Premier Royals vs Whalley Chiefs

Sunday saw the home opener and first games of the season for the Save-On-Foods Parksville Royals.  With the weather cooperating, the boys in purple notched two wins at Inouye-Wallace field at Springwood Park.

Game 1 starter Shae Verral pocketed the win with 5+ innings of work.  Verral, a senior in his final season with the Royals, was cruising along and allowed just 2 runs through 5 innings of play.  With the score 5-2 for the home side, the sixth inning saw the Whalley batters make a comeback as they put two more runs on the board.  Brodie Comerford was called on to put out the fire and came on in relief with 1 out and the bases loaded.  Comerford picked right up from a stellar 2018 campaign as he first induced a ground ball out and then struck out the next batter to retire the side.  Comerford came back out to pitch a 1-2-3 7th inning including two strike-outs to seal the victory and earn the save.

At the plate, lead-off man Anson McGorman had the hot bat, going 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBI.   Nathan Lagos and Max Kolopenuk each hit doubles and Jacob Volkers tacked on a single and a run scored.   Final score 5-4 for Parksville.

The back half of the double-header was a lop-sided affair as the Royals mercied Whalley 13-0 in 5 innings.  The Royals took advantage of some poor Chiefs defence as the visitors produced 3 errors and 6 walks in the first inning.   Doubles by Nolan Macdonald, Kieran Bowles, and McGorman led the hit parade as the Royals jumped out to an 11 run lead in the first.

Now sometimes, a team gets the offence it needs to help the pitching staff.  That was not the case in game 2.  Anson McGorman was dominant on the hill, no-hitting the Chiefs in 5 innings of work.  The young right-handed pitcher earned 11 of his 15 outs via the strike-out, walking just 2.  When all was said and done, McGorman threw a no-hitter in his first ever Premier League start and went 4 for 6 on the day at the plate with 4 RBI, a double, and a triple. 

Head coach Frank Kaluzniak was pleased with the effort on Sunday. “It was a good start to the season. Our pitchers gave us a chance to win and we got some timely hitting to capitalize on our opportunities. We have some things to work on in practice this week but I'm looking for the guys to carry the momentum into next weekend.”  

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NEXT WEEKEND AT SPRINGWOOD PARK:

Saturday 1pm and 3:30 pm: The Royals host the UBC Thunder on Inouye-Wallace field

Sunday 1 pm and 3:30 pm: The Junior Royals host the White Rock Tritons on Inouye-Wallace field   

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