Sultans push past Pembina Valley in double-header

The Carillon Sultans managed to erase a shocking stumble last weekend, winning three games in three days to push themselves to the top of the Manitoba Junior Baseball League Standings.

The Altona Bisons put together one of the most shocking results of the MJBL season, defeating the first-place Sultans 11-10 June 10 for their first win of the season.

The Bisons have a minus-92 run difference so far this season, but managed to squeak out a narrow victory over championship favourites Carillon. The Sultans bounced back with a 16-4 victory over Altona June 12, then swept the Pembina Valley Orioles in a double-header at A.D. Penner Park June 14.

Fans were treated to a pair of entertaining games between the Orioles and Sultans. Carillon erased a 4-1 deficit in the late innings of the opening game of the double header, and managed a 1-0 walk-off victory later in the day.

“You can’t ask for better baseball than that,” head coach Don Meilleur said after the game.

“A lot of people like runs, high scoring games, but if you have guys that throw the ball well and defense plays well, there were no errors, that’s a really good day at the park.”

Ryan Powers was the difference on the mound, throwing the final inning of Carillon’s 8-4 win in the opener and then combining with Connor Martin to throw a complete game two-hitter in the second.

Anders Meilleur finished 3/3 in the first game, coming around to score twice. Mike Lindsay provided a key moment in both games. He hit a home run to clinch the first game and tagged up on a Dayton Christensen fly ball from third to score the only run of the second game.

The Orioles tried a risky play in the top of the eighth inning. After bunting over the designated runner placed on second during extra innings to third, Pembina Valley sent Tristan Peters storming home on a suicide squeeze play. In a suicide squeeze, the runner on third takes off for home as the pitcher releases the pitch, assuming the batter can get a bunt down so he can score easily.

With Powers throwing a ball below the strike zone, Sam Blatz could only wave his bat at the pitch, leaving Peters caught between third and home for an easy rundown out.

Meilleur said it’s been a long time since he’s seen a pure suicide squeeze. Most teams have shifted over to what’s called a safety squeeze, where the runner waits to see if the batter can get the bunt down before taking off for home.

“If the pitcher’s expecting it, you keep the ball down or up, away from the heart of the plate and you force that guy to go down for it,” Meilleur said.

“We were lucky he missed it and we made a good play to get him out at home.”

Powers would strike out Blatz to end the top of the eighth, before heading out to bunt over Lindsay during the first at bat of the bottom half, setting up Christensen’s sac fly.

Martin pitched three innings, striking out six, with Powers going the other five in the extra innings win, striking out eight.

Powers, who is from Beausejour, played his college ball with the Okanagan Coyotes and was named to the Canadian College Baseball Conference all-conference team this season.

“(Powers) was throwing very hard today,” Meilleur said.

“He was locating his fastball and that just makes his curveball that much tougher to hit.”

The Sultans 11-2 record has them 1.5 games ahead of St Boniface for top spot in the league standings.

The 20th will see teams from across the league in action in Steinbach, with the home Sultans finishing off the day against third-place Interlake at 7 p.m.

The action will continue the next day, with a key match-up in the standings between Elmwood and Carillon. The two teams will play a double-header also at A.D. Penner Park.