MOOSE JAW — The Moose Jaw Miller Express and their vaunted offence have pounded out many a comeback win in recent Western Canadian Baseball League seasons, but few compare to what they put together on Saturday night.
Trailing 11-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Express scored seven runs to take a 12-11 victory over the Weyburn Beavers in the first game of a doubleheader at Ross Wells Park. Then they’d do it again in the nightcap, scoring a pair in the seventh to tie the game and then picking up two in the extra inning for a 10-9 victory.
As a result, Moose Jaw improves to 8-4 with their fifth straight win and have moved within a half game of the Saskatoon Berries for the East Division lead. Weyburn falls to 5-6 and are in third place, three games back.
Other action for Saskatchewan teams on Saturday saw the Berries edge the Regina Red Sox 10-9 and the Medicine Hat Mavericks roll to a 20-6 win over the Swift Current 57’s.
Moose Jaw 12, Weyburn 11
Everything went Moose Jaw’s way in their final at bat, beginning when Chris Franks led off with his first double of the inning and was followed by the next two batters being hit by pitches and the next two after that reaching on errors.
The Express had scored four runs in the frame and were down to their final out when Franks came up for the second time, and his double off the centrefield wall would bring home Pacey Phillips, Will Edwards and Ben Waliczek with the winning runs.
Weyburn had built their lead by scoring six in the second inning, adding another three in the fifth and two more in the sixth for an 11-2 edge at the time. Moose Jaw began their comeback with three in the sixth before their improbable surge in the seventh.
Franks ended up going 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI and the two final inning doubles, Phillips scored three runs and knocked in four, Brayden Bunnell went 2-for-3 and scored two runs, Jacob Mraz also crossed the plate twice.
Austin Boylan finished a home run away from the cycle for Weyburn, finishing 3-for-5 with a double, triple, two runs and two RBI. Brayden Mayencourt was 2-for-3 with three runs, Robert Gurney went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs.
Jordan Bauer was Moose Jaw’s most effective pitcher, allowing three runs on three hits after taking over in the second inning; Maddox Summers tossed a scoreless ninth to snag the win.
Zach Raichel started for Weyburn and allowed two runs on five hits over four innings. Bill Hosegood was saddled with the loss after giving up the final two runs in the seventh.
Moose Jaw 10, Weyburn 9
A four-run inning in the top of the sixth gave Weyburn an 8-5 lead in the nightcap, but Moose Jaw scored one in their half of the sixth and added two more in the seventh to tie things up.
The Beavers scored one in the extra inning, but the Express picked up a pair in the bottom of the eighth to take the win.
Waliczek had the walk-off hit, lacing a single to right centre to bring home Bunnell from third with the game-winning run.
Caden Ransom hit a three-run home run in the second inning and scored two runs for Moose Jaw; Bunnell and Michael Rago each crossed the plate twice. Waliczek, Edwards and Garryn Plummer each knocked in a pair.
Boylan went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in the sixth and finished with five RBI. Brayden Mayencourt had a three-run home run in the fifth, while Daxtyn Brown and Hugh Montgomery each crossed the plate twice.
Rowan Robinson had a solid start for Moose Jaw, allowing a single run on five hits over four innings. Jacob Quiles picked up the win after allowing a single run and hit over the final two innings.
Will Sevier started for the Beavers and allowed five runs on four hits in 3 ⅓, Hosegood had the ignoble honor of giving up the two runs in the eighth to take the loss in back-to-back games.
Saskatoon 10, Regina 9
The Red Sox had an answer for everything the Berries threw at them right up until the eighth inning, when immediately after Regina tied the game 9-9, Saskatoon scored the game-winning run.
The Berries had scored four in the second and two in the fourth for a 6-3 lead when Regina went ahead with four in the fifth. Saskatoon scored two in their half of that inning to go ahead 8-7, but Regina came right back and tied the game in the sixth. Saskatoon then regained the lead in the seventh, leading to the pivotal eighth inning.
Brock Laird led Saskatoon by hitting a three-run home run in the second and ending up 4-for-5 with three RBI. Aiden Marien went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three runs scored and three RBI, Nick Cote also crossed the plate twice.
Lance Anderson went 2-for-4 with a home run while crossing the plate twice, Will Togher went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI. Jalen Meyers went 3-for-3, scored and run and had an RBI.
Owen Stempel started for Saskatoon and went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Tanner Hosick picked up the win after holding Regina without a hit over the final 1 ⅔ innings.
Samuel Jackson got the start for Regina and allowed six runs on five hits over four innings, striking out seven. Zander Oudie-Senger was the losing pitcher after giving up Saskatoon's runs in the seventh and eighth.
Saskatoon is now 9-4 and have the aforementioned half-game lead over Moose Jaw at the top of the East, Regina falls to 5-7 and are in fifth place, percentage points back of Medicine Hat.
Medicine Hat 20, Swift Current 6
The 57’s pitching staff has fallen on incredibly hard times as of late, and Saturday was no exception, as they gave up 22 hits on the night and have allowed 91 runs over their six-game losing skid.
Swift Current actually led early, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second for a 5-1 lead, but the Mavericks got all that back with four runs in the fourth and then pulled away for good with an eight-run fifth and five-run sixth.
All of Medicine Hat’s starters had at least one hit, with Nate King going 4-for-6 with four runs and two RBi. Blake Dale, Carter Roth and Carson Chan all hit two doubles, with Roth and Chan each knocking in three runs and Dale scoring three. Johnny Vulcano was 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.
Jake Hiromoto hit a three-run home run in the second for Swift Current and scored two runs.
Adam Vulcano had a rough start for the Mavericks, allowing five runs on three hits and three walks over the first two innings, but Brandt Spencer, Trevor Syer and David Heinen combined to hold Swift to a single run on three hits the rest of the way.
Gavin Lippa took the loss after allowing eight runs on nine hits through the fourth and fifth.
Medicine Hat improves to 6-8 and are in fourth place in the East, Swift Current is 2-9 and in sixth.
Up Next
Action for Saskatchewan teams on Sunday sees Swift Current at Saskatoon (1 p.m.) and Moose Jaw at Weyburn (7:05 p.m.)
