AXEMEN SKID CONTINUES IN LOSS TO PRIMEAUS

Misplays would come back to haunt the Axemen on Tuesday night at John Fry Park in Edmonton as five of the six runs scored by the Primeaus would be the result of untimely two out errors by the Camrose defence. The now much younger Axemen team is in a real funk through the first three games of the season being outscored 22-10 with thirteen of the runs by opponents being unearned. The three game losing streak to start the season is the second worst start in franchise history, the 2009 Axemen started the NCABL season 0-9 before finally getting their first win. 

The loss on Tuesday night drops the Axemen to the basement of the NCABL early in the season, a full three games back of the 3-0 Edmonton Blackhawks while the Primeaus, who were only playing their second game of the season, moved to 1-1. Thursday night’s game was the Axemen season so far in a nutshell. Get decent pitching, fail to manufacture much offence and have some untimely fielding mishaps, both errors and unmade plays, leading to another loss. 

Shawn Noble would get the start for the Axemen, his second of the season and the second start of his Axemen career against his former team. Despite injuring his gluteus minimus during warm up in the bullpen, Noble would gut out four innings of work, allowing two unearned runs on only three hits and stranding eight Primeaus on the base paths. In the first Noble would strand Primeaus’ short stop Kyle Fagnan at third after a two out triple to the right field corner and would get out of a two runners in scoring position jam in the second inning but getting back to back strikeouts to end the threat. 

Unfortunately Noble’s luck would run out in the fourth inning when a two out error would extend the inning and give the Primeaus a 2-1 lead. With two outs and pinch runner Matt Jones at first base, Primeaus centre fielder Adrian Bellek would lay down a bad bunt for base hit back to the mound. Noble would field the ball cleanly, spin and first to first but the throw would pull first baseman Joe Pasychnyk up the line causing a collision. Pasychnyk would be unable to hold on to the ball with the tag allowing the inning to extend. A pair of bases loaded walks by Noble would give the Primeaus a 2-1 lead, one that they would not give up for the remainder of the game. 

The tough fielding would extend to the bullpen as Pasychnyk would once again experience Axemen fielding woes with three unearned runs of his own. After a lead off walk, Pasychnyk would get third baseman Matt Habitant and designated hitter Garrett Pelette swinging for two outs. Another walk and wild pitch would put runners on the corner for pinch hitter Matt Jones. The former Parkland White Sox outfielder would hit a ground ball to third baseman Zach Bailey who would bobble the ball preventing him from getting a throw off in time to first base and extending the inning. Back to back singles by right fielder Blair Cowley and second baseman Matt Rude immediately after the error would extend the lead to 5-1 and seal the game. 

Veteran outfielder Jordan Riopel would be named the Axemen's Player of the Game after going 1 for 3 with a single and a run scored but more importantly his five defensive putous in centre field. Twice Riopel would make highlight running and diving catches to end an inning and keep runs off the scoreboard.

Making his 2017 debut, Axemen shortstop Chance Wheatley would be a bright spot for the team on offence going 2 for 3 with a pair of singles, walk and a stolen base against Primeaus pitching trio of Chris Mott, Matt Habitant and Matt Rude. Left fielder Shaun Painter would collect his team leading third RBI with a single into right field in the second to score centre fielder Jordan Riopel, who reached earlier on an error to first baseman Craig Fagnan and was moved into scoring position on a textbook Zach Bailey bunt. 

With Axemen second baseman Ryan Petryshyn on the one game DL with a back injury, rookie Matt Andreassen would get the start for the team at second base on the field that ended his midget AAA season two seasons ago due to a collision that broke his leg. The youngster would connect on his first double of his career with a shot to the right centre gap off Primeaus closer Matt Rude in the top of the seventh. 

Catcher Kris Johnson would collect the second and last RBI for the Axemen after his was hit by a Matt Habitant pitch in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. It is the 24th time in his career that he has been hit by a pitch, which is the most that any Axemen player has accumulated since 2000.

The loss will now set up the Axemen with the challenging task of trying to earn their first victory of the season against the Stony Plain Mets. The Mets were finalists in the 2016 NCABL Championship and ended up being 2-0 against the Axemen in 2016 with a 20-5 win and a 7-0 forfeit win. The Mets are 2-0 in 2017 with a 3-1 win over the Sturgeon Paladins to start their season and a 8-4 win against the Westlock Red Lions. The Axemen and Mets will play two games on Sunday May 28 in Stony Plain. First pitch of game one is scheduled to be at 1:30pm with game two starting thirty minutes after the end of game one.