REGINA — It was a bit of the good and a bit of the bad for the Regina Red Sox and Moose Jaw Miller Express in Western Canadian Baseball League action on Sunday night.
The Miller Express came away with an 8-7 win in the opener of a doubleheader at Currie Field in Regina before the Red Sox came back with an 8-4 victory in the nightcap.
As a result, Moose Jaw loses a bit of ground in the race for first place in the East Division after the Saskatoon Berries took an 18-13 win over the 57’s in Swift Current on Sunday. Saskatoon improves to 20-9 to sit in top spot ahead of 18-11 Moose Jaw, who drop to two games out of first place.
The three contests were the only action for Saskatchewan teams on the evening.
Moose Jaw 8, Regina 7
The Red Sox got off to a fast start with a 4-2 lead after the first and 5-3 lead through three, but the Express tied game with a pair of runs in the fourth and then took the lead for good with three in the sixth.
Regina didn’t go quietly, though, getting the tying run in scoring position in the final inning before seeing their comeback fall just short.
Thomas Soto finished a triple away from hitting for the cycle for Moose Jaw, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double, two runs scored and a pair of runs batted in. Garryn Plummer hit a three-run home run in the sixth, Chris Franks was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI, Will Edwards had three hits on the night. Ben Waliczek added a pair of runs.
Rylan Caplette-Tarrant started on the mound for Moose Jaw and left after the four run first inning, Jacob Quiles ended up as the winning pitcher after tossing a scoreless fifth and sixth. R.J. Patrick picked up the save.
Will Togher hit a home run for one of Regina’s two extra-base hits in the game, going 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Brady Bye hit a double for his lone hit of the game and crossed the plate twice, as did Ian Montz. Raine Kreklewetz picked up a pair of RBI.
Daniel Crabtree got the start for Regina and left after allowing five runs on eight hits over 4 ⅔ innings; Jake Fowler took the loss after allowing three runs on four hits over the final 2 ⅓.
Regina 8, Moose Jaw 4
The comeback shoe was on the other foot in the nightcap, as after Moose Jaw put up three in the first inning, Regina responded with five in the second and would never again trail in the game.
Bye led the Red Sox offence with a 3-for-3 outing that included a home run and two runs scored, Matteo PIerre hit a three-run home run to key the big second inning. Ty Martinez had a double as his lone hit and picked up a pair of RBI, Lance Anderson added a triple to his ledger while going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
Michael Bizier was the winning pitcher, allowing four runs on six hits through four innings. David Gordon had three shutout innings of relief, allowing only three hits and striking out five.
Plummer went 3-for-3 with two RBI for Moose Jaw, Edwards was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Gio Lugo allowed five runs on four hits over the first two innings and was the losing pitcher.
Regina is now 11-17 on the campaign and are fifth in the East, 8 ½ games out of first.
Saskatoon 18, Swift Current 13
There have been some big innings in the WCBL this season, but few compare to what the Berries put up in the first inning in Swift Current on Sunday night.
Fifteen batters, with the first six hitters having two at bats in the inning. Seven hits. Four walks. All told, Saskatoon would come away with 11 runs in the opening frame, easily the best start of the season for a team known for putting up a lot of runs.
Swift Current did their best to get back into things and put up more than enough runs the rest of the way to win any other game, but the tough start was too much to overcome.
Nathan Houston had a 4-for-6 outing for the Berries that included a pair of doubles, three runs and two RBI, while Ethan Murdoch was 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs and three RBI. Aidan Marien had a round tripper as his lone hit, Brock Laird hit a double and crossed the plate three times, Erik Aguirre finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Michael Sall was the winning pitcher in the slugfest, giving up five runs on seven hits over five innings.
Jake Hiromoto continued to show his power for Swift Current, hitting his league-leading ninth home run in the first and finishing 3-for-5 with four RBI. Lucas Geisler also hit a round tripper while going 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, Hudson Unger went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Anthony Hector crossed the plate three times.
Koufax Cranmer took the loss after giving up seven runs in the first inning.
The 57’s fall to 9-17 on the campaign and are sixth in the East, one game back of Regina for fifth and 1 ½ games back of Weyburn for fourth and the final playoff spot.
Up Next
Two games involving Saskatchewan teams are on tap for Monday night, with Regina at Saskatoon (7 p.m.) and Medicine Hat at Weyburn (7:05 p.m.)
