Baseball: Auckland Tuatara give up 21 runs in Australian Baseball League loss to Canberra Cavalry

It's a club no team wants to be a part of, but the Auckland Tuatara have joined Geelong-Korea on the list of teams to conceded 20 or more runs in a single game.

The Tuatara were handed a 21-4 thrashing away to the Canberra Cavalry last night in just the third game this Australian Baseball League season where a team has surpassed the 20-runs mark.

Fellow league newcomers Geelong-Korea have seen opponents hit the mark twice, with the Perth Heat posting 23 runs against them on two occasions earlier in the season.

The Cavalry got to Tuatara starting pitcher Jimmy Boyce early and often in the match. The winless right-hander gave up two doubles, a single and a three-run home run against his first four hitters of the night.

Boyce managed to retire just one hitter in the first inning, and after conceding three more runs, forced manager Steve Mintz to call on his bullpen with his side down 7-0 with essentially a full game left to play.

Jimmy Boyce gave up seven runs in the first inning against the Canberra Cavalry. Photo / Photosport

Scott Cone stemmed the flow momentarily for the Tuatara, getting them out of the first innings with no more damage, but gave up six runs in the second which saw the Auckland side 13-0 down and the game out of reach.

While the Cavalry's bats fired in a big way, it was a different story for the visitors. Being susceptible to strikeouts all season, the Tuatara took that to another level on Thursday, striking out 15 times on the night, with Canberra starter Steven Kent accounting for 13 of those.

Kent pitched seven innings, allowing just two runs from as many hits in a dazzling performance on the bump.

The two sides meet again in three more games across the weekend. Young Kiwi Elliot Johnstone was expected to start on the mound for the Tuatara tonight, with former Major League Baseball pitchers Josh Collmenter and Scott Richmond set to toe the rubber on Saturday and Sunday respectively.