SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Berries are once again off to the best start in the Western Canadian Baseball League’s East Division after the first full week of play.
The Berries improved to 5-1 on the campaign after taking an early lead against the Moose Jaw Miller Express on Thursday night and going on to a 7-4 victory at Cairns Field in Saskatoon.
In other games involving Saskatchewan teams, the Medicine Hat Tigers returned to .500 on the campaign after prevailing in a low-scoring battle with the Regina Red Sox, and a wild back-and-forth battle between the Weyburn Beavers and Swift Current 57’s in Swift Current was suspended in the ninth inning due to weather. It will be resumed at a later date with two outs in the ninth and Weyburn having scored seven runs to take a 16-13 lead.
Saskatoon 7, Moose Jaw 4
If not for an extremely fast start by the Berries, the two teams would have found themselves in a heck of a battle in the later innings.
Instead, Saskatoon got to Moose Jaw starter Jacob Glazener early and often, scoring five runs in the first inning and then tacking on two more in the second for an early 7-1 lead. Glazener ended up leaving the game after allowing seven runs on nine hits in the first two frames.
Rowan Robinson took over on the mound from there for Moose Jaw and was more than effective, pitching the next 5 ⅓ innings and scattering five hits as the Express tried to claw their way back into things.
They’d get a run back in the third, another in the seventh and the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Berries reliever Dallen Rude was able to retire the side in order after coming on in relief of Brody Wench to secure the victory.
Owen Roberts started for Saskatoon and went 2 ⅓, allowing two runs on two hits before Adam Korte took over and also gave the Berries a solid relief showing. He’d ended up pitching 4 ⅔ and gave up a single run on three hits to pick up the win.
Nate Houston had a solid outing at the plate for Saskatoon, going 3-for-4 with two runs while Gael Salinas also crossed the plate twice. Mason Gaines had three hits, Gavin Panks, Ethan Murdoch and Nick Stinson all knocked in a pair of runs each.
Jacob Mraz crossed the plate twice for Moose Jaw, Thomas Soto had a triple as his lone hit of the game and scored a run.
Saskatoon improves to 5-1 and are first in the East Division, Moose Jaw falls to 2-3 and are now fifth in the East.
Medicine Hat 6, Regina 1
The two teams found themselves in a pitching duel all the way up until the ninth inning before Medicine Hat was able to pull away for good.
Aiden Shumaker got the start for the Red Sox and allowed two runs on four hits over five innings of work and Medicine Hat’s Brandt Spencer was just as effective, giving up a single run on four hits in the same span of time.
Jax Graham and Levi Tibbetts then shut down the Red Sox from there, allowing only three hits over the final four innings. Conversely, Quinn Boreen did his part by keeping the Mavericks from putting anything else on the scoreboard into the ninth, but they’d get to him there, ending up with four runs on five hits over Boreen’s three innings.
Only Will Togher had more than a single hit for Regina, going 2-for-4, and Brady Bye scored the lone Red Sox run in the fourth.
Frankie Giancalone hit a solo home run for Medicine Hat, Carter Roth was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. Johnny Vulcano also had a pair of hits and two runs scored.
Regina falls to 3-3 on the campaign and are tied with Medicine Hat for second in the East.
