Baseball/fast-pitch seasons begin for NACI Tigers

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Baseball/fast-pitch seasons begin for NACI Tigers

Details: Published on Friday, April 29, 2016

Photos by Eoin Devereux. Left: The NACI Tigers baseball team (in black) playing the William Morton Warriors (in green). Right: The Neepawa Tigers fast-pitch team (in black) also played William Morton (in green) on Tuesday, April 26.

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

The Neepawa Tigers varsity baseball and fast-pitch teams have each started the Zone Seven regular seasons with victories on Tuesday, Apr. 26, though they earned those W’s in very different ways. The girls team cruised to a comfortable 16-5 win over the William Morton (Gladstone) Warriors, while the boy’s side had to sweat out a dramatic 12-11 come from behind victory over the Warriors.

Fast-pitch assistant coach Trent Joye said overall, the girl’s squad played a very well-rounded opening game.

“There was lots of hitting, they got off to a strong start there. The girls were able to get on base and then able to advance the runners consistently,” said Joye. “The pitching was solid throughout and our fielding progressed as the game went on. We still have to work on our communication out there in the field, but for the first game of the year, [the coaching staff was] pleased with how they were able to start the season.”

In the boy’s game, the Tigers scored three runs in the final inning to take the win. Coach Mike Krutkewich said he was very impressed with the team’s resolve, especially considering that there are many first year players on the club.

“There was some clutch hitting at the plate. It was great to see that, especially since there are, I believe about seven players, who haven’t played organized ball before.” noted Krutkewich. “So, there is a bit of a learning curve out there. But, you know, we had a little bit of luck on our side and the players were focused. They played smart out there.”

Krutkewich added that while the team will work on a few fielding and situational issues in practice, before their next game, overall he was happy with the performance of everyone.

The next game for the baseball team is on Monday, May 2. The Tigers will face the MacGregor Mustangs at 5:30 pm at the Beautiful Plains Ag Society Fairgrounds. The girl’s fast-pitch team meanwhile, will play its next game in Carberry on Thursday, May 5.