1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
EDMONTON  A'S	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	3
LEDUC	1	0	0	0	0	0	X	1	2	1

 

 

In the opening game the Milleteers got a great pitching performance from Jon Anstey as he made a first inning gift run stand up as he 3-hit the Edmonton Athletics.  The Athletics kicked the ball around in the first inning that led to the only run of the game.  The Milleteers seemed to have tons of runners on base in the first four innings, but could not get a clutch hit to bust it open.  Then in the fifth the A's were forced to bring in their lefty ace after their starter had to leave the game after he hurt his finger on a misadventure on a dropped pop up, his second dropped pop-up of the game.  The Milleteers went down meekly after that, but it didn't matter as Anstey was overpowering as he struck out nine.

 

The only drama came in the seventh after the leadoff man got on after an error.  With runners on first and third with one out catcher Shane Gerein caught the runner on third napping as he picked him off.  Anstey then struck out the last batter to seal the deal and punch the Milleteer's ticket to the semi finals.

 

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
LEDUC	1	3	0	0	0	1	1	6	14	4
LLOYDMINSTER	0	0	2	4	1	7	X	14	12	1

 

After a pitcher's duel in game one with 5 combined hits, the second game saw both teams combine for 26 hits in a sloppy affair.  It started out well for the Milleteers, but a couple of pickoffs killed some early rallies which could have put the game to bed early.  After two clean innings to start the game the Milleteers gave up a couple in the third after some two out errors got the Lloydminster Blue Jays on the board.  The Blue Jays then turned it up a notch in the fourth as they pounded starter Steven Pahl for another four runs.  Reliever Ryan Walker didn't fair much better as the Jays got to him for seven runs in the sixth to put the game away.

 

It was good to see the bats finally wake up from a season long slump, but some really poor base running stalled the offense and some unfundamentally sound defense was the undoing.  The Milleteers will try and tighten things up in league play this week as on Tuesday they host the Camorse Roadrunners and on Thursday they make the long trip to Holden to take on last year's runner ups.