The Yorkton Yankees opened up the defence of their 2013 SESBL title with a convincing 10-0 win over the league's newest team, the West Parkland Stars, on Monday night at Jubilee Park.
It was a dreary, cold, windy evening when Darren Wandy picked up the win for the Yankees tossing four strong innings and surrendering just two hits while striking out six, before turning the ball over to Logan Calanchie.
The Yankees offence flexed its muscles in the fifth and sixth innings to give Calanchie more room to work with; something he didn't necessarily need as he came out of the bullpen to strike out seven batters over three innings while surrendering just one hit, a single in the fifth inning.
Offensively the Yankees were sparked by A.P. call up Caleb Bymak who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, proving, once again, why he has been chosen as one of the top midget aged baseball players in the province.
And while the Yankees started off slow against the Stars, player/coach Mark Jacobs felt that it was more because the team was trying to get used to each other rather than because they were struggling. "We had a lot of new faces in new places," mentioned Jacobs, continuing, "So it was a little bit of a feeling out period for us but I thought it was a pretty good effort overall."
One person that Jacobs felt put forth an exceptionally strong performance was the starter, Darren Wandy. "Wandy works hard and he's a bulldog out there," offered Jacobs. "He gets the ball, he throws it and he's a great pitcher to work behind.
"You know what to expect from him. He throws strikes, he's a leader on the team and guys want to make plays behind him. He's a good guy to have on the hill."
Next up
The next action for the Yorkton Yankees will be Tuesday, May 20 when the visit the Canora Supers at Al Sapieha Field in Canora. Game time is set for 6:15p.m.
The next home action for the Yankees will be Friday, May 23 when they host the Langenburg Indians in a rematch of last year's playoff final. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00p.m. at Jubilee Park.
