Former Virden resident Zane Sawyer is enjoying yet another successful baseball season.
Last summer Sawyer was the South West Baseball League’s Co-MVP, with Deloraine’s Mitch Olson, while playing for the Virden Oilers. This year the former Minot State University pitcher is contributing on the mound, at the plate, and in the field for the Boissevain Centennials.
“Zane is a fantastic teammate and enjoys being around the team regardless of his role,” said Centennials head coach Corey Billaney. “He supports his team well and has tremendous athletic ability.”
Sawyer has helped the Centennials to a very successful season so far. As of Monday, Boissevain led the SWBL with an 11-1 record. The Centennials had clinched the SWBL South Division early and was the lone team in the division with a winning record.
On the mound, Sawyer led the SWBL with a 1.04 earned run average in four complete games. He had a 3-1 record, as of Monday, and had struck out 27 and walked four in 27 innings.
“Zane has great control of his fastball and off-speed pitches,” Billaney said. “He is also very in tune with how the game is played and the strategy behind pitching to certain players.”
When not pitching, Sawyer plays third base or is the team’s designated hitter. He led the Centennials with 15 runs batted in. Sawyer was batting .333.
Virden Oilers
The Oilers and Reston Rockets are battling for the North Division’s fourth and final playoff spot. As of Monday, Virden (6-7) led the Rockets (5-7) by half a game. Reston had three games left to play. The Oilers were to play in Hartney on Tuesday and then host Oak River on Friday to wrap up their regular season.
Last week the Oilers halted a three-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory over Elkhorn on June 27. For Virden, Jeff Peel was dominant. He had two RBIs and three stolen bases. On the mound, he earned the victory by throwing a complete game and allowing two runs on seven hits.
On June 29, Virden fell 5-3 at home to Hamiota. The Oilers led 2-0 after the first inning and 3-0 after the second. However, Hamiota mounted a comeback – capped by three runs in the top of the seventh and final inning. Brady Potter led the Oilers with two RBIs.
Elkhorn Expos
As of Monday, Elkhorn (3-11) sat three games back of Reston. The Expos were slated to host their final game of the regular season on Wednesday against Hamiota.
Elkhorn lost 7-2 to Virden and 5-4 to Rivers, in a good battle, last week. Against the Comets, the Expos rallied from a 2-0 first inning deficit to lead 3-1 in the top of the fourth. Rivers went on top 4-3 in the bottom of the inning, but the Expos tied things up in fifth. In their half of the fifth inning, the Comets took the lead back for good.
