The crowd is excited and the stadium is packed in Sylvan Lake.

The Gulls are leading 5-0 and Tyler McWillie is up to bat for the Gulls as the first batter for the third inning.

The Dawgs pitcher throws.

Bam.

McWillie hits the ball, landing a home run straight away to centre field.

Now it’s the ninth inning.

Brett Higgins is up to pitch for the Gulls and if they strike out the opponent they win.

First batter up for the Dawgs and he strikes out.

Second batter comes up with a base hit.

Then the third batter comes up.

Bam, the ball is hit towards the right hand infield and it is a double play for the Gulls.

The Gulls ended up winning their game on July 7 with a final score of 8-1.

Prior to the game excitement was high in the stadium for the players and the General Manager Aqil Samuel.

“We are a little more confident and we want to build on that now, a winning streak starts with one.”

There are also areas that need improvement as the series continues, said Samuel.

“We’ve had some probably inconsistent pitching. We need some pitchers to go deeper in the game so it’s easier on our bullpen. So I think if we get a little bit more consistent on our pitching side then we are going to be fine.”

There is also still a chance of ending up at the top of the division, said Samuel.

“There’s still lots of season left and it kind of feels like we just got started here so a lot can happen. We are only 12 games in a 40 game season and we play many games in a short amount of time so we just got to get on a streak and get some momentum going.”

As for capturing the title, the team is currently focused on getting into the playoffs.

“Our goal is the one or two positions to get into the playoffs so we got the home field advantage in the first round. If we can do that I think that we should be fine.”

To get into the playoffs teams have to be in the top four and currently the Gulls are third in the division however if they are not one of the top two teams they will not get the home field advantage.

There are also many players on the team to look out for, said Samuel.

“There are lots of guys out there performing really well. There are a couple of local guys like Cleary Simpson, a middle infielder from Elnora, Brayden Cust from Sherwood Park and we are waiting for him to break out because there is lots of potential there.”

Some of the players also think getting into one of the top two positions by the end of the year is a definite possibility including Cooper Jones who plays outfield and first as well as Kyle Froelich who plays first and pitch.

“I think the guys are bonding really well so I think it is a matter of time before it comes together and we will be putting up some really good numbers as a team for sure,” said Jones.

“It’s starting to get into a bit of a routine and feeling pretty normal now, but it’s been good and I’m super excited. It’s nice to be third but I think we got a little more in the tank and now that we have our legs underneath us I think we’re ready to start taking the next steps in our play,” said Froelich.

The next home game will be on Sunday July 11 against the Lethbridge Bulls at 2:05 p.m.