If the Moose Jaw 18U AAA Canucks could have escaped the first two innings of their Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League contest with the White Butte Broncos with a bit less damage on Thursday night, they might have had a different result.
As it stands, a couple of untimely miscues led to the Broncos scoring five runs in the first inning and another three in the second, and White Butte would go on to an 11-7 victory at Ross Wells Park.
The Canucks tried to claw their way back into things as the game progressed, scoring a pair in the third and adding another in the fourth to get back within three, but the Broncos managed to respond to each Moose Jaw rally with runs of their own.
Kaleb Waller continued his solid season at the plate with a 2-for-3 night that included a run scored and two runs batted in, courtesy a two-run home run in the third inning. Kaedyn Banilevic was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and an RBI, while Caleb Newkirk had a 2-for-4 night at the plate and scored a run. Nathan Varjassy knocked in a pair of runs and Nathan Pisio crossed the plate twice.
Waller also got the start on the mound and had a tough outing, allowing eight runs -- two earned -- on seven hits while striking out four over two innings work. Banilevic took over in the third and allowed three runs on four hits, striking out eight in 3 ⅓. Varjassy finished things off, needing five pitches to get the final two outs.
Even with the 1-8 start to the SPBL campaign, the Canucks have had some good news in recent weeks as a trio of players have signed on to play post-secondary baseball.
Waller will be suiting up next season in Kankakee, Illinois after signing on with the Kankakee College Cavaliers of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Varjassy and Kayden Hudson will both be staying north of the border in the Canadian College Baseball Conference, with Varjassy joining the University of Calgary Dinos and Hudson the Okanagan College Coyotes.
Both Varjassy and Waller will get a taste of collegiate baseball this summer, too -- the duo have signed on as affiliated players with the Moose Jaw Miller Express in the Western Canadian Baseball League.
The Canucks are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they host the Saskatoon Giants in a doubleheader. Game times are 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Ross Wells Park.
