UNITY -- Tanner Huber, pitching for the Unity Senior Cardinals June 29, helped his team to an 11-1 hometown win against the Mervin Flyers, with a remarkable three-pitch inning – three pitches, three outs – in the top of the second.
Neither team scored a run in the first. In the top of the second, swinging at the first pitch thrown by Huber, Chris Blaquire hit to second baseman Brandon Griffiths who threw to Skylar Mackie at first, for the first out.
Next up was Mike Little whose bat also connected with the first pitch. Mackie fielded the ball and threw to Huber – who had scampered to cover first base – for the second out.
Flyer Trey Koch was up next and immediately hit a high ball, caught by fielder Hunter Sperle for the third out.
Long-time Cardinals’ scorekeeper Mary Anne Gaetz, as well as umpire Kirk Schafer, said they had never before witnessed a three-pitch inning in their scorekeeping and umping careers.
The bottom of the second saw the Cardinals work the bats, scoring three runs. The Flyers came back with one run in the top of the third, but the Cards retaliated with another three runs in the bottom of the inning.
That third inning run was the one and only for the visitors. Easton McLean closed out the game, pitching for Unity in the fifth, taking on four batters and only allowing one base hit.
When Unity had pulled ahead 11-1 in the bottom of the fifth and there were only two outs, Mervin threw in the towel and the game was called.
The victory was the Cards’ third win last week; they had defeated the Glaslyn Orioles June 27 and the Lloydminster Twins June 28. As of press deadlines, they had two regular season games left to play – travelling to Meadow Lake to challenge the Sox July 4 and to North Battleford to take on the Beavers July 6. The Beavers, in third place, are one win ahead of the Cardinals who had the fourth best record in the North Saskatchewan River Baseball League as of July 3.
Playoffs will be next on the agenda for the NSRBL, and brackets will be decided after the final games are complete.
