European Raiders enjoying their first official welcome to Prince Albert

The last of the pre-season festivities is officially in the books after the Prince Albert Raiders hosted their annual slo-pitch game Tuesday night.

Team Grey earned the 19-7 win in five innings over Team Green, but the game was more about engaging the players with the fans. For two Raiders from Europe, it was their first time ever stepping onto a baseball diamond.

“I really like this game, it’s funny,” said Kazakhstan-born forward Alisher Sarkenov. “That’s a lot of fun.”

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Despite being a veteran of the Raiders from last season, this is Sarkenov’s first time getting to take part in all of the pre-season activities, such as the golf tournament, season-ticket-holder pancake breakfast and the other community events the team hosts to engage with fans before the season.

Thanks to a long process of acquiring a visa to travel from his home country, Sarkenov didn’t arrive until about a month into last season. Sarkenov is still learning English, but he’s become much more comfortable talking with fans and is enjoying being a part of the welcome back to Prince Albert.

“I don’t even know quite how to say it, but what I will say is that they have been really good events and I really like it. It’s been good emotions.”

Sarkenov isn’t the only one experiencing the start of the season for the first time.

For Latvian-born Oskars Luks, he has never experienced anything like this before. He did play away from home last year in Finland, but has never been a part of a reception like the one he has received since arriving in Prince Albert. It has him excited to hit the ice on Friday with his teammates.

“It’s definitely something I have not been used to. But yeah, they have been so welcoming and so friendly, I couldn’t ask for a better fan base than what we have over here.”

It was also Luks’ first time stepping onto the baseball field, and his baseball swing looks similar to the golf swing he learned for the first time just a few weeks prior. Luks wasn’t completely familiar with the rules before stepping into the batter’s box for the first time, which resulted in a few funny moments during the game.

When asked if his teammates could have given him a little more advice before the game, Luks replied with a laugh and a smile on his face:

“I had some guys at second and third bases telling me when to run, so I think that answers your question.”

As for the game itself, both Luks and Sarkenov contributed to their team’s offence. Sarkenov got Team Green on the board in the second with a double that scored a run, while Luks hit a double in the fourth inning that scored a run for Team Grey.

The star of the night, however, was returning defenceman Hubert Clarke for Team Grey, who hit an in-the-park home run in his first at-bat, two solo home runs in his next two and a run-scoring triple in his final at-bat that helped Team Grey to their 19-7 win. He also made some fantastic defensive plays at shortstop.

Clarke was named the player of the game for Team Grey, while Connor Howe was named the player of the game for Team Green thanks to his own defensive play and a two-run home run he hit in the fourth inning.