The Red Lions came out on top in their double-header last Sunday against the Camrose Axemen, but the wins came at a steep price: the hand of starting pitcher Adam Sawatzky.
After starting the Lions on the road to a 7-4 victory in Game 1 at Keller Field Sunday, a line drive caught the 2015 all-star, breaking his thumb in four places, and leaving fellow 2015 all-star Kris Johnson to pitch the win.
Westlock destroyed the Axemen 19-0 in the second game of the afternoon to cement their second-place NCABL standings lead over Camrose, though a matching double-header in Barrhead gave the fourth-place Edmonton Primeaus a shot at closing a now-three game gap on the Lions.
“For us, it’s a statement to push ourselves up in the standings and create some separation,” Sawatzky said.
Sawatzky said Camrose’s poor performance was a surprise after the fight they put up in the 2015 NCABL finals, though he acknowledged that this year, the Axemen are splitting some of their players’ time with the Western Major Baseball League.
“They’re a team we have a pretty good rivalry with,” he said.
Game 2 also gave pitchers Curtis Burlet, Sean Beaudoin and Aaron Watamaniuk time to cycle the mound, but with Sawatzky down, possibly for playoffs, they’ll need the warm-up.
Last year, Sawatzky closed out the season with a 3.38 ERA and 19 strikeouts, facing 136 batters and allowing 46 hits, sealing his place as one of the NCABL’s Top 10 pitchers.
Though the injury may hurt Westlock on the mound as regular season play continues, Sawatzky said that the short bench may end up working well for the team at the plate.
“The less players you have, sometimes the easier it is to get them in,” he joked.
“You always like to have options but with our group now, some of the guys will easily step up and fill in on the pitching side.”
Next up, Westlock faces off against the Cardinals in St. Albert, a young team that, though sitting in eighth in the standings, may stand a chance to trim some of the Lions’ lead.
“They’re a younger team, a scrappy team,” Sawatzky said. “Usually when they’re younger like that, they can be pretty inconsistent, but if they get off to a strong start, they might be a challenge.”
