SUNDRE – The local U18 baseball squad is “on a roll” with a stellar start to their season.
Going undefeated this past Friday, May 19 into their fifth game of the regular Chinook Baseball League season on home turf against Olds, the Sundre U18 Stealers had won all of their games to that point.
“We are on a roll,” said coach Shawn MacNeil.
Their first game, which was also at home against Olds, turned out to be a one-sided sweep, with the Stealers shutting down the competition 16-0, said MacNeil.
They next went up against Didsbury for their second game, which the Stealers won by a wide spread of 16-3, he said.
Last Wednesday, they found an opportunity to play a little farther away from home not far from Drumheller where the air was more clear from the cover of smoke caused by the ongoing wildfires.
Despite not having the home ground advantage, the Stealers defeated the local team from Carbon 17-2, he said.
On Thursday, May 18, the Stealers were off to play in Cremona, where they once again emerged victorious, albeit by a much narrower point spread with a final score of 18-15, he said.
“Cremona was the strongest hitting team we have faced so far,” he said.
“Our defence wasn’t as strong as it has been in the other games, but that happens,” the coach said, calling the ups and downs “all part of the learning process.”
They were set to host Olds this past Friday, but results were unavailable ahead of the Albertan’s early May long weekend deadline.
Asked how the team was shaping up so far, MacNeil said, “We’ve got really strong pitching this year, which has been leading us. Two of our three games have been no-hitters; pitchers have been dominant in our game.”
The U18 Stealers have also demonstrated not only a commitment to working in concert with one another, but also a thirst to learn, he added.
“It’s been a team effort all around; they’re a good group to coach,” he said.
