Error Prone Canucks U18 AA Squad Trampled By Buffalos
Canucks spurts of offensive brilliance spoiled by errors defensively
Errors proved costly as the Moose Jaw Canucks U18 AA team dropped an extra (eighth) inning decision to the visiting Regina Buffalos on Thursday evening.
It was an evening where the Canucks racked up 10 errors on their way to the loss.
Many of the errors were throwing errors in what should have been easy routine outs.
The Buffalos took a 1 - 0 lead after their half of the first inning.
In their half of the inning the Canucks were pressing with runners in scoring position on second and third base. But a third out strike out smothered the fire Moose Jaw was stoking.
The inning ended 1 - 0 in Regina’s favour.
Moose Jaw’s starting pitcher Spencer Craig went 5 and 2/3 innings until he was replaced by reliever Ross MacDonald - MJ Independent photo
A major play for Moose Jaw was when they bobbled the ball and in the ensuing play the Buffalos’ Rich broke for home only to be thrown out when Canucks’ bat catcher Jesse Lesperance applied the tag.
With the score tied 4 - 4 Moose Jaw had a massive fifth inning scoring four runs.
Canucks catcher Jesse Lesperance reaches for the ball as Rich attempts to safely slide into home - MJ Independent photo
Canucks catcher Jesse Lesperance makes the tag saving the run - MJ Independent photo
Right fielder Tryton Legare punched a stand up double that resulted in 2 RBIs for the Canucks in the fifth inning.
Legare would score on a pass ball at the home plate.
Tryton Legare gets called on a high strike - MJ Independent photo
The Buffalos would stampede back in the top of the sixth inning, taking away what seemed like a certain Canucks victory, by six runs taking the lead 10 - 8.
The inning would also see Canucks Ross MacDonald come in on relief at 5 and 2/3 innings as the Buffaloes bats combined with Canucks errors led to a major collapse.
A throwing error to first base resulted in the Regina Buffaloes getting another run in the sixth inning - MJ Independent photo
Despite the Buffalos scoring six runs in the sixth inning the Canucks, now trailing 10 - 8, would rally back to tie the game 10 - 10 in their half of the inning.
At bat reliever Ross MacDonald would hit a massive single to the wall resulting in two RBIs to tie the game.
In the eighth inning Regina would come alive scoring four runs to make the score 14 - 10.
In the bottom of the eighth the Canucks managed only a single run resulting in an extra innings loss of 14 - 11.
A dropped ball resulted in a Canucks player safely at second base - MJ Independent photo
“I thought it could be better. We made ten errors in the game. You’re not going to win many games when you make ten errors,” a visibly frustrated head coach Zachary Klyne told MJ Independent in the post game interview.
“We came out, we hit the ball pretty well and we scored. There is not many games when you score ten runs that you shouldn’t win. We should have won that one. We have just got to clean it up offensively,” Klyne said.
A frustrated head coach said a lot of the errors committed “were easy simple plays that they make in practice everyday but it feels like when we get in the game something happens. We just get shooken up and rattled.”
The power hit by Legare in the fifth impressed Klyne.
“That one hit the wall. It went off his bat and we thought it was gone but the wind was blowing perfectly for him he’s a lefty.”
The standup double helped bring the Canucks back in the game.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t close it off,” he said.
A Buffalos player slides in head first safe at third base - MJ Independent photo
About swapping out pitcher Spencer Craig the coach said he was doing good but they brought in a new pitcher as Craig was close to his pitch count.
“We have a pretty good combination when we put Ross (MacDonald) in he is pretty good at throwing strikes.”
Despite an 8 - 4 lead looking like a victory at the end of five innings Klyne said with the Canucks this year it’s been a yo-yoing season.
“We can either explode for eight runs or implode for eight runs given away.”
He said an example was the sixth inning when the Canucks gave up six runs and how much of a momentum killer it is.
A big sixth inning for reliever Ross MacDonald got the Canucks back in the game.
“He’s impressed (us). The last couple of weeks his bat has turned up. He’s been getting lots of hits. Coming in batting cold and he hit that one to score two runs it kind of brought the momentum up,” Klyne said.
The Canucks weren’t the only ones to have problems defensively the Buffalos missed catchable fly balls into the outfield - MJ Independent photo
The extra eighth inning was hard to predict as there are runners at first and second bases to start the inning.
Throwing and fielding errors in the eighth inning cost the Canucks as the Buffaloes took advantage of them to score four runs.
“It just didn’t turn our way today.”
The Canucks are hoping to put on a good finish to the season and improve upon their 4 - 10 league record.
The top eight teams in the league qualify for the playoffs.
The next games are a double header this Saturday June 8th versus the Muenster Red Sox at Ross Wells Field. Game times are at 10 am and 1 pm.