The midget AAA Cowichan Valley Mustangs won just one of their four baseball games on an admittedly tough road trip to the Mainland last weekend.
The Mustangs were swept by the Aldergrove Dodgers 7-4 and 2-1 in a doubleheader on Saturday, then split their two games with the Chilliwack Cougars on Sunday, winning 4-3 and losing 9-8. Aldergrove sits near the top of the midget AAA standings, while Chilliwack is close to the bottom.
The Mustangs got off to a slow start in the first game against Aldergrove, then battled back to hold a one-run lead, only to see it slip away in the Dodgers’ last at bat.
“Then, to top it off, we got off to an unfortunate start in the second game as the Dodgers scored two runs on a wild pitch play,” manager Tod LeSergent said. “Turned out it was their only two runs of the game.”
A clutch double by Brady Radcliffe drove in the winning run in extra innings in the first game on Sunday, and the second game slipped away on another big final at bat for Chilliwack.
“The timely hits are just not there right now,” LeSergent lamented. “We’ve been in good position in all our games but just can’t close the deal. We are hoping that changes as we head into the final stretch of the regular season.”
Tanner Cummings went 2-for-3 with a double in the first game against Aldergrove, Jayden Hamm was 2-for-2, Nolan Fothergill was 1-for-3, Cam LeSergent had two RBIs and Jacob Montague had one RBI. Hamm and Brady Radcliffe both recorded steals. Fothergill had five strikeouts and allowed three walks and six hits over five and one third innings, while James McMahon pitched two thirds of an inning in relief.
In the second game, Cole Anderson and Riley Windsor both went 1-for-2, Windsor’s hit going for a double. Kale Eddy, Graedy Hamilton and Dyson Kew all went 1-for-3, and Hamilton had the lone RBI. Anderson pitched all six innings and had four strikeouts while allowing four hits and four walks.
In the opener against Chilliwack, McMahon went 1-for-1 and Radcliffe was 1-for-2 with a double and one RBI. Odhan Manhas went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, Hamilton was 1-for-3, and Cummings, Manhas and Anderson all had steals. McMahon pitched five innings with five strikeouts and gave up five hits and one walk, Braydon Langer threw one inning for two hits and one strikeout, and Hamm got the win with six strikeouts, one hit and one walk over two innings.
In the second game, Hamm went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Manhas was 1-for-1 and Eddy went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Cummings, Montague and LeSergent were all 1-for-4, LeSergent coming through with an RBI. Radcliffe pitched two and a third innings for one strikeout, one hit and five walks, followed by Kew, who threw three and two thirds innings with two strikeouts and gave up four hits and four walks.
The Mustangs will head back to the Mainland this weekend to visit Richmond City on Saturday and Fraser Valley on Sunday.
