MOOSE JAW — The Saskatoon Berries went into their doubleheader against the Moose Jaw Miller Express with a 2 ½ game lead over the Friendly City crew at the top of the Western Canadian Baseball League’s East Division standings.
After the two contests were in the book, nothing had changed.
Moose Jaw picked up a 7-6 win in the opener at Ross Wells Park, but Saskatoon responded with an 11-9 win in the nightcap. As a result, the Berries now hold an 19-8 record in first place in the East, with the Express 2 ⅓ games back with a 16-9 mark.
Other action Friday saw the Regina Red Sox take a 16-0 win over the Swift Current 57’s and the Sylvan Lake Gulls down the Weyburn Beavers 14-8.
Moose Jaw 7, Saskatoon 6
Saskatoon couldn’t make an edge stick in the twinbill opener, leading 3-0 and 6-4 before Moose Jaw rallied both times to briefly take the lead and eventually tie the game 6-6 heading into the seventh inning.
There, Chris Franks hit a one-out triple but was gunned down at home trying to score on a ball hit to short, but two batters later Garryn Plummer would finish things off when he knocked home Will Edwards with the game-winning run.
Plummer had himself a heck of a game at the plate, hitting a grand slam in the third inning and finishing 2-for-3 with five RBIs on the night. Eduardo Saenz and Ben Waliczek each scored a pair of runs for the Express.
Gavin Panks went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored for Saskatoon, Gael Salinas was 2-for-4 with three RBI, Ethan Murdoch also crossed the plate twice.
Aidan Johnson got the start for Moose Jaw and allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits over three innings. R.J. Patrick allowed three runs in the fourth before Jacob Quiles, Jordan Bauer and Nathan Pisio combined to toss three shutout inning to close things out. Pisio ended up as the winning pitcher.
Owen Stempel started for the Berries, giving up five runs on four hits in 3 ⅔, Tanner Hosick took the loss after giving up the walk-off winner.
Saskatoon 11, Moose Jaw 9
The Berries did almost all the damage they’d need in the second inning when they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored eight runs — in spectacular fashion at that.
All told, Saskatoon would hit four home runs in the inning, with Ethan Murdoch belting a two-run shot before Nick Cote, Nash Nichols and Brock Laird hit back-to-back-to-back round trippers to build their substantial edge.
The Berries led 10-2 heading into the sixth inning when Moose Jaw began to put together a comeback, scoring four in the sixth and getting a three-run home run from Jacob Mraz in the seventh before falling a pair of runs short.
Cote ended up 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, while Laird was 2-for-3 with three runs.
Thomas Soto was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI for Moose Jaw, Eduardo Saenz crossed the plate twice.
Jackson Fraser started for Saskatoon and left after the first inning, but that was good enough to earn the win. Adam Korte saw the lions share of work, giving up five runs, two earned over 4 ⅔ innings. Brody Wrench picked up the save.
Rowan Robinson got the start for Moose Jaw and got through the first two innings unscathed but left in the third after giving up six runs on six hits.
Regina 16, Swift Current 0
The Red Sox scored early and often in Swift Current, building a 6-0 lead through the fifth inning before tagging on seven more runs in the seventh to make their lead all but insurmountable.
It mattered little in the end, as Regina’s pitching staff saw to it there would be no miracle comeback.
Kris Hahn got the start for the Sox and had a quality start with six shutout innings, giving up only five hits and striking out five. Quinn Boreen and Dave Hensarling each had a perfect shutout inning to close out the contest,
Lance Anderson led Regina’s offence with a 3-for-5 outing that included a three-run home run in the seventh, four runs batted in and a pair of runs scored. Raine Kreklewetz was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored while Will Togher hit a round tripper, knocked in three and crossed the plate twice. Ian Montz was 3-for-5 with a run scored, Brady Bye and Jalen Meyers crossed the plate twice each.
Hudson Unger had two of Swift Current’s five hits on the night.
The 57’s went through eight pitchers on the night, with starter Sam Honke taking the loss after giving up five runs, fourth earned, on nine hits over three innings of work.
Regina improves to 10-15 and are in fifth place in the East, 7 ½ games out of first, Swift Current fell to 8-16 and are sixth, nine games back.
Sylvan Lake 14, Weyburn 8
The Beavers got off to a quick start with three runs in the first inning, but the Gulls got all of that back and more with a six-run third. Sylvan Lake then added two runs in each inning through the sixth to build a 12-3 edge, and while Weyburn would score five in the eighth, they’d get no closer.
Sylvan Lake was hammering the ball all night, pounding nine extra base hits around the yard. Johnboy Rittenhouse led the way with a 3-for-5 showing that included a three-run home run in their big third inning, a double, two runs scored and an impressive six runs batted in. Charlie Collins had a 4-for-4 showing that included two doubles and three runs scored, Nathan Hopkins, Joey Marino and Elijha Hammill all scored two runs apiece. Coleman Parry picked up three hits, Dominic Giusti knocked in two.
Matthew Mackenzie started for the Gulls and allowed three runs on six hits over 4 ⅔ innings, striking out seven. George Hobbins finished off the fifth and snagged the win.
Trevor Dale knocked in a pair of runs for Weyburn, while Joe Madill crossed the plate twice. Hugh Montgomery went 2-for-4 with a run scored, Jared Kramp, Ryan Dauphinee and Nick Miller had two hits each.
Bill Hosegood started for the Beavers and gave up six runs on eight hits over 2 ⅓ innings to take the loss.
Sylvan Lake improves to 18-8 and are two games out of the lead in third in the West Division, Weyburn drops to 11-15 and are third in the East, seven games out of first.
Up Next
Three games involving Saskatchewan teams are on tap for Saturday night, with Swift Current at Regina (6:05 p.m.), Weyburn at Medicine Hat (6:45 p.m.) and Saskatoon at Moose Jaw (7:05 p.m.),
