Sultans stop Marlins in doubleheader upset

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/06/2017 (2517 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Marlins have been the premier team this season in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League, winning their first eight straight games of the campaign.

So the Carillon Sultans certainly had a task on their hands if they were take a game from the Marlins as the teams squared off for the first time this season in a doubleheader Sunday at Brandon.

The Sultans did just that, as they swept the twinbill in decisive fashion, winning 13-6 in 10 innings in the opener and then 9-4 in game two.

Carillon, now 5-3 on the season, are in fourth in place in the MJBL standings, while the Marlins remain in first at 8-2.

It was a long day in Brandon but worth the trip for the Sultans as they needed three extra innings to pull out the victory in game one, scoring seven runs in the 10th to win 13-6. Reid Howard came on in relief of starter Cody Bartel in the sixth and proceeded to pitch five scoreless innings in handing the Marlins their first loss of the season.

Trailing 6-3 after four innings, the Sultans scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to tie it before eventually winning this marathon affair. Nic Kauenhofen led the Sultans in the impressive offensive display with three hits and five RBI.

In the second game, Kauenhofen again went to work, this time on the mound as he was the winner in a complete game as the Sultans prevailed 9-4.

Fresh off their seven runs in the 10th inning in game one, the Sultans kept the bats going right off the bat in game two as they jumped into a 5-0 lead in the first and coasted to the doubleheader sweep.

In addition to picking up the win, it was Kauenhofen who again led the way at the plate for the Sultans with three more hits and three RBI.

In all, in this impressive display against the powerhouse Marlins, the Sultans scored 22 runs on 27 hits during the two-game stand as they also cashed in on seven Brandon errors during the doubheader.

The Sultans are back in action on Wednesday as they travel to Stonewall to take on the Interlake Blue Jays (3-5) at 7:00 p.m.