Jory Niwa of the Kindersley Stallions puts down a textbook bunt in the top of the seventh to move runners on first and second base to second and third with only one out. They were unable to score a run in the inning thanks to two straight strikeouts by Kindersley Raiders starter Byron Ismond.
Crossroads Staff
The Kindersley Stallions won the opening game of the Fertile Valley Baseball League final on Tuesday. The FVBL final might already be finished.
They edged the defending FVBL champion Kindersley Raiders by a score of 2-1 on July 31. Depending on the weather, the final would have ended either on Wednesday night or last night with Game 2 scheduled for Aug. 1 and Game 3 scheduled for Aug. 2 in Kindersley.
Corson Harris got the start for the Stallions on Tuesday and the southpaw threw seven solid innings of one-run baseball. Byron Ismond got the start for the Raiders and he also pitched well for the top seed in the 2018 final.
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The Raiders had the last at bat as the home team for Game 1, but both teams are clearly at home on Berard Field in Kindersley. Errors were the downfall for the Raiders as the Stallions took advantage of early errors to get up by a run and they Stallions would not relinquish the lead in a tightly contested 2-1 win.
With the score 2-1 in the top of the fifth, the Stallions loaded the bases and Ismond managed to pitch out of the jam. Stallions catcher JD Knutson was big on defence catching at least two Raiders base runners trying to steal second.
Knutson caught the speedy Jeff Kosolofski trying to steal second base to end the bottom of the 5th inning. The Raiders were having a rough time at the plate and they were unable to get any hits in the final innings in order to mount a comeback.
The Stallions managed to get runners to second and third in the top of the seventh inning – the final inning, with only one out, but Ismond reached back and recorded two strikeouts to keep the game at 2-1. Harris came out gunning in the bottom of the seventh, and the lefty struck out the side to secure the win for his squad.
With the win, the Stallions had two chances to erase the memory of their loss to the Raiders after the 2017 FVBL final. The Raiders won last year’s final in two straight games, so the Stallions have already done better.
The Stallions have only existed for two years, so they are building a strong reputation as one of the league’s top teams. The Raiders defeated the Stallions by a score of 5-3 in their only meeting of the 2018 season, so the Raiders had won three straight meetings against the Stallions before Tuesday.
In semifinal action late last week, the Raiders won a tight Game 3 by a score of 3-1 against the Rosetown Angels to set up a rematch of the 2017 FVBL final against the Stallions. The Stallions upset the Oyen Eagles in their semifinal.
The Raiders finished the 2018 regular season with 100 runs scored while the Stallions finished with 96 runs during the season. Both teams ended the regular season with 51 runs against after their 11 games, so people could expect a close series. People could check www.fvbl.ca for more information.
In related news, four members of the Stallions will be playing for Team Saskatchewan in upcoming national ball tournaments. Harris, Kyle Donaldson and Dallas McGrath are heading to St. Thomas, Ont. on Aug. 16-19 to play for Team Saskatchewan in the 21U Men’s Championships. Joel McGrath, 16, is heading to Moncton, N.B. on Aug. 8-12 to play for Team Saskatchewan in the 17U Baseball Canada Cup, along with Dillon Poschenrieder of Unity.
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