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Kelly Baillargeon in action on the mound for the North Battleford Beavers against Unity. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)
Full Count

Beavers host Jr. Cardinals for deciding game of quarterfinals series

Jul 19, 2022 | 12:00 PM

The chips are on the table and the teams are all in Tuesday night in North Battleford for the final game of the quarterfinals in the North Sask River Baseball League (NSRBL) playoffs.

The North Battleford Beavers will host the Unity Junior Cardinals for the third and deciding game of their best-of-three first-round series with a berth in the league semi-finals on the line.

The Beavers are coming off a strong 5-1 bounce-back performance in Game 2 after falling 13-9 to the Junior Cards in their opener in North Battleford.

Veteran outfielder and manager with the Beavers, Kyle Gregoire, said the team will be looking to build on their performance in the last game, returning to play in front of their home fans with the season on the line.

“We just need to take Game 2’s performance and do the same thing if we can,” Gregoire said. “Try to keep them off their bats a little bit, make sure any mistakes that do happen we can capitalize on, and just get the bats going again too.”

“We’re really looking forward to being back at home Tuesday, and hopefully we can get a good turnout like we did Game 1 with the fans.”

Skyler Dimmick of the North Battleford Beavers watches a Unity runner on second. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The outcome of Game 3 will solidify the semi-finals matchups for the next round of the NSRBL postseason.

If second-seeded North Battleford advance, the team will play third-place Wilkie, while top-seeded Macklin will play fifth-place Standard Hill.

If seventh-place Unity advances, the team will play top-seeded Macklin, while third-place Wilkie and fifth-seeded Standard Hill will battle it out in the other series.

Tuesday’s game will be played at Diamond #4 in North Battleford behind the Access Communications Centre. The game will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1