The Nanaimo Cross & Co. Coal Miners played their home openers against the league’s toughest team and weren’t able to quite keep up.
The Seattle Studs swept the Miners on Saturday and Sunday in Pacific International League baseball action at Serauxmen Stadium.
Nanaimo fell 6-0 and 9-2 on Saturday, then lost 6-4 and 10-1 on Sunday.
“A lot of times we beat ourselves in the games, where we make a couple mistakes and they jumped all over us,” said Mike Jones, Coal Miners veteran. “Pretty much in each game it was one inning where they put up a crooked number.”
On Saturday Ben Cairns hit safely in each game. Darren Kolk was 2-for-3 with an RBI triple in the second game and Dale Ballance hit a home run in that one.
In Sunday’s close game, Joey Benda threw well in defeat, going seven innings and allowing three earned runs. Greg Wallace was 3-for-4 and Kolk and Jeff Vickers both hit a single and a double. In the series finale Wallace went 2-for-3 at the plate.
GAME ON … The Coal Miners play at Langley Saturday (June 9) and then face Coquitlam on Sunday. Next home action is June 16.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com