The North Battleford Beavers beat Standard Hill 5-2 on Wednesday. (NB Beavers/Facebook)

By Austin Mattes

Playoff Ready

Beavers beat Standard Hill, prepare for re-match to end regular season

Jun 27, 2025 | 5:01 PM

In their final home game of the regular season, the North Battleford Beavers delivered a strong all-around performance, defeating the Standard Hill Lakers 5–2 on Wednesday night to improve their record to 11–2 in the North Sask. River Baseball League.

The Beavers, who had their six-game win streak snapped in a 14–8 loss to the Unity Cardinals on June 19, rebounded with a thrilling 15–14 win over the Glaslyn Orioles on June 23. Now, second overall in the league behind the Cardinals, Thursday’s victory marks another step in the right direction as they gear up for the playoffs.

The Beavers wasted no time making their mark, scoring all five of their runs in the second inning. Solid defense and strong pitching kept the Lakers at bay until the sixth, when they finally got on the board with a single run.

Then in the final inning, the Lakers tried to claw back, but the Beavers barely budged, only allowing one run, eventually giving North Battleford the victory.

On the mound, Gavin Nolin was dominant, throwing a complete game with nine strikeouts, allowing just three hits and only one earned run. Nolin also contributed at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

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Offensively, Andrew Hudec and Caleb Hoiseth each chipped in with a hit, a run scored, and an RBI, both going 1-for-3 in their plate appearances.

“We played really well, Gavin Nolin pitched the full seven innings and he had a balanced game, so, really positive on that end. Then we had a couple innings where we had some timely bats and that kind of got us going, which was what we needed, especially with only one game left of the regular season,” said Beavers player/coach Kyle Gregoire.

The Beavers now look ahead to a final regular season matchup, again against Standard Hill on July 3. With the standings already locked in, Gregoire suggested the focus will shift slightly.

“We can’t change our standings. So, I think it might just be more of a tune-up game where we get guys into the game with different positions just to make sure that once we go into the playoffs, everybody’s ready to go. I think it’ll be a fun game, but I don’t think the intensity will be as high,” said Gregoire.

North Battleford will face the Glaslyn Orioles in the first round of the playoffs, a matchup that is expected to be a high scoring affair after their back-and-forth game earlier this week.

As the back-to-back defending champions, with one game to go and momentum on their side, the Beavers are looking primed for another deep post season run.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes