Red Lions pitcher Carmen Brown delivers a strike during the club’s 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Primeaus May 28. The win improved the Red Lions to 2-0-1 in the NCABL.
Having played fewer games than most of the other teams in the North Central Alberta Baseball League, the Westlock Red Lions are technically first with a 2-0-1 record.
The Red Lions put their undefeated, early season record on the line May 28 at Keller Field against the Edmonton Primeaus, coming away with a 6-4 win in a game that could have gone either way.
Manager Chris Brand said they played well, but caught a few breaks with some sloppy play by the Primeaus along the way and he gave extra credit to starting pitcher Carmen Brown.
“The boys took advantage of some errors by the Primeaus, coming through for the victory. Carmen Brown was on the bump for us and he threw six and two-third innings. We were hoping for a complete game, but Kris (Johnson) had to come in for the final out,” said Brand.
Brown likes to pick his spots and change speeds to confuse batters and it worked out well in his second start of the season, said Brand.
The home team started the game off with a run, which was matched by the Primeaus in their half of the next inning.
“We scored a few runs later on some errors and some timely base-running as well as we were able to take advantage of some of the plays they made in the outfield,” said Brand.
The Red Lions were up 6-1 going into the final inning, but the Primeaus made a game of it, scoring three more runs off Brown, before chasing him from the game with two out in the seventh. The Primeaus also had two on base when the third out came about.
Brand, an all-star centre-fielder for the Red Lions in 2018, is unable to play this year due to injury and is still adjusting to life on the bench, but said it’s going well.
“It’s definitely different. Adjusting to managing and not playing is difficult at times, but it is easier to run a bench when you’re not playing,” he said. “I also have a lot of help on the bench with Dean Fagnan and Kevin Watamaniuk along side me to help coach the ball team.”
With three games under their belt, compared to some teams who have played five, the Red Lions lead the league with an .833 winning percentage compared to the second place Sherwood Park Athletics at .800 and the St. Albert Cardinals who come in at .700.
The Red Lions were scheduled to visit the Edmonton Blackhawks June 3, but the game was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and will be played later in the summer.
The team will be back at Keller Field June 5 to take on the Stony Plain Mets and will then travel to Waskatenau June 7-9 for the league-sanctioned Starchuk-Semeniuk Memorial Tournament.
