SYLVAN LAKE — The Regina Red Sox have found a way to get things done against the odds more than once in the Western Canadian Baseball League playoffs this season, and now they have a shot at winning it all.
Trailing the Sylvan Lake Gulls 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night in Sylvan Lake, the Red Sox were down to their final out of the season and the Gulls were ready to celebrate their first-ever WCBL title.
Instead, Regina would explode for six runs and go on to a 10-7 victory in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. As a result, the two teams will now play a third deciding game for the WCBL Championship on Saturday night at Gulls Stadium in Sylvan Lake.
Justin Simard got things done first in the big inning, knocking home Sam Baker and Jory Graves to tie the game 6-6. Two batters later, Rafael Jackson singled to bring home Simard and Jordan Tucker, and Zayd Brannigan would put a punctuation mark on the inning with a two-run home run for the 10-6 lead.
Sylvan Lake wasn’t about to go quietly, though, getting the championship-winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Vittorio Iacobucci would strike out Simon Baker and Kyle Lewis to preserve Regina’s season.
The Gulls had gotten off to a great start, scoring a pair of runs in the first two innings and adding another in the third for a 5-1 lead. The Red Sox got two back in the sixth, but Sylvan Lake scored another in their half of the inning to go up by three, leading to Regina scoring one in the seventh to make it 6-4.
Ian Montz hit a pair of solo home runs for the Red Sox, the first leading off the second inning and the second coming with two outs in the seventh.
Brannigan would finish 5-for-6 with three runs batted in, while Jackson went 4-for-6 with two runs scored. Tucker also had two hits and two runs scored.
Mike Quick was 3-for-5 with a run scored for Sylvan Lake, Ty Yukumoto hit a two-run home run in the second.
Landon Riley got the start for Regina and allowed five runs on five hits over three innings of work, Jason Moist allowed a run on two hits while pitching into the sixth. Nicolas Yard got the Red Sox to the ninth with a chance to win, pitching the next three innings and only allowing the Gulls’ run in the ninth.
Mickey McClaskey gave up Regina’s big inning and took the loss.
The WCBL Championship will now be decided on Saturday night, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. in Sylvan Lake.
