A familiar pattern has emerged during the Quality Foods Parksville Royals extended road tour through the B.C. Premier Baseball League. Each doubleheader the Royals play consists of a razor-close opening game, followed by a one-sided nightcap.
The club will try to change those fortunes when it returns home this Saturday for just its second home league date since April 23.
Visiting the Lower Mainland last weekend, wrapping up a stretch of 16 road contests in a 20-game stretch, the Royals (4-18) were swept 3-1 and 12-4 by the North Delta Blue Jays in a pair of games Sunday.
Parksville will host the Coquitlam Reds Saturday at Springwood Park in a doubleheader beginning at 12:15, kicking off a run of 16 of their final 20 league games on home soil.
Blue Jays 3, Royals 1
All the damage accrued in the opening inning, as North Delta (11-10) put three runs on the board before Royals starter Adam McKillican shut the door.
McKillican threw a complete-game four-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks. But he hit the Blue Jays' Noah Or with a pitch with one out in the bottom of the first, and Cole Evans followed with a single. Tyler Hoefer followed with another single to score Or, and both Evans and Hoefer moved up a base on the throw to the plate.
One out later, both runners scored when Matthew Poirier came through with another single.
McKillican allowed just two baserunners the rest of the way, but the Royals offence was unable to close the gap despite outhitting the hosts, 5-4.
In the top of the fourth inning, Spencer Walton and Jacob Ingersoll started with back-to-back singles. One out later, Jaydan Saban chased home Walton with a fielder's choice for the team's only run.
Blue Jays 12, Royals 4
Adam McKillican stroked a two-run double and Jaydan Saban had two hits and two RBI Sunday as the Royals closed out the weekend road trip with the loss.
Jacob Ingersoll had a hit, a walk and two runs scored, and Zach Waddington and Matt Stevenson added hits. Parksville was hurt by four errors in the contest. Starter Alex McRae, the first of three Royals pitchers, took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs.
—NEWS Staff