Unfortunately, the weather didn’t let the Canadians and Giants get a full game in, with the contest reaching the bottom of he sixth inning before heavy wind, rain and lightning rolled over Moose Jaw and brought things to an end.
That was enough for the Canadians to pick up their first win of the season, though, as they scored three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 victory.
All in all, the night had a bit of a celebratory feel to it, as everyone in the park was just happy to have a chance to be there after months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to play at all this year, so it’s just good to get going,” said Giants veteran Dale Garthus, the local liaison for the Regina-based Rambler Park league.
The league will play a reduced schedule this season, with 13 games on the docket, including seven home games for each of the local squads. The season will wrap up in late August and a playoff tournament will be held in Regina soon after, as opposed to the traditional multi-series format.
“It’s as good as it can be. We have a bit of a shortened season, but at least we get to play some ball,” Garthus said. “And I actually don’t really mind it; we have some nice temperatures now, when in the first part of May you’re fighting pretty bad weather a lot of the time.”
Tuesday’s contest turned into an old-school pitching battle between two of the league’s battle-hardened veterans in Canadians hurler Dean Holoien and Giants pitcher Al Muhle.
The Giants would get the first hit of the game when Jason Schneider doubled in his squad’s first plate appearance of the season, but that would be the only hit they’d record on the night.
Muhle, meanwhile, held the Canadians without a baserunner until the top of the third when Dustin Thiel laced a one-out single.
The Canadians would take control of the contest in the fourth, beginning when Brad Reaney hit a lead-off single, Holoien reached on an error and Riley Almasi was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kent Barber then laced a double to left-centre, bringing home Reaney and Holoien, and Almasi followed when the throw to third skipped away.
The Giants would get one back in the fifth when Joe MacDonald reached second on an error, stole third and came home on a Kurtis Brown fielder’s choice. That would be as close as they’d get, though, as Holoien would record his eighth strikeout to end the inning and the contest was called with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
Muhle would surrender three runs on three hits in four innings of work, while Derek Ross tossed two hitless innings and struck out a pair.
The league schedule was unavailable as of this writing, but be sure to check back for more information.
