SARNIA – Doubles all around.
Logan Buntrock (Sarnia, Ont.) and Steele Harris (Sarnia, Ont.) had three hits apiece, including five combined doubles, to help lead the Lions to a Friday night sweep of the Centennial Colts with an 8-4 win under the lights at Errol Russell Park.
The win improved the Lions’ record to 4-0, while the Colts fell to 3-2.
Riding the momentum of their third consecutive win in Game One, the Lions were looking to keep their hot start to the season rolling with another strong showing in the back half of their doubleheader. Lefthander Logan Klompstra (Sombra, Ont.) got the start on the mound for the home side, marking his first appearance on the bump this season.
Much like they did in Game One, the Colts got on the scoreboard in their half of the first inning. A double from Josh Savoie, who would later add a two-run home run in the third inning, sent a double to left field to score the first run of the game.
The Lions would get that run back in the bottom of the first, thanks again in part to an error from the Colts and some smart baserunning. Buntrock opened the game with a single and stole second base just three pitches later. After a passed ball moved him up to third, Buntrock would steal home to tie things up at 1s.
Savoie’s home run in the third inning off Klompstra gave the visitors a 4-1 lead and a boost of momentum, but the Lions weren’t ready to roll over and concede the contest.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Harris connected on one of his three doubles on the night to inject momentum into the Lambton bench. A sacrifice fly from Noah Lester (Sarnia, Ont.) scored Tyler Gould (Stratford, Ont.) from third, and an error from the Colts allowed Harris to score, cutting the deficit to one.
Klompstra would go 4 1/3 innings on the mound, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out five. First year pitcher Beau Elliott (Belle River, Ont.) came on in relief, to The Undertaker’s theme song, and shut down the Centennial offense the rest of the way.
The Lions tied things at four-all in the fourth inning on back-to-back doubles from Denver Manning (Watford, Ont.) and Buntrock. Three consecutive walks in the fifth inning gave the Lions a 6-4 lead, and they would add two more runs in the sixth to double up the Colts and come away with the doubleheader sweep, 8-4.
Elliott threw 2 2/3 innings in relief, allowing just two hits while striking out three batters to pick up the win, improving to 2-0 on the year.
After a quiet start to the season with just four games in the first 10 days, the schedule starts to ramp up for the Lions. They now turn their attention to the weekend of September 23rd and 24th, where the Lions will play their first weekend of back-to-back doubleheaders.
The Sault College Cougars make their first trip to Errol Russell Park on Saturday, September 23rd for games at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
From first-year pitcher Beau Elliott:
“They were two pretty good games after all. Our team is rolling pretty good right now. We’re hitting the ball hard, forcing errors, running the bases, and pushing for extra bases. Our goal is to qualify for the playoffs, but we know that the job isn’t done yet.”
From first-year centerfielder Logan Buntrock after going 4-for-5 with five stolen bases, two runs, and two runs batted in:
“You know, I played well but we just got to go out and win, that’s all I really want to do. All we want to do is win. It doesn’t really matter who is playing well and who isn’t. It’s going to be a team effort with everyone coming together to get the wins. These wins give us confidence, but we know we have some tough match-ups ahead of us so we’ve got to come out strong.”