Jets take on Badlands Badgers

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

It was another weekend of games for the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Jets as the fall season rapidly heads towards its end. As the calendar has shifted to October, there are only a handful of games remaining on VAB’s schedule and this weekend saw them take on the Badlands Badgers for a three game series. 

Friday saw the teams battle in a doubleheader at Jets Stadium. The first game was all Jets as they no-hit the Badgers in five innings in a 14-0 win. Noah Simpson took the ball to start and gave Vauxhall three solid innings with five strikeouts while no giving up a hit or walk. Josh Daloise was the next man up and he gave VAB two innings where he walked a single batter. The offence was all over the Badgers’ pitching as they collected 12 hits with Easton Kitura leading the way with three including a double and home run. Kaleb Bozek had two hits including a double, Kaz Harris also had two hits including a home run, Gerrit Vanderwal and Tanner Morris both hit a homer, and Matt Getz and Hudson Nikkel each had one hit, and Kaden Carson notched a single.

After an opening game that featured plenty of runs, the Jets continued to pour it on in the second game. They were able to carve out a 15-5 win after collecting 13 hits over five innings. Kitura continued to rack up the hits as he had another home run and double to go along with five RBI. Nikkel had three hits, Noah McIntosh and Vanderwal both had a pair of hits, and Getz, Will Zielinski, Bozek, and Harris all contributed with a hit in the win. Nolan Tompkins started on the mound and went three innings with one hit surrendered, one walk, and a strikeout. Carter Bevans pitched two innings in relief and saw five unearned runs come into score on three hits and three walks. The pitcher also struck out two Badgers hitters in his two innings. Zielinski finished the game with an inning of work where he struck out two and allowed one hit and one walk. 

Sunday’s game on the road was a nine inning game that saw the Jets continue their winning ways as they took it 8-3. They had 11 hits on the day and Getz led the way with three hits including two doubles while Nikkel had three hits, one of them a double. Kitura, Zielinski, Bozek, Morris, and Carson all had one hit in the game. Ben Connolly pitched three innings as the starter and struck out three batters and only allowed one hit. Cedric Leblanc pitched two innings after coming from the bullpen and surrendered two earned runs on three hits and two walks. Graham Thiessen also pitched a pair of innings in relief and had five strikeouts and only one hit allowed. Jacob Flach took to the mound and pitched an inning where he struck out one and walked two. Bozek finished the game with one inning where an unearned run scored on two hits. He also had one strikeout in his inning. 

The Jets are scheduled to take on the ATHX Baseball Academy this weekend at home in their final games of the fall. Saturday and Sunday’s doubleheaders are slated to start at noon.