REBELS GET REVENGE AGAINST ANGELS IN BLOWOUT

For the third time in five games to start the 2016 Powerline Baseball League season, the Ryley Rebels produced a mercy rule win with a 14-0 blow out of the Beaumont Angels on Tuesday night in Ryley. The win moves the Rebels into a tie for first place in the Powerline Baseball League standings and ensures that the Rebels will have the tie break against the Angels as Beaumont beat Ryley on May 26 at Four Seasons Park by a score of 8-0. 

Win - Shawn Pilgaard (1-0, 0.00 ERA) - 5.00 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Loss - Marc Villeneuve - 2.67 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 2 K, 4 BB, 3 HB

The Rebels offense would be led by first baseman Kevin Reinholt who would knock in five runs on the night with a three run home run in the first and a two RBI double in the third, his second five RBI game of the season. Reinholt would finish the game 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. 

The 1-2 punch of right fielder Corey Epp and catcher Chad Nelson was incredibly effective on the night, combining for eight runs scored, five hits, six RBIs and three walks. Epp would go 2 for 2 with a pair of walks and Nelson would go 3 for 3 with a walk as the two would be perfect on the evening. 

Right from the start of the game the Rebels offence was poised for a big game. Walk to back walks offered by Angels starter Marc Villeneuve to Epp and Nelson set up pitcher Shawn Pilgaard for a loud first out taking the Beaumont pitcher to inches of a three run home run. Although Villeneuve escaped a three run home run from Pilgaard to left field, Reinholt would make him pay for leaving a pitch in the middle of the plate by driving it into the Clean Harbours Outdoor Rink in right field for a quick 3-0 Rebels lead. 

Villeneuve's night would come to an end in the third inning with one out as he would hit Pilgaard in the back on a 0-2 pitch, the third Rebel to get hit with Jon Vansickle-Kope wearing one in the back as well and Tom Shulba taking a pitch off the toes. Angels manager Bill Demar would turn to ace Kirk Smith to come in from third base to face Reinholt but the lefty swinging first baseman would drive a double into right centre field for RBIs four and five on the night and officially closing the book on Villeneuve. 

Up 10-0 heading into the fourth inning, the Rebels would tack on four more runs on RBI singles from Nelson and Pilgaard and a two RBI single by left fielder Kris Kushnerick to give the Rebels a 14-0 lead and to ensure that they would hold the tie breaker over the Angels should the standings continue to be tight at the end of the year. 

It was also the Rebels night defensively as right hander Shawn Pilgaard would pitch a gem for the home town fans tossing a complete game three hit shutout for his first win of the 2016 season. Pilgaard's shut out also keeps his earned run average at 0.00 on the season in ten and two thirds innings pitched. 

The game set up nicely for the Rebels defensively in the top of the first inning when some miscommunication between Reinholt and Nelson in foul territory led to the ball bouncing off of Reinholt's foot and into the awaiting glove of Nelson along the fence. With bounces like that, it was going to be hard for the Angels to muster much offense on this night with Pilgaard throwing incredibly well. 

Beaumont's three hits would all come in the fourth inning when Kirk Smith, Darian Goudreau and Markus Brietkreutz would all hit singles including back to back two out singles. Once again though the defence would snuff out the Angels momentum and preserve the shut out as Kris Kushnerick would cut down Smith at home plate from left field to end the inning and the threat. 

The win puts the Rebels atop the Powerline Baseball League standings along with the Rosalind Athletics (who had the night off) with 4-1 records. The Angels would slip to 4-2 and a half game back of the Rebels and Athletics with the 3-2 Armena Royals sitting in fourth place after a 10-8 win over the Leduc Milleteers tonight. 

On Thursday June 9 the Rebels will travel to Harry Andreassen Field in Camrose to take on the struggling 0-5 Roadrunners. The game will close out the season series between the two teams with the Rebels walking away from game one with a 10-0 win on Opening Day. The last time the Rebels lost to the Roadrunners in Camrose was on May 26, 2011 when they would get walked off 3-2 on an Alex Roth game winning run. The Rebels have gone on to put together a seven game win streak against Camrose dating back to May 28, 2013 outscoring them 86-14 with three shutouts in the seven game win streak.