MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- What was already a solid start to the season for the Moose Jaw Canucks in the Sask Premier Baseball League 18U AAA division took a special turn on Tuesday night at Ross Wells Park.
Facing the White Butte Broncos in their eighth game of the season, the Canucks would get a combined no-hitter from Max Simmons and Cameron Beisal on their way to a 6-0 victory.
The win saw Moose Jaw improve to 5-3 in SPBL action, good enough for sixth place in the 14-team league, two games back of the Saskatoon Cubs for first place.
Simmons got the start in the contest and was promptly backed up by a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Canucks kept at it at the plate, scoring two more runs in the third and another pair in the fifth to build their 6-0 edge.
Simmons, meanwhile, just kept chugging along.
It wasn’t a perfect game, as Simmons would walk the bases loaded in the first before getting a pop-out to escape the jam. He’d then retire the side in order in the second and third innings before the Broncos got another baserunner on a walk in the fourth, but Simmons would get a strikeout to escape any further stress.
Simmons allowed a single baserunner in the fifth before getting a pair of flyouts to close out the frame, and it was a similar situation in the sixth, as after walking the second batter of the sixth inning, Simmons would get a fielder’s choice and strikeout.
That set the stage for the seventh, where Simmons attempted to finish things off but walked the first two batters, leading to Beisal taking over on the mound. He’d need only seven pitches to finish things off, and the Canucks had their no-hitter.
Simmons threw 108 pitches, 58 for strikes, striking out six and walking eight, while Beisal threw six of his seven pitches for strikes and had a strikeout.
As one might expect, the no-hitter had a positive effect on Simmons’ season stats, as he saw his earned run average fall to 2.15 with 1.69 walks and hits per inning (WHIP) and opponents hitting .156.
Gerritt Gulutzan led the way at the plate with a 3-for-3 outing that included three runs scored, while Grier Peterson was 3-for-4 with a run batted in and Noah Thul knocked in a pair.
