Perhaps inspired by their new sponsor, Red Arrow Brewing, the Duncan Tigers got off to an excellent start in their Nanaimo Senior Men’s Fastball League game against Baker Supply on Tuesday evening.
The Tigers went through the order one and a half times in the first inning as they scored seven runs on their way to an 11-7 victory at Glenora’s Waldon Park.
The sponsorship deal with Red Arrow, arranged by Tigers manager Joe DiLalla and salesperson Travis Peterson, actually has deep roots with the Tigers’ roster. Red Arrow owners Liz and Lance Steward sponsored the provincial champion midget A fastball team in 2008 through the Craig Street Brew Pub, and several members of the team are now playing for the Tigers.
“It’s nice that 10 years later Red Arrow would sponsor us,” DiLalla said.
After the first two Tigers batters got on base, the third man up, Dan Whiteford, blasted a three-run homer that put the Duncan team up for good.
Of the 11 players who got in the game for Duncan, nine had at least one hit, although only three managed more than one:
Jamie Gicas was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, Tanner McQuarrie was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Trevor Gicas was 2-for-2 with a run.
Whiteford went 1-for-1 with a run and three RBIs, Chris Kline was 1-for-1 with an RBI, Craig Snyder was 1-for-4 with a run, Aaron McQuarrie was 1-for-4 with a run, Ryan Kline 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Chris Moreside was 1-for-4 with two runs.
Jamie Gicas pitched the first four innings and Snyder came in for the last three. Baker Supply hurler Matt Pawlick pitched well, DiLalla said, and stuck it out the whole game, but just got hammered in the first.
“We hit the ball hard and found the holes,” DiLalla said.
The Tigers will be in action again next Tuesday at Waldon Park at 7 p.m.