The North Battleford Beavers and Lloyd Twins will both need to be at their best on the mound this series, with heavy hitters on either side. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Series Tee-Up

Beavers ready for challenge ahead as NSRBL Final kicks off tonight

Aug 13, 2020 | 4:00 PM

It will be a clash of two distinctly different storylines when the North Battleford Beavers and Lloyd Twins collide Thursday night in Lloydminster, for Game 1 of the North Sask. River Baseball League (NSRBL) Final.

For the Beavers, the best-of-three Finals series will serve as their best chance in over two decades to recapture a league championship. Should they come out victorious, the title would serve as their fifth in franchise history, and first since their run of four-straight from 1994 to 1997.

The Lloyd Twins, on the other hand, are just six years removed from the richest dynasty in NSRBL history, when the team rattled off six-consecutive championships from 2009 to 2014. In fact, the Twins have laid claim to 10 league titles since the turn of the century in 2000.

Head coach and player with the Beavers, Kyle Gregoire said the team is looking forward to the challenge ahead, hoping to make the most of their opportunity to bring a championship back home to North Battleford.

“I think the guys are really excited to get going,” he said. “It is the first time in the finals for most guys, so we’re just looking to start off right there and hopefully come out with the win after the first game.”

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The road to the Final has been a whirlwind to say the least for both sides. The senior baseball season was whittled down to just eight games this year, due to the ongoing pandemic, while the playoffs featured an abbreviated single-knockout format throughout the opening two rounds.

However, as Gregoire told battlefordsNOW, that may not be the worst thing.

The condensed schedule allowed the Beavers to work their way into midseason form quickly, while the shortness of it has allowed them to stay fresh and hungry ahead of the opportunity that awaits.

The Beavers, who finished the regular season as the fifth seed, have won five of their last six games overall, and are coming off a 13-9 outing of top-seeded Standard Hill in the semifinals. Perhaps most impressive, the Beavers have outscored their opposition 17-9 since the start of the playoffs.

The Twins meanwhile, finished second and have lost just a single game of their 10 to this point in the ball season. Additionally, they too have dominated their post-season counterparts, by a combined 12-2 margin over their last two outings.

It should come as no surprise the Beavers and Twins will meet in the league Final. Both feature game-breakers throughout the lineup, capable of making big plays with the game on the line. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Gregoire said while the shot at winning a championship is always why you play, this year would hold undoubtedly a special significance if the Beavers are able to stake their claim at the title.

“First and foremost I think it would be awesome for the city just to have a championship from the NSRBL, as there hasn’t been for a while,” he said. “But the other thing is, I think with just with the season and whole COVID situation going on, anything that we can see a bright side with will help spark a little bit of the community there too. So we’re really excited for it, and excited for our fans as well.”

Game 1 of the league final will be played in Lloydminster at 6 p.m. this evening. Monday, Game 2 of the series will shift back to North Battleford at Beaver Lions Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1