Reds Win Five and Lose One At Home and Away

The Glasgow Reds won their first two home games of the season handily at Bill Connors Field June 3, against the Miles City Mavericks.

The score for game 1 was 12-1, with the second game clocking in at 13-2.

The stomping was not too much of a surprise to Head Coach Jack Sprague. "They're rebuilding from least season," he explains. "We played well and the scores were a little bit one-sided."

Miles City had trouble with numbers, with many players down from what started out this season as a full roster. "It's going to be another long year for them," says Sprague, "but they'll get there."

The wins were followed by a road trip to Havre. The team did well, winning three with just a single loss.

Game 2 in the series in Havre was against Strathmore, with a score of 8-3. Sprague attributes the win to a lack of command by Strathmore rather than an entirely one-sided matchup. "Those runs add up in a hurry," he says. Kasey Seyfert played well. His coach describes him as a split-squad player, showing promise and flexibility as he moves up in the rotation. Seyfert pitched through six innings and gave up two earned runs before Sam Schultz came in and closed the door.

A 5-0 loss against Lethbridge was a question of momentum. "We came out in the first inning strong offensively," adds Sprague, "but we couldn't put much together after that." The Reds had just four hits total, with two in the first inning.

The second win was against Fort Macleod at 18-0. Athlete of the Week Keil Krumwiede had a double, triple and a grand slam.

The team's third win was against the Glacier Twins. The Twins are defending state champs and Sprague and others expected a tougher matchup. However, since it was non-conference tournament, the Twins fielded a split squad, with approximately half of their regular season roster amounting to a starting lineup. It made things a little easier for the Reds. "We didn't realize that until the tournament started," explains Sprague. "We had our plan and because of scheduling we stuck to it."

Asked about his team's chances for the season, Sprague answers, "It's a work in progress for sure. We have some glaring deficiencies and some strong points. Our pitching isn't where it should be, but we've been able to improve that rapidly during the season before."

The Reds have one critical player injured in Cutter Kolstad. "We've been playing him sporadically to see how he's doing," explains Sprague. "Obviously we'd like to see him on the mound, but if I had to guess, I'd say he's probably not going to be able to play yet [June 10, Billings]. It's probably gong to be weeks before he's back to a real competitive level."

The coach's recommendations for games to watch coming up include the home games against Glendive on June 16. At the time of writing, the Reds had just returned from back-to-back losses against the Blue Devils. Roped into comment, player Parker Kulczyk explained the poor result: "We didn't play good."

While many fans shake their heads with blowouts in either direction, win or lose, Sprague will take a win where he can get one. "I really enjoy the games that are 18-0," he says, "but expectations have changed."

Regarding expectations, he explains that the upcoming rematch is a critical one for the season. "We can't drop conference games or we'll be in the middle of the pack, which makes tournament play very difficult."