The Vancouver Island Baseball Institute Mariners righted the ship this past weekend in Alberta.
Nanaimo’s Canadian College Baseball Conference team won two, then lost two league games in Lethbridge on Saturday and Sunday in alternating matchups against the University of Calgary Dinos and the host Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs.
VIBI started the weekend by snapping a four-game losing streak with a 14-0 blowout victory over the Dinos. Taylor MacDonell earned the pitching win for the M’s, allowing four hits over five innings of work. Blake Robson keyed the offence by going 4-for-4 with two singles, two triples, two RBI and two runs scored. Skyler Lickiss had a double and a triple.
The next game was a 6-2 victory over a strong Dawgs team. Connor Russell was the winning pitcher, throwing a nine-inning complete game. He received offensive support from Thomas Bidzinski, who had three hits, Aaron Witzke, with two hits, and Evan Olsen, who supplied two RBI.
Sunday’s action began with a 7-1 loss to U of C in which Reiley Grose suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run over 4 2/3 innings.
The weekend finale was a 10-4 loss to PBA, with Matt Davis as the pitcher of record. Bidzinski picked up all four RBI for the Mariners and Aaron Tyacke had two hits and two runs scored.
GAME ON … The VIBI Mariners play alternating games against Thompson Rivers University and the Okanagan Coyotes this Saturday (April 30) and Sunday in Kamloops.