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Riggers suffer first two losses of 2017

Jun 11, 2017 | 9:46 PM

The Red Deer Riggers are no longer undefeated in 2017.

In fact they lost twice on Sunday, the final day of the rain-shortened Sunburst Baseball League tournament at Great Chief Park.

The Riggers were edged 8-7 by the Sherwood Park Athletics in their first game before being handled 7-1 by the Edmonton Cubs.

J.P Wilner and Jason Chatwood each drove in two runs for the Riggers in a back and forth game versus Sherwood Park. The A’s scored the game winning in the top of the seventh (and final) inning. Davin Gudbranson went five innings on the mound, giving up six runs. Joel Peterman and Drew Boyer each went on winning, each giving up a run.

In game two, the Riggers and Cubs each scored once in the first inning before both starting pitchers, Josh Edwards for Red Deer and Jarvis Grenier for Edmonton, settled in over the next few innings.

The Cubs pushed across the go-ahead run in the fifth before first baseman Ryan Murphy crushed a grand slam in the sixth, a no-doubter over the scoreboard at centre field off of Riggers reliever Dustin Northcott.

The Riggers, now 7-2 on the season, are back in action Wednesday night at Sherwood Park. Their next home game at Great Chief Park is on June 20 vs. St. Albert.