Sunday’s double dip against the ‘Jays was a wash, giving Parksville’s Quality Foods Royals an extra day to savour Saturday’s tasty two-game sweep over the visiting White Rock Tritons.
In action at Inouye/Wallace Field up at Springwood Park for their first home stand in a month and the front end of a scheduled four games, the Royals looked good in 5-1, 4-0 wins over White Rock.
In the opener, the Royals scored four runs off in the bottom of the first inning including a one-out bases loaded single by catcher Mackenzie Parlow that scored two.
Parlow “had two real good games on Saturday, and he’s going to be seeing a lot of action for us,” Royals’ skipper Dave Wallace said, pointing out Parlow has been pressed into service as the starting catcher as Jordan Dugray is on the disabled list with a broken wrist.
Parlow threw out two baserunners and drove in three runs.
Royals’ ace Clayton Isherwood, improved his record to 3-0 as a starter, scattering five hits over seven innings and giving up one earned run while striking out 11 for his team-leading 28Ks on the season.
Game two was scoreless through three when the Royals broke it open with two unanswered runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Ney scored what would prove to be the winning run when he stroked a two-out ground rule double that bounced over the left field fence. He was driven in by Ashton Martin. Parlow drove in Martin for the insurance run.
Liam Joyce was solid on mound to earn his second win of the season.
“Everybody’s playing well everybody on the team is contribution,” Wallace said
Those close to the club are having fun tracking this year’s squad, which is putting up big numbers.
The Royals’ are third in the league in earned run average at 2.01, but it’s the base on balls stat that really stands out.
Parksville leads the league in fewest walks allowed (23 in 13 games).
“That’s a phenomenal stat. It shows our pitchers are throwing strikes,” said Wallace, adding the next closest team in that category is the Nanaimo Pirates who have walked 38 batters in 13 games.
The league average is around 55.
Offensively, the pinstripes are currently sitting first in the BCPBL in slugging percentage (extra base hits) at .377, and second in the league in team batting average at .270. The Royals also lead the league in home runs with three.
Sunday’s double header against the North Delta Blue Jays was cancelled due to rain.
The sweep ups the Royals’ BCPBL regular season record to 10-3 and has them sitting third in the 12-team league, one game back of the first place Nanaimo Pirates.
The Royals are back home this weekend, hosting the BC’s Best Baseball Classic.