The Nanaimo Pirates always seem to have a comeback in them.
The Hub City Paving Pirates won two out of three games on the road this past weekend to move above .500 on the season.
Nanaimo (5-4) split with the Victoria Eagles on Saturday, winning 5-3 and losing 4-1. The next day the Pirates beat the White Rock Tritons 4-1 but ran out of time to get in the second half of the doubleheader.
The highlight of the weekend was the first game. The Pirates were down 3-1 going into the last inning, but pushed two runs across. The Eagles threatened in their half of the inning, but the Pirates’ Lee Martin threw out a baserunner at home plate from the outfield.
“He made a fantastic throw home…” said Doug Rogers, Pirates manager. “If they’d scored that run, they win and it would have been a walk-off hit.”
Instead, the game went to extra innings and the Pirates won it in the eighth.
Luke Skingle threw all eight innings for the win, striking out eight batters. Brady Rogers had a double and two RBIs and Shawn Arabsky hit a single and a double.
Doug Rogers said even the Eagles coaches marvelled at the Pirates’ comeback.
“That’s Nanaimo,” said the manager. “All the players have that Hub City grit about them. It’s tough to put us away.”
The Pirates made some mental mistakes in the second game, Doug Rogers said, that led to defeat. The team only compiled four hits, two by Braeden Mousseau who hit a single and a double.
Sunday’s early game saw Alex Rogers earn the win with a strong outing, throwing five innings and allowing two hits while striking out nine batters. Tanner Linn was solid in relief. Tristan Olsen hit a single and a double and Connor Jones had a double and two RBIs.
In the weekend finale, the Pirates came back to tie the Tritons 3-3 through five innings, but the game had to be called as night was falling. The final innings will be played in Nanaimo next month.
“We did well to climb back in that one and tie it so hopefully when we’re fresh and we play the last couple innings we can jump on top,” said Doug Rogers.
BASE LINES … The Pirates visit the Victoria Mariners on Saturday (April 27) and then play the Langley Blaze the next day in the Fraser Valley.
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