The Southeast Performance Pump Twins won a couple more games on the road last weekend and seem to have found their stride against some of the competition in the midget AAA Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League.
The Twins (8-19) beat the Swift Current 57s 7-4 and 7-2 Sunday after losing 12-5 and 16-6 to the Saskatoon Cubs.
On the mound for all innings of their 7-2 victory over Swift current (9-15), Ty Nikolejsin bent but didn’t break in scattering 10 hits and two walks for two earned runs allowed, only striking out two. The Twins entered the top of the seventh inning tied 2-2 but exploded for five runs in the inning. A sacrifice fly by Aiden Krafchuk that brought home the go-ahead run was helped out later by a two-run single from Tyran Dorrance. Two more singles brought home a couple more Twins and Nikolejsin shut the door on the 57s in the bottom of the seventh to earn the victory.
In the second win, the Twins were able to secure a lead earlier and hold onto it. After getting a first inning run, the Twins grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second when Dorrance was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and a Jayke Smolinski walk with the bases still loaded. They grabbed a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning when Thomas Husband doubled in Smolinski and Dahlyn Klassen doubled in Husband. Krafchuk also scored on a groundout that inning.
Burke Lyons went the distance on the mound, allowing seven hits and one walk for four runs, only one earned run, and striking out three.
They had started out their weekend with a 12-5 loss to the Saskatoon Cubs (16-7). The Twins jumped on the scoreboard first with a pair of first inning runs thanks to RBI singles by Husband and Boston Walker. While the Twins allowed a run in the third they scored two more in the top of the fourth to take a brief 4-1 lead after Krafchuk had an RBI single and a passed ball allowed Lyons to score.
The Twins allowed six runs in the bottom of the fourth to trail 7-4 and never fully regained their footing.
They concluded Saturday’s diamond play with a 16-6 loss to the Cubs. The Twins allowed five runs in the bottom of the first inning – including four runs with two out – but had played the rest of the game close until the fifth, when the Cubs scored eight runs. Dorrance went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Lyons had a double and two RBI.
Their next league action is July 19 against the Regina Wolfpack at Regina’s Currie Field and then they play a doubleheader July 21 against the Regina Athletics at Lynn Prime Park for the last three games of the regular season.
