Six games into the season and the St. Albert Tigers Orange are searching for their first win in the Sunburst Baseball League.
Heading into last weekend with a 0-2 record, the Tigers took to the diamond against Red Deer’s two Sunburst clubs looking to improve their situation. The results played out the same however, with the junior AAA team suffering 11-0 and 10-5 losses to the Riggers (3-1) Saturday and 11-0 and 11-1 losses to the Stags (3-1) Sunday at Legion Memorial Park.
The 43-6 score differential can be attributed to struggles in the batting rotation, according to coach Gerry Peterson.
“We’ve been struggling at the plate more than anything else and it’s taking the boys a while to get used to this level of pitching. It’s coming though and it’s getting better,” he said.
The batting struggles have dropped the team’s average to .148, well below the league average of .292. These statistics, combined with a winless record that put the Tigers in fifth and last place and four-and-a-half games back of the first-place Fort Saskatchewan Athletics (3-0), might cause some managers to throw their hats up in despair. However, since this is the team’s first year, Peterson believes it’s not about results as much as it is about growth in the players’ game.
“This a developmental year for us. We’re happy with the way things are going. We’re just struggling at the plate but the boys are getting there. It’s just a matter of time,” said Peterson.
The juniors are up to bat next against the Tigers Black (1-2) on Friday at 8 p.m. at Legion park.
In order for the team to find more success moving forward, including a competitive showing against the organization’s older siblings, the bats must connect with the ball on a more frequent basis.
“Defensively they are solid. Our pitching is decent, we’re just not striking the ball. You can’t win if you don’t score and you can’t score if you don’t hit,” said Peterson.
