A jam-packed week of games against the upper echelon of the Manitoba Junior Baseball League proved too much for the Interlake Jr. Blue Jays to handle.
They opened the week with a 6-3 loss to the third-ranked Elmwood Giants on Monday at St. James Optimist Fields, which served as their home for all four games last week.
The Jays are currently playing anywhere but Stonewall’s Quarry Park because the diamonds remain unplayable following the heavy rainfall that hit the Interlake region two weeks ago.
Monday’s game opened with both clubs scoring a run in the first inning before Interlake took a 3-1 lead heading into the sixth.
They held that lead into the seventh and final inning, when Elmwood broke through the Jays’ pitching for five unanswered runs to earn the victory. The Giants also finished with a 9-6 edge in hits.
That set up a Friday night meeting with the sixth-ranked Winnipeg South Wolves, where Interlake made a late push to avoid the upset.
The Jays trailed 7-1 heading into the fifth before scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning.
After the Wolves regained a two-run lead in the sixth, Interlake responded with three unanswered runs in the seventh to walk off Winnipeg South for a 9-8 victory.
The Wolves finished with a 12-9 edge in hits despite the Jays earning their 10th victory of the season.
The Jays then turned their attention to a Sunday doubleheader against the top-ranked Carillon Sultans, where they were heavily outmatched in both games.
Carillon batted its way to a 12-1 victory in the opener, recording 11 hits compared to the Jays’ four.
Interlake regrouped early in the second game, tying the score at 1-1 through the opening inning.
However, Carillon scored in each of the next three innings to take control heading into the late stages of the game.
The Sultans led 4-1 before the Jays got one back in the sixth to cut the deficit to 4-2. Carillon added another run in the seventh to extend its lead to 5-2, which stood as the final score.
The Sultans completed the sweep with the 5-2 victory while the Jays fell to 10-10 on the season. Interlake was again outhit, this time by a 10-6 margin.
The difficult week leaves the Jays clinging to fourth place, just two points ahead of the fifth-ranked Pembina Valley Orioles as they head into the final week of the regular season.
The schedule won’t get any easier, as Interlake closes the regular season with a Wednesday doubleheader against Elmwood before wrapping up on Friday night against Carillon.
Upcoming Games
• Wednesday, July 1: at Elmwood Giants, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., Koskie Field (doubleheader)
• Friday, July 3: at Carillon Sultans, 7 p.m., A.D. Penner Park
