What a difference a weekend can make.
Playing doubleheaders against the Glacier Twins on Saturday and Sunday, the Cranbrook Bandits Senior ‘A’ American Legion team experienced a swift drop in the standings as they were on the losing end of some lopsided affairs.
On Saturday on the road, the Bandits lost 12-2 and then 17-2 in games that ended after five innings due to the 10-run lead mercy rule. Alex Smith started the first game at the mound before being replaced by Brayden Farquhar, after allowing five runs in the first inning.
Although Farquhar managed to throw 13 first pitch strikes while closing out the game, he was only able to strike out one batter and allowed seven more runs.
In the second game of the afternoon, Cranbrook started strong and came out of the top of the first inning with a 2-0 lead off singles from Ryley Ducharme and Greg Rebagliati. Unfortunately, by the end of the first, the Twins already had a 4-2 lead and from there five Bandits pitchers faced an onslaught of runs.
Heading back to Cranbrook for a pair of Sunday afternoon games, the negative trend continued and the Bandits were blasted 23-0 in their first match. Although they had a slightly better time in their second game, they pushed their losing streak to five after falling 17-5.
As the standings currently sit, the Bandits are in fifth place in the West ‘A’ division with a 5-9 record. At 11-3, Glacier is second only to the Bitterroot Red Sox who are 16-2, with Cranbrook being one of only two teams to beat them this year.
The Bandits close their regular season with three straight doubleheaders at home this week, playing the Kalispell Lakers on Tuesday, the Libby Loggers on Wednesday and the Missoula Mavericks on Saturday.
Every team in the division will then participate in the District tournament in Hamilton, Montana from Thursday, July 26 to Sunday, July 29 for a chance to make the Alberta-Montana state championship. The seeding will be determined by the league standings, following this upcoming weekend’s action.
