One of the most productive seasons in Western Canadian Baseball League history is now a record setting one.
Swift Current 57’s slugger Jake Hiromoto hit a home run and knocked in four runs on Sunday night as his club took a 20-13 victory over the Moose Jaw Miller Express and in the process set single-season records in both categories.
Hiromoto now has 21 home runs on the season, breaking the mark set by Riley MacDonald of the Brooks Bombers back in 2018, and his 68 runs batted in break the record of 66 set by Kaleb Warden of the Lethbridge Bulls in 2019 and tied by Will Edwards of the Moose Jaw Miller Express last season.
Other results on Sunday saw the Fort McMurray Giants down the Regina Red Sox 10-2, Medicine Hat Mavericks roll to an 11-4 win over the Weyburn Beavers and the Sylvan Lake Gulls down the Saskatoon Berries 10-3
As a result, Moose Jaw and Saskatoon remain tied for first place in the East Division with 33-13 records, while Regina is in third with a 19-25 mark. Weyburn holds down the fourth and final playoff spot at 18-26, a game back of Regina and half-game ahead of the 19-28 Medicine Hat Mavericks. Swift Current is 16-31 in sixth and 3 ½ games out of a playoff spot.
Swift Current 20, Moose Jaw 13
Hiromoto tied the RBI record in the third inning when he knocked home Lucas Geisler with a single and then broke the mark the next inning when another single brought home Hudson Unger.
Next was the home run record, and Hiromoto would get that done in the ninth inning, hitting a two run shot that put Swift Current’s final runs on the board.
As for how the game played out, Moose Jaw took an early 4-0 lead, but Swift Current came back with five in the fourth and then scored eight the next inning to go ahead 13-4. The Express made things interesting with six runs in the fifth, but they’d get no closer, as the 57’s responded with four the next inning and tacked on three runs over the final two frames.
Swift Current pounded out 28 hits on the night, with seven players having three hits or more.
The big numbers came from Geisler, who was 3-for-5 with a home run and six RBI, while Hiromoto finished 4-for-7 with three runs and four RBI. Jakes Steffes had five hits, Hudson Unger went 4-for-7 with three runs.
Gavin Lippa started for Swift Current and got a no decision after allowing eight runs on seven hits over 4 ⅓, A.J. Arruda was the winning pitcher after tossing a scoreless sixth and seventh.
Edwards had a 4-for-6 outing that included three doubles and four RBI, while Gary Swann also hit three doubles while going 3-for-5 and knocking in two runs. Thomas Soto hit a double and scored three runs, Jimmy Kurtz was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI.
All told, Moose Jaw hit nine two-baggers in the contest.
Aidan Johnson took the bullet on the mound for the Express, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits over the first three innings to absorb the loss.
Sylvan Lake 10, Saskatoon 3
The Gulls scored three runs in the fourth and eighth innings and added four more in the middle frames to take their comfortable win over the Berries.
Elijha Hammill went 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBI for the Gulls, while Maddox Shaver was 2-for-4 with a round tripper, two runs and three RBI. Jaden Flores and Cleary Simpson each crossed the plate twice.
Mason Little was the winning pitcher after allowing two runs on five hits over 5 ⅓ innings.
Saskatoon’s offence was well spread, with nine players getting at least one hit. Josh Henson ended up 2-for-4 with a run, while Ethan Murdoch and Mason Roell had the Berries other runs.
Adam Korte started for Saskatoon and took the loss on the mound, allowing three runs on three hits over four innings.
Medicine Hat 11, Weyburn 4
A pair of runs in each of the second and third innings staked the Mavericks to a 4-0 lead, and they’d make it a 10-1 game with six in the sixth. Weyburn got three back in the seventh but could get no closer.
Evan Morrison finished a triple away from hitting for the cycle for Medicine Hat, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run and four RBI. Eric Calder was also swinging a big bat, finishing 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI; Carter Roth also hit a home run and was 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Julian Pokorny had a quality start on the mound to earn the win, going 6 ⅔ innings and allowing four runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out eight.
Those three hits were the only offence Weyburn had, with Trevor Dale hitting a two-run home run in the seventh and Austin Boyle hitting a double while also picking up a run and RBI.
Zach Raichel was the losing pitcher after allowing 10 runs on 12 hits over 5 ⅔ innings.
Fort McMurray 10, Regina 2
The Giants scored three in the second inning and added four in the fourth for an 8-1 lead, and Regina would get one back in the sixth before Fort McMurray finished things off with a pair of runs in the seventh.
Jason Avila had a 2-for-3 outing for the Giants that included a double, home run, two runs and two RBI, Braeden Dyck had a single hit and knocked in three runs, Miguel Tetreault and Carson Young scored two runs apiece.
Michael Szpak was the winning pitcher thanks to a quality start where he allowed two runs, one earned on five hits over six innings.
Brady Bye hit a double and knocked in a run for Regina, Daniel Castellanos was 2-for-4 with a run scored, Raine Kreklewetz also had a pair of hits.
David Hensarling started and took the loss on the mound after allowing six runs, four earned on three hits and four walks over 3 ⅓.
Next Up
Only two Saskatchewan games are on the schedule Monday as Regina is in Edmonton to face Energy City (5:35 p.m.) and Moose Jaw is at Weyburn (7:05 p.m.).
