The Western Canadian Baseball League will undoubtedly see a pair of new single-season record holders in the coming days after one record was tied and another moved to the cusp of being broken Sunday.
Jake Hiromoto of the Swift Current 57’s hit three home runs in a twinbill with the Moose Jaw Miller Express and as a result now has 20 on the campaign, tying the mark set by the Brooks Bombers’ Riley MacDonald in 2018. Hiromoto is also chasing down the RBI record, where he currently has 64 and needs 66.
Moose Jaw’s Thomas Soto is also in the hunt to set a new stolen bases record, as he had a single swipe in the series opener and now has 41 on the season, one shy of the 42 stolen by Braden DeSonia of the Medicine Hat Mavericks in 2022.
As for results on Saturday, the Miller Express might have seen their 14-game Western Canadian Baseball League winning streak come to an end, but it didn’t take them long to get back on the winning track.
The Swift Current 57’s took a 13-9 win over the Express in the opening game of their doubleheader in Swift Current before Moose Jaw rebounded with a 7-4 win.
It was a good night in general for Saskatchewan teams as the Weyburn Beavers defeated the Medicine Hat Mavericks 16-3, the Regina Red Sox took a 1-0 win over the Fort McMurray Giants and the Saskatoon Berries downed the Sylvan Lake Giants 9-7.
As a result, the only thing that changed in the East Division standings was at the top, as the Miller Express and Berries now have identical 33-12 records and are tied for first place. Regina is in third at 19-24, one game up on the 18-25 Beavers, who are 1 ½ games ahead of Medicine Hat for the final playoff spot in the East. Swift Current is sixth with a 15-31 record.
Swift Current 13, Moose Jaw 9
Hiromoto wasted little time getting things going in the doubleheader opener, hitting a two-run home run in the first inning and adding a three-run shot in the second as the 57’s took a 7-1 lead. They’d add six more runs in the fourth to go ahead 13-2, and while Moose Jaw steadily chipped away the rest of the seven-inning game, they couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Hiromoto’s final stat line was 3-for-5 with two runs and five RBI. Hudson Unger also hit a round tripper and was 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBI. Rydell Adair, Mace Wheeler and Jake Roggensack all crossed the plate twice.
Zach Clow was the winning pitcher after giving up two runs on four hits over four innings.
Eduardo Saenz led Moose Jaw with four runs scored thanks to a single and three walks. Soto was 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs and two RBI, Ben Waliczek went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Sean Bavis started for the Express and took the no decision despite giving up the seven runs in the first two innings, Daniel Concepcion gave up the six runs in the fourth and was saddled with the loss.
Moose Jaw 7, Swift Current 4
The 57’s took a 4-2 lead into the sixth inning, where the Express put up a pair of runs and then scored three more in the top of the seventh to take the win.
Soto was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, Waliczek and Will Edwards each scored a pair of runs Saenz knocked in two.
Jordan Bauer took the no decision for Moose Jaw after giving up a pair of runs on five hits over 2 ⅓, R.J. Patrick tossed a scoreless sixth to earn the win, Nathan Pisio had a scoreless seventh and picked up the save.
Hiromoto was 3-for-3 with his round tripper and three RBI, Lucas Geisler went 2-for-3 with two runs.
Adair opened for Swift Current and allowed two runs, one earned on three hits over five innings, Sam Honke was the losing pitcher after allowing all of Moose Jaw’s runs in the final two innings.
Weyburn 16, Medicine Hat 3
Three runs in each of the third and fifth innings staked the Beavers to a 7-3 lead, and they’d add six in the seventh and another three in the eighth to take the mercy rule win.
Ryan Dauphinee finished a triple away from hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run and four RBI. Will Sevier went 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs and two RBI, Robert Gurney also hit a round tripper while going 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBI. Owen Mayencourt was 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI, while Noah Brooks had three hits and three runs. Brayden Mayencourt went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI.
Josh Pritchard was the beneficiary of all that offence and ended up with a quality start, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings.
Eric Calder went 3-for-4 with a double and run scored for Medicine Hat, Jahzeel Groetelaers knocked in a pair of runs.
Derek Archer took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits over five innings.
Regina 1, Fort McMurray 0
With the two teams locked in a pitching duel between Regina’s Sam Jackson and Fort McMurray’s Riley Burns, it took a single run in the sixth to decide things.
Regina had only two hits in the game, but one was a double by Lance Anderson to lead off the decisive inning. He’d steal third and then score the game winning run on a sacrifice fly by Jalen Meyers.
That was enough for Jackson to secure the win, as he’d pitch seven shutout innings, scattering four hits and striking out seven. David Gordon then finished things off with a scoreless eighth and ninth.
Burns was saddled with the tough loss after allowing the single run on two hits over eight innings, striking out four and walking two.
Saskatoon 9, Sylvan Lake 7
The Berries looked to have things in hand with a five-run second inning and a pair in the fifth giving them a 7-2 lead, but the Gulls came back with five of their own in the seventh to tie things up.
Things went to an extra inning, where Nash Nichols knocked home Josh Henson and Nathan Houston with the game-winning and insurance runs.
Red Sox pitcher Aden Quintela then got Rece Schuerman to hit into a double play to finish off the victory.
Houston had a 3-for-4 night that included two runs and two RBI, Gael Salinas was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs, Mason Roell hit a double and crossed the plate twice.
Augie Grohman started for the Berries and left after 3 ⅓ after giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits over 3 ⅓. Regina ended up using six pitchers in the game, with Wesley Shackleford earning the win after pitching 2 ⅔ of shutout relief over the final three innings. Quintela picked up the save.
Jaden Flores scored a pair of runs for Sylvan Lake.
Bryson Leach started for the Gulls and left after 1 ⅔ after giving up the five-run inning. The Gulls also used six pitchers, Brayden Stewart took the loss after allowing the two runs in the 10th.
Up Next
Four games involving Saskatchewan teams are up on Sunday, with Regina at Fort McMurray (2:05 p.m.), Weyburn at Medicine Hat (2:05 p.m.), Saskatoon at Sylvan Lake (2:05 p.m.) and Swift Current at Moose Jaw (5:05 p.m.).
