Rain Doesn’t Tarnish Talus Balls Win

2023-06-16

The rebranded Riverhawks win 8-1 over the NightOwls

By Cody Schmidt

There was a hearty lead for the Edmonton Talus Balls tonight before a mid-6th rain delay put the game on ice for thirty-five minutes. The rain didn’t stop the momentum though, as the Edmonton squad kept putting the hurt on the Nanaimo NightOwls, scoring three as the game resumed. With new jerseys emblazoned with the image of an Edmonton icon, the temporarily renamed Riverhawks kept the crowd happy to wait through the rain.

Scoring started early, as #10 Jonny McGill led off the 1st with a single, followed by #2 Kelly Corl doing the same. A sac bunt from #14 Tommy Takayoshi moved both runners into scoring position, then #42 Tom Poole cashed in McGill with an RBI groundout. The 2nd went similar with #2 Jack Wheatley and #6 Brett Ott combined for a pair of singles before a NightOwls E6 let Wheatley run home.

The 4th allowed a pair of runs, as Wheatley took a four pitch walk to start the frame, then #34 Nico Libed, Ott, McGill, and Corl combined to cash in a pair. As the drizzle started, the Talus Balls snuck in another run, Poole singled and snuck around to second on a wild pitch and was able to make his way home on a E1 from a failed pickoff move. Post-delay the Talus Balls didn’t stop adding on. They batted through the order, aided by the NightOwls pitcher Veinard, who plunked a pair and walked in the third run before being pulled.

Backing up the offensive surge was a fantastic start by #23 Brady Kobitowich. The right handed Edmontonian returned to the team after being mostly used in relief last season. With his appearance only ended by the rain, Kobitowich threw a solid 6.0 innings, striking out four, and only allowing a single walk. Kobitowich seemed ready to go the distance, only foiled by the rain. Same can be said for the 3.0 innings of sterling relief by #32 Noah Bourgeois. Earning the save from his three innings, Noah struck out three and was only marred by a triple coming home for the NightOwls single run.

It was a fantastic way to break in the Talus Balls jerseys, which will be sure to make their return later in the season. Tomorrow the winning team will be back to being the Riverhawks, and look to keep up what the Talus Balls started.Tomorrow’s game starts at 7:05PM as we Strike Out Hate with MacEwan University. Get your tickets at tickets.gohawks.ca.

Can’t make it to the field? Find a livestream of the action on our YouTube channel or on WCL Live, or keep track of the action at @RiverhawksGames on Twitter.

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