia as he went five strong innings
allowing only five hits. Rory Fell came on for the
save.
The
Braves hit the board in the first inning as Russ
Muhlig and James Grant would each single and come
around to score on RBl singles by Mason McCarthy and
Chris Bright.
The home
side would extend the lead to 5-0 in the third
inning. Muhlig and Grant would again reach base.
Rick Taylor would then drop a sacrifice bunt moving
the pair to second and third.
McCarthy would come up and shoot a single into left
field which would score Muhlig. McCarthy would then
steal second and Anthony Shepherd would single to
drive in Grant for the 4-0 lead.
With
runners on the corners, Shepherd would take off for
second on a steal attempt and on the throw McCarthy
would break for home plate. After a close play at
home, McCarthy would be ruled safe for the 5-0
Braves lead.
Wyoming
would claw back with two runs on Baljeu in the
fourth and two runs on Fell in the seventh before a
Wade Babula to Jamie Barron to Taylor double play
would end the game with the tying Wyoming run on
third base.
“Pitching in front of such a strong defensive team
helps in close games like this,” says winning
pitcher Nick Baljeu. “You know that if you make the
right pitches the players behind you are going to
get the outs and we proved that again today. An 11-0
record in this league is a great feeling, but we
have to keep the petal down and work hard every day.
There is a lot of baseball left this summer.”
Sarnia
now goes on the road to the Wyoming Cowboys, Corunna
Giants and Dresden Juniors over the next six days
before resuming play at Errol Russell next week.
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