The midget AAA Cowichan Valley Mustangs won the first baseball game they played last weekend, but couldn’t keep up the momentum and lost the next three, including two close heartbreakers.
The Mustangs beat the Richmond City Chuckers 7-5 in the first game on Saturday, but lost the second game 4-3. They lost both games against the South Fraser Giants on Sunday, 11-5 and 9-8.
“It was great to win the opener with Richmond, because we knew they would probably throw their ace against us in the second game,” manager Tod LeSergent said. “Sure enough they did, but we got to him early and led most of the game. But he threw a three-hitter against us and in the end we couldn’t match up.”
In the first game, the Mustangs led 3-0 in the top of the fourth. The Chuckers did all their scoring between the fourth and sixth, but the Mustangs managed to stay ahead. Cam LeSergent went 2-for-3 with one RBI, and Brayden Radcliffe was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. The team combined for four steals: one each by LeSergent, Langer, Tanner Cummings and Jayden Hamm.
In the second game, the Mustangs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings, but watched it fade away until the Chuckers took the lead in the sixth. Radcliffe was 2-for-2 with a triple and one RBI, and Riley Windsor went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases.
“Things didn’t go at all as planned on Sunday as we got bit by the injury bug,” Tod LeSergent said. “We just couldn’t get the top of their order out. Every time we got close, the top of their order would produce another couple of runs.”
The Giants scored three times in the fourth and fifth innings as they prevailed in the opener. Anderson went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Nolan Fothergill was also 2-for-4, and Cummings went 1-for-3 with a steal and an RBI.
The second game on Sunday went back and forth until the Mustangs gave up five runs over the fifth and sixth. They scored four runs in the seventh, but couldn’t close the gap. Radcliffe was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Anderson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
The Mustangs will finish the regular season at home this weekend, hosting the Vernon Canadians on Saturday at 1 and 3:30 p.m., and the Kelowna Sun Devils on Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
“Winning three could help our seeding in the provincials,” Tod LeSergent said. “But either way, if we play some solid ball, it will help us get on a roll heading to Richmond.”