Victoria Traveller's Inn wrapped up a Super Series weekend at home Sunday by taking both ends of a doubleheader from Saskatoon Black Sox, completing a 4-game sweep of the series. Traveller's Inn won the opener 8-0 in 5 innings as Collin McKenzie tossed a no-hitter, then won the second game 4-1 behind another good outing by Rick Smith. Traveller's Inn record now stands at eight wins and no losses for the season. In addition to the four wins against Saskatoon, Traveller's Inn defeated Portland DeMarini four times the previous weekend. Next action for Traveller's Inn is at home at Royal Athletic Park next Friday-Saturday, May 28-29, when the Calgary Diamonds come to town. Doubleheaders start at 6:30 P.M. both nights.

Sunday, May 23, 2004

Game 1
R H E
Saskatoon 000 00 - 0 0 0
Traveller's Inn 301 4x - 8 5 2
Bryan Newton(L), Zak Flath(3) & Mike Gurash.
Collin McKenzie(4-0) & Tyler Werbowski.
Home Runs: T.I.: Jeff Hurford, Glenn Ormsby.
Umpires: P - Bud Livingstone, B - Scott McLaren.
Time: 1:32 (11:00 A.M.-12:32 P.M.).

Collin McKenzie, backed by two spectacular outfield catches, twirled a no-hitter as Traveller's Inn took Sunday's opener against Saskatoon Black Sox 8-0 in 5 innings. McKenzie was sharp in recording his fourth win of the season, striking out the side in each of the first two innings and finishing with 12 strikeouts while issuing just one walk. However, he needed two outstanding defensive plays behind him to achieve the no-hitter. The first gem came in the top of the 3rd inning. With two out Saskatoon first baseman Keith Mac kintosh drilled a line drive that headed for the gap in left-centre field. CF Jeff Hurford raced over but could not get back far enough to snare the ball. Meantime, LF Pat Walsh was also busting after the ball. Walsh crossed behind Hurford, dove to his left, and while horizontal and completely stretched out in mid-air caught the ball just before it hit the ground, keeping the no-hitter intact!

The second tremendous catch ended the game as well as preserved the no-hitter. With two out in the top of the 5th inning Saskatoon pinch-hitter Jeff Farion belted a drive to the gap in right-centre field that appeared labelled for extra bases. RF Zenon Winters raced into the gap after the ball, but from the Press Box it appeared he had little hope of chasing it down. At the last moment Winters dove flat-out to his right, and again while horizontal and completely stretched out in mid-air, was barely able to make the backhand catch across his body, landing hard just a few feet short of the fence!

At the plate, Traveller's Inn took advantage of Saskatoon starter Bryan Newton's control problems early in the game. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Newton issued two walks, then Hurford stepped in and slammed a pitch over the right-centre field fence for an early 3-0 lead. Doug Cain added an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd inning, then after Newton left with what appeared to be a sore right elbow, Traveller's Inn finished the game off in the bottom of the 4th inning. DP Harvey Stevenson singled home two runs and 1B Glenn Ormsby followed with a 2-run home run to left field to cap the scoring.
 

Game 2
R H E
Saskatoon 000 010 0 - 1 5 0
Traveller's Inn 000 040 x - 4 5 0
Jeff Farion & Mike Gurash.
Rick Smith(4-0) & Brian Banner.
Home Run: Sask.: Gurash.
Umpires: P - Scott McLaren, B - Bud Livingstone.
Time: 1:23 (12:53-2:16 P.M.).

The best game of the weekend was the last one as Traveller's Inn completed the sweep of the series with a come-from-behind 4-1 win over Saskatoon. Traveller's Inn' Rick Smith and Saskatoon's Jeff Farion hooked up in a tight pitcher's duel which was scoreless until the 5th inning. Both teams had chances before that - Smith issued two walks in the top of the 1st inning (his first walks of the season after 24 innings of work) but Saskatoon stranded those runners. Then a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play got Smith out of another jam in the top of the 4th inning. Traveller's Inn could not capitalize when they had runners at second and third base in the bottom of the 4th inning.  In the top of the 5th inning Farion's battery-mate, C Mike Gurash, slammed a solo home run over the left field fence to give Saskatoon a 1-0 lead. This was the third home run Smith was touched for this weekend, but all three were with the bases empty, and those were the only runs he gave up in his two starts.

Traveller's Inn answered right back in the bottom half of the 5th inning, striking for four runs after two were out. With one out, SS Quinn Neilson drew a walk and was quickly sacrificed to second base. Leadoff hitter CF Zenon Winters drew another walk, then RF Harvey Stevenson punched his third single of the game, scoring Neilson with the game-tying run. 1B Glenn Ormsby then took a Farion pitch off his left elbow to load the bases for DP Jeff
Hurford. Hurford pounded a Farion pitch on a short-hop off the fence in the right-centre field gap, driving in all three base runners and staking Traveller's Inn to a 4-1 lead. Smith gave up a single to Keith Mackintosh to lead off the top of the 6th inning, then closed the door, quickly retiring the next six batters to end the game and record his fourth win of the season. Smith scattered five hits, walked just the two batters, and struck out nine. Of note at the plate, Harvey Stevenson went three for three to finish the weekend with seven hits in 12 trips to the plate.