Sometimes things aren't as bad as they seem.
Team Saskatchewan opened up their Jeux du Canada Games baseball tournament Monday with a 9-0 loss to Manitoba.
But head coach Roger Anholt said it's important to look beyond the numbers.
"Usually if one team wins and another team loses, it's because that team played better," said Anholt. "And that's the bottom line here. We did not play that poorly. They just played exceptionally well."
Team Sask had just four hits in the game, while Manitoba managed nine. Starting Saskatchewan pitcher Evan Zerff was relieved after five innings. Landon Adelman and Moose Jaw product Clark Munroe finished the game.
"They did everything well," Anholt said of the Manitobans. "Their pitching, their defence was solid. They got some great hits.
"Their pitcher . . . was as good as I've ever seen him."
Anholt admitted pitching wasn't his team's strong suit Monday, but pointed out that the loss can't be blamed entirely on that.
"When you don't score any runs and the other guys score nine, you might say Evan wasn't at his best," said the coach. "(But) I guess if you don't score any runs, it doesn't matter who's pitching."
For more, see Tuesday's Times-Herald
