MOOSE JAW — For the second night in a row, the Regina Red Sox nearly had a miracle comeback under their belts in Western Canadian Baseball League action — only this time, the Moose Jaw Miller Express had an answer.
Regina scored seven in the ninth inning to tie the game at Ross Wells Park 9-9, but Moose Jaw would get a walk-off home run from Chris Franks to secure a 10-9 victory.
There were no such dramatics in the other two Saskatchewan team contests on the night, as the Lethbridge Bulls rolled to a 21-6 win over the Swift Current 57’s and the Saskatoon Berries defeated the Weyburn Beavers 18-0 in the Rural Roots Classic in Carnduff — which you can read all about by checking out Steven Wilson’s story above.
Moose Jaw 10, Regina 9
Only 24 hours after the Red Sox scored eight in the ninth to take an 8-6 win over the Mavericks in Medicine Hat, they were at it again in the final inning in Moose Jaw.
All told, they’d send 11 batters to the plate and use four hits, three walks and an error to knot things up at nine. Raine Kreklewetz had the key hit in the inning when he knocked home Mason Tafoya with the tying run.
All that went for naught when Franks stepped up to the plate as the first batter in the bottom of the ninth, as he’d take the second pitch he saw from Regina reliever Quinn Boreen over the fence for the walk-off win.
Franks finished 3-for-5 on the night with a pair of runs batted in, while Thomas Soto was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs and a double. Will Edwards and Brayden Bunnell each knocked in a pair, Jimmy Kurtz and Pacey Phillips crossed the plate twice apiece.
Rylan Caplette-Tarrant snagged the win after getting the final out of the ninth in relief of Maddox Sommers. Westin Walls got the start for Moose Jaw and was outstanding, turning in a quality start with six innings pitched, no runs, eight strikeouts and two walks while giving up a single hit.
Will Togher had a solo home run as his lone hit on the night for Regina, while Justin Simard was 1-for-3 with a double and three runs batted in. Tafoya and Brady Bye each had a pair of hits, Mason Canter crossed the plate twice.
Samuel Jackson got the start for Regina and allowed three runs on four hits over two innings. Boreen took the loss after allowing the game-winning home run.
Moose Jaw is now 2-0 on the season, Regina falls to 1-1.
Lethbridge 21, Swift Current 6
The Bulls blew open a 7-1 game with an 11-run fourth inning before going on to take the mercy-rule victory,
All told, Lethbridge sent 16 batters to the plate in their huge frame, with seven players having two at bats. They’d end up with 10 hits in the inning while drawing three walks.
And as lopsided as the final score was, it could have been far worse, as the Bulls ended up leaving 15 runners on base throughout the evening.
As one might expect, a handful of players had huge games for the Bulls. Joshua Milton led the onslaught, going 5-for-6 with three doubles, three runs scored and five RBI. Carter Claerhout was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI while Kalem Henry was 2-for-4 with three walks, four runs and three RBI. Karsen Henry went 4-for-6 with three runs and three RBI, Noah McNeil crossed the plate three times.
Brett Getz was the winning pitcher, allowing a single run over five innings while giving up three hits and striking out five.
Malachi Jaramillo was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI for the 57’s, Keaton Dickie went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. Jake Hiromoto also had a pair of hits.
No Swift Current pitcher lasted more than a couple of innings, with Nathan Innes getting the start and taking the loss after allowing a pair of runs on a hit and five walks in the first.
Lethbridge is now 2-0, Swift Current drops to 0-2.
League action continues on Saturday with Weyburn at Saskatoon (4 p.m.), Medicine Hat at Regina (6:05 p.m.) and Swift Current at Moose Jaw (7:05 p.m.).
