SASKATOON — Carter Beck has hit many a home run for the Saskatoon Berries over the past two seasons, but none were bigger than the one he sent out of the NexGen Patch on Saturday night.
Beck took a 3-2 offering from Fernando Medina over the right field fence for a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Berries a remarkable 16-12 come-from-behind victory over the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
As a result, Saskatoon wins the best-of-three Western Canadian Baseball League East Division semifinal two-games-to-one and will now face the Regina Red Sox in the Division Final.
The contest was a back-and-forth battle throughout, and featured one of the biggest playoff comebacks in recent playoff history by Moose Jaw before Saskatoon’s late-game heroics.
The Berries had scored three runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and another five in the fifth to build a 10-3 lead with what at the time looked to be two innings remaining.
Moose Jaw would come all the way back and then some in the eighth, though, sending 13 batters to the plate and racking up nine runs on eight hits to take a stunning 12-10 lead.
That didn’t change in the bottom of the eighth, and the Berries would find themselves facing Moose Jaw ace Westin Walls — who had taken the win in the Express’ 6-4 victory in Game 1 — in the bottom of the ninth.
Beck would get things started for Saskatoon with a one-out double, and he’d score one batter later on a single to centre field by Ethan Menard. Two batters later, Mason Roell would have the Berries’ season down to their final strike when he’d single up the middle to bring home pinch runner Evan Janner with the tying run.
Berries reliever Noah McCombs retired Moose Jaw in order in their half of the 10th, and after a single by Murdoch and walk to Wouters, Saskatoon was in business in the bottom half of the extra inning.
Medina came on in relief and was able to get Bailyn Sorensen to pop out, but Jalen Freeman hit a single to load the bases and Beck would finish things off with his round tripper.
All told, Beck would finish 5-for-7 with three runs scored and five RBI. Freeman was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs, Roell 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBI.
Saenz led Moose Jaw’s offence, going 3-for-6 with two runs and three RBI, while Tanner DeGrazia and Austin Gurney also had three hits apiece. Soto capped his night with four RBI.
Saskatoon ended up using eight pitchers on the night, with Matt Whitney getting the start but lasting only two innings, giving up three runs on four hits. Zac Laird tossed three shutout innings before Mathias Trondson and Tanner Hosick combined to get the Berries into the eighth with their big lead.
There, Michael Sall allowed four runs, Klevert Martina three and Clay Mixon two more as Moose Jaw mounted their comeback.
Jacob Glazener went 3 ⅔ for Moose Jaw and allowed three runs on eight hits before giving way to Ethan Merk, who was hit for six runs over the next 1 ⅓. Nathan Pisio allowed a run while getting two outs in the sixth before Rodolfo Guardiola finished off that frame and pitched the next two innings, allowing a single hit.
Saskatoon will have no time to rest, as Game 1 of the East Division Final is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday at the NexGen Patch. Game 2 is 7 p.m. Monday at Currie Field in Regina, with the deciding game, if necessary, taking place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Saskatoon.
The winner of that series will advance to face the winner of the Okotoks Dawgs and Sylvan Lake Gulls for the WCBL Championship.
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