The Sask Five AAA 18U Marlins played .500 ball at the Sask Selects baseball tournament hosted by the Swift Current Kal Tire 18U AAA 57’s over the Victoria Day long weekend.
They started the weekend with a 7-3 loss to the Regina Wolfpack, but rallied back with a 9-6 win over Swift Current on Saturday.
On Sunday the team experienced both ends of lopsided scores. First was a 13-1 loss to the Regina White Sox followed by a 11-1 win over the Calgary Bisons.
In Friday’s tilt the Marlins got on the board first after Reese Gyug reached first base on a Regina error. He moved to second on an Axel Flodell walk and scored on a hard hit single to left field by Hayden Connor.
Regina scored runs in each of the first three innings and blew the game wide open with a four run fourth inning.
The Marlins made the score closer in the sixth with Alex Flodell hitting a single and moving to third on a Hayden Connor single. Connor took second base uncontested. Flodell scored on a passed ball with Connor moving to third on the same play. Ben Hosegood came in as a pinch runner for Connor and scored on another passed ball. Sask Five were able to get two more runners on base with a walk and a player hit with the pitch before Regina shut down the rally with a strikeout.
In the top of the seventh inning the Marlins loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate. The Regina reliever was able to preserve their 7-3 win with a strikeout.
In Saturday’s game the Marlins would not be denied in the late innings, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning for a come from behind 9-6 win over the host Swift Current 57’s.
Sask Five got on the board in the first inning on the legs of Ben Hosegood. He reached first on a single to right field, moved to second on a Lukas Viden single, tagged up and took third on a Rhett Anderson flyball and scored on a passed ball.
Swift Current took a five run lead scoring two in the second inning and four in the third inning.
Sask Five got one back in the fifth inning as Houston Koch was able to score from second base on a Swift Current error.
This set up the dramatic sixth inning. Josh Gutek got the inning going with a line drive single to right field. Braden Toth singled to left field. Reese Gyug loaded the bases with a walk. Gutek scored on a passed ball, Toth and Gyug advanced on the same play. Joshua Kirk walked. Kash Berg walked, scoring Toth. A balk by the pitcher scored Gyug. Another balk by pitcher scored Kirk. Daysen Gabruck walked intentionally. Houston Koch line drive single to right field scored Berg and Gabruk. Koch stole second. A Ben Hosegood single advanced Koch to third where he would later score a passed ball.
They held Swift Current off the scoreboard to preserve a 9-6 win.
In Sunday’s 13-1 loss to the Regina White Sox the Marlins scored their lone run in the third inning on some great base running by Josh Gutek. After getting on with a walk, he advanced to second base on a passed ball. Kash Berg single advanced Gutek to third base. After Berg stole second base, Gutek scored with a steal of home. Regina took control of the game scoring four runs in their half of the third and salted the game away with eight runs in the fourth inning.
Sunday’s game two was a completely different story in a 11-1 win over the Calgary Bisons. Willis Simair earned the win pitching three scoreless innings striking out five batters. Houston Koch and Ben Hosegood came in relief to shut down the Bisons. The Marlins had sharp eyes, earning nine walks . They also took advantage of Calgary’s errors, combined with six hits, to come away with a decisive win. Josh Gutek, Lukas Viden, Hayden Connor and Masson Hnatiuk each scored two runs. Lukas Viden and Joshua Kirk each had two runs batted in. Hnatiuk went two for two at the plate. This performance is something to build on.
The Marlins next league game is against the East Central Red Sox on Wednesday, May 22 at Mocon Field in Martensville.