Sultans gain split with A’s

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This article was published 20/05/2019 (1800 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Carillon Sultans continued their strong start to this Manitoba Junior Baseball League season gaining a Victoria Day split with the St. James A’s at Optimist Park in Winnipeg on Monday.

Carillon now sits in second place in the loop with a 3-1 record, just half a game back of the Elmwood Giants, who are 3-0.

St. James took the first game of the doubleheader by a 3-1 count, but the Sultans dominated in the nightcap, winning 17-7.

Despite the loss in the opener, starter Zach Giesbrecht had a strong game going the distance as he could have used some of the runs the Sultans scored in the second game. Giesbrecht surrendered only five hits in the game while also fanning six. He also scored Carillon’s lone run of the game in the sixth inning.

In the second game the Sultans received another complete game pitching performance, this time from Liam Lenton. Sultans’ manager Kevin Dunn says getting the two complete games from his staff was key as they were a little short on pitching on the day.

And again, it was Zach Giesbrecht, who delivered a clutch performance for the Sultans as he belted a grand slam home run in the sixth to break open a close game at the time. It was Giesbrecht’s second homer of the season after he crushed a three-run homer in the season opener.

The Sultans finished off the A’s with six runs in the seventh. St. James had taken a 3-0 lead in the first before the Sultans chipped away and eventually pulled away in the latter innings.

Dunn says the first game was a tough one, “we just couldn’t get the bats going, but it was a different story in the second game, everyone had a least one hit, hitting can be contagious, and it was nice to see some of first year the guys get their hits.”

The Sultans next see action tomorrow night (Wednesday) as they host the St. Boniface Legionaires at 7:00 p.m. at Charleswood Park in Winnipeg. This will be the first of five home games the Sultans will play at Charleswood Park due to the unavailability of the diamond in Steinbach.

Carillon will also host the Elmwood Giants in a doubleheader Sunday at Ile des Chenes, with games slated for 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.