BARRHEAD - The Barrhead Orioles exacted a small amount of revenge on the North Central Alberta Baseball League Leaders (NCABL), defeating the Parkland Twins in an 11-1 rout at home on July 17.
It was only Parkland's second loss of the season, compared to 15 wins and one tie, while the win put the Orioles at .500 for the second time this season at eight wins and eight losses.
A week earlier, on July 10, at the Barrhead Sportsgrounds, the Twins beat Barrhead 9-5 in a game that was more competitive than the score dictated,
The Orioles got off to a strong start, scoring three runs in the first inning, while starting pitcher Jamie Visser pitched himself out of trouble, blanking the top half of the inning and stranding three Parkland runners.
From there, the Barrhead never looked back, said Barrhead Orioles jack-of-all-trades player and team governor Chase Visser.
"Then we were able to shut them down again in the second and tack on two more to end the inning and build ourselves a decent cushion," he said. "But when you look at the way they hit this year, Parkland leads the league in runs, so you can't take anything for granted."
Visser added the Orioles continued to play well, especially defensively in the middle innings.
"It was a good game to watch; later in the game, there was some drama and controversy with some close officiating calls, both offensively and defensively, that could have gone either way," he said, noting a Parkland player got thrown out of the game for arguing with the umpire. "However, thanks to some timely hitting, some solid defensive play and good pitching by [Jamie Visser], who started the game, and [Lee Worobec], who came on in relief, we were able to get a big win.
Jamie Visser pitched four and a third innings, and Worobec, who started the game behind the plate, pitched two and two-thirds innings in relief.
Visser noted that while he likes Jamie to come in relief, he is also a regular in the starting rotation.
"Jamie had a really dominating performance, and he probably could have easily closed it out, but it was getting to the third rotation in the order, and we wanted to give Parkland a different look," he said.
Visser said the win came at a good time, adding the regular season is winding down with only four regular-season games left in the season — including the Orioles' next game on July 24 at home against the Legal Primeaus, who are enjoying a two-game winning streak and trail Barrhead who hold the last playoff spot by three games.
Barrhead's other remaining games are against St. Albert, which they play twice and Westlock.
"To beat the first-place team, one that we could likely face in the first round of the playoffs and to do it in such a convincing fashion is a confidence boost," he said.
But having said that, Visser noted that a lot could happen in four games, adding that after the Twins, who have a comfortable lead in first place, St. Albert, Westlock, and Barrhead are only separated by one to two games.
"If we take a lot of these games, we could move up in the standings and be in a really good spot for the playoffs," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
