The only thing better than one ace on your staff is two B次元官网网址� or three.

The Victoria Mariners won three of four home games at at Henderson Park last weekend, the clubB次元官网网址檚 first home stand in the 2012 B.C. Premier Baseball League.

Nathan McKinlay took the mound for Victoria on Sunday morning and proceeded to throw seven shutout innings with six strikeouts, one walk and just two hits, as the MB次元官网网址檚 defeated the Coquitlam Reds 2-0.

It was one of two MarinersB次元官网网址� shutouts on the weekend, as Colton Wood threw five innings in an 11-0 blowout of the North Delta Blue Jays to start the four-game weekend on Saturday. ItB次元官网网址檚 a good sign the Mariners have depth in the starting rotation. Of the three Mariners pitchers with more than one start (McKinlay, Wood and Erik Phillips), Wood has the highest earned runs average, at just 2.33.

B次元官网网址淓verythingB次元官网网址檚 going well right now,B次元官网网址� McKinlay said. B次元官网网址淧itching and defence is really strong and weB次元官网网址檙e hitting well.B次元官网网址�

With Mariners catcher Ty Russell leading the BCPBL in batting average (.560) and RBIs (8), itB次元官网网址檚 no surprise the MB次元官网网址檚 (6-2) are in second place. Only the Okanagan Athletics (9-3) are ahead, having played four more games already.

SundayB次元官网网址檚 win was also the second time McKinlay (2-0) has thrown seven scoreless innings. The right-handerB次元官网网址檚 first start of the season went into extra innings tied at zero with the Nanaimo Pirates (6-2). No sooner had McKinlay been pulled from that game when an incident took place that saw both benches clear in a brawl, which led to numerous player ejections.

B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檙e going to do well this season and we are a close group anyways,B次元官网网址� McKinlay said. B次元官网网址滲ut the (brawl) brought us together a bit more (considering) how early it is in the season. We know weB次元官网网址檝e got each otherB次元官网网址檚 backs.B次元官网网址�

Erik Phillips came on in relief, following the fireworks, and eventually earned the win in a 12-inning affair that ended 3-2.

Game day

On Saturday the Mariners host the Langley Blaze for a doubleheader, 12 and 2:30 p.m. at Henderson Park. Meanwhile the crosstown rival Victoria Eagles are in Coquitlam for two games on Sunday.

The outsider

McKinlay, a Grade 12 student at Oak Bay High, is the only non-Lambrick Park secondary student on the Mariners. HeB次元官网网址檚 headed to Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, on a scholarship, one of several Mariners going to junior college next year.

McKinlay was part of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 run to the final four in last yearB次元官网网址檚 playoffs, in which they finished third.