REGINA — When you’re having difficulty putting up offence in a baseball game, sometimes a bit of trickery at just the right time can be the cure.
The Sylvan Lake Gulls put that idea to good use in the 11th inning of Game 1 of the Western Canadian Baseball League Championship Series on Thursday night, and they were rewarded with a huge victory.
Michael Quick scored what would stand as the game-winning run on a double steal in the second extra inning, giving the Gulls a 3-2 victory over the Regina Red Sox and taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
The Gulls can now claim their first-ever WCBL title on Friday night in Sylvan Lake.
Sylvan Lake took advantage of a couple of bad breaks for the Red Sox to set up their winning play, first when Quick singled and reached second on an error at shortstop and then when Quick went to third on a wild pitch to Tripp Ray.
Ray would eventually walk, and with runners on first and third, the double steal went into motion and would succeed in plating the go-ahead run.
Zayd Brannigan would reach base on a walk for Regina in the bottom of the 11th, but Gulls reliever Mickey McClaskey retired the side in order from there to secure the win.
As the score would indicate, runs were hard to come by for both teams all night.
Regina took the lead when Rafael Jackson scored on a sacrifice fly by Brady Bye in the third inning, but Sylvan Lake would get that one right back in the fourth when Ray knocked home Brock Tijerina.
Matthew Fox restored the Red Sox lead in the fifth with a solo home run, but the Gulls once again had an immediate – and similar – answer, this time when Ray brought home Tijerina with a sacrifice fly.
That’s where things would remain until extra innings, thanks in no small part to the efforts of both teams’ bullpens.
Joshua Tucker had a quality start for the Gulls, allowing two runs on eight hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking four. Garrett Lundmark took over in the seventh and would go four innings, holding Regina to only four hits and striking out seven before giving way to McClaskey in the 11th.
Zander Oudie-Senger started for the Red Sox and allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. Vittorio Iacobucci gave up a single hit over the next two innings before handing off to Ayden Page, who tossed three shutout innings before giving up the unearned run in the 11th.
Page has yet to allow an earned run in 11 ⅔ innings of relief work in the playoffs.
Fox ended up with a solid night at the plate, going 5-for-6 with a double to go along with his round tripper. Ian Montz and Jordan Tucker each had a pair of hits.
Quick finished 4-for-5 for Sylvan Lake.
Game 2 of the WCBL Final takes place on Friday in Sylvan Lake, with Game 3, if necessary also in Sylvan Lake on Saturday night.
