A win and a loss kept the Nanaimo Pirates near the top of the standings.
The Hub City Paving Pirates (6-2) split a B.C. Premier Baseball League doubleheader in the Fraser Valley against the Abbotsford Cardinals on Saturday, winning 3-1 before losing 8-4.
“A little disappointing…” said Doug Rogers, Pirates manager. “We thought that we’d be able to handle them, although it would be a test.”
The win saw starter Luke Skingle earn his third victory of the season, as he threw four innings before giving way to Colby Morgan, who posted the save. Offensively, Griffin Andreychuk hit a single and a triple and Ben Dunbar was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Justin Clarkson and Brendan McCarthy also had two hits each and Ryan Smith had a double.
In the second game most of the damage came in one inning as the Cards batted around in the fourth to score six runs.
“When things happen negatively for you, it’s very difficult to stop. It’s a chain reaction that happens and there’s not a lot you can do about it and all teams go through it,” said the manager. “The key is, who’s going to step up to stop it?”
Alex Rogers suffered the loss, allowing one earned run in three innings of work. Nate Odgers led the way at the plate for Nanaimo, going 2-for-3, and Bryan Odgers had a double and an RBI.
GAME ON … The Pirates are home all weekend on Saturday and Sunday (April 28-29), hosting the White Rock Tritons and the North Shore Twins, respectively. Game times both days are noon and 2:30 p.m. at Serauxmen Stadium.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
