The Parkland Expos midget AAA baseball team of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League had their home opening games last weekend. The Expos hosted four games at the Jubilee Baseball Park on Saturday and Sunday.
Their first game of the season was played on the road in Regina last week against the Regina Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack took the win on their home field, forcing the Expos into a loss for their first contest this year. The finals score was 11-1.
In Yorkton on Saturday, the Expos hosted two games against the Northwest Prairie Pirates. The first was a win for the Expos with a聽 final score of 12-3.
In the second game, the Pirates retaliated and took the win with a final score of 10-9.
Expos assistant coach Larry Kitchen said one pitcher had a great day on Saturday, and that helped get them their first win and another very close game.
鈥淕regor Farquharson went a complete game. 87 pitches, and 72 of them were for strikes,鈥� said Kitchen. 鈥淭hat definitely helps, when you have a strong pitcher like that.鈥�
On Sunday, the Saskatoon Giants were in town for two games against the Expos. Unfortunately for the Parkland team, the Giants would take both wins.
The first game was a 13-2 final and the second game was 13-5.
In the first game, runs were scored by Kaito Farquharson and Jarod Stachowich.
After the first game, Kitchen told Yorkton This Week that they had to cut down on their walks and errors going into the second against Saskatoon.
鈥淲e鈥檝e given the other team too many free plays and they鈥檝e capitalized on it. They have a polished team. We have to learn from it, too. We鈥檙e a young team,鈥� said Kitchen.
Although the second game of the day was a loss, it was a better showing from the Expos.
Kaito Farquharson led the team in RBIs with two. Zach Goulden-Maddin, Grady Hawkins and Jarod Stachowich each had one.
Despite their 1-4 record so far this season, Kitchen said the Expos will improve.
鈥淲e have to work hard for every game, this league is very strong,鈥� said Kitchen.
鈥淚t鈥檚 early in the season. We can practice indoors as much as we want but in a game situation, hopefully that鈥檚 where we can start shining,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he batting is going to come around.鈥�
Kitchen credited the league for being extremely talented, mentioning the Muenster Red Sox in particular because of their success last season at the national championships.
He also mentioned that facing teams from larger centres like Saskatoon can be challenging due to their big pool of players to select from compared to the Parkland area.
The Expos鈥� next action will be on the road this coming weekend in Regina. They鈥檒l be back on their home field on Saturday, May 27 at 1 and 4 p.m. against the Muenster Red Sox.
