The VIBI Mariners might have fared better than a weekend split, but a few bad innings were to blame.
Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Baseball Institute team hosted the Okanagan Coyotes for a series at Serauxmen Stadium Saturday and Sunday. The M’s lost the opener 3-1, won 2-1 and 5-1, then finished with a 17-7 loss.
“When we were winning, we were on. When we were losing, there might have been some slack there,” said Mike Williams, VIBI pitcher.
Sunday afternoon’s blowout loss is just one of those things that happen over the course of a long season, suggested M’s manager Jordan Blundell.
“It’s one of 40 or 50 games that we play and every so often things don’t go your way and you’re not able to do much about it,” he said. “It just kind of piled up on us a little bit.”
But it was a clear example of the inconsistency that the Mariners would like to improve on as playoffs draw nearer.
“Wins and losses are one thing, but playing good baseball every inning is more important,” Blundell said. “I think we’re in a good spot. We’ve got things to get better at, for sure, and we know that.”
In the first game of the weekend the M’s just couldn’t find enough hits and run support for starter Cody Chartrand. The right-hander threw a complete-game loss, allowing five hits, and held the lead until the Coyotes scored three runs in the final inning. Liam Goodall and Chad Schultz had the only two hits for VIBI.
The second game Mike Williams was the winning pitcher, giving up five hits and one walk over six innings. Luke Hawkins posted the save. Goodall had a single, double and a walk, Jeremy Harasymchuk had two hits and an RBI and Cody Andreychuk hit a triple.
Williams said he was just concentrating on throwing strikes.
“I had a bit of trouble sometimes in there – I go my first two outs and then I’d have trouble with the last one – but overall I could throw strikes,” he said. “So I kept them on their toes with my off-speed and my fastball.”
Starting pitcher Connor Russell followed up with another strong effort, throwing a nine-inning complete-game victory, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters. Cody Phipps led the offence with a single, a double and an RBI and Cody Andreychuk and Jeremy Harasymchuk had two hits apiece.
In the finale, Reiley Grose suffered the loss on the mound. Liam Goodall led VIBI’s attack, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Harasymchuk and Jackson McCuaig each had two hits, Andreychuk hit a triple and Aaron Witzke hit a double.
GAME ON … Next up for the Mariners is a road trip to Alberta to face the University of Calgary Dinos and the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack on Saturday (April 28) and Sunday. VIBI doesn’t have any more home games this season. National championships are May 10-12.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
