SASKATOON -- The Regina Red Sox are a win away from the Western Canadian Baseball League Final, and once again in dramatic fashion.
Zayd Brannigan knocked home Jordan Tucker with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning and the Red Sox would go on to an 8-7 victory over the Saskatoon Berries in Game 1 of the East Division Final on Sunday night.
As a result, Regina can wrap up the best-of-three series during Game 2 Monday night at Currie Field.
The Red Sox got off to a great start at the NextGen Patch in Saskatoon, building a 5-0 lead heading into the Berries’ half of the third inning. A four-run outburst in the bottom of the frame would get Saskatoon right back in it, though, and they’d take a 7-5 lead with another three in the fourth.
Ian Montz pulled Regina back within one with a home run to lead off the sixth, and one inning later Jalen Meyers knocked home Matthew Fox to tie the game 7-7.
There things remained until the 11th, when Regina took advantage of a defensive miscue to score their game-winning run.
Tucker got things started when he reached on a fielder’s choice and would go all the way to third thanks to an error at shortstop on a ball put in play by Rafael Jackson. One batter later, Brannigan would hit his two-out single, Tucker would score, and Regina had the lead.
Red Sox reliever Ayden Page went to work from there. Pitching his fourth inning of shutout relief, Page would allow lead-off singles to Abiam Medina and Cooper Weslund before striking out Nathan Houston, getting Ethan Murdoch to pop out to the catcher and Corey Wouters to fly out to right field.
Page would end up scattering five hits and striking out six to earn the win after taking over for Nathan Yard in the eighth inning. Yard went four innings of relief and allowed three runs on six hits, Zander Oudie-Senger started and went three innings, giving up four runs on six hits.
Diego Quinonez started for Saskatoon and allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits over three innings. Dallen Rude, Jacob Spencer and Zac Laird all saw action in relief before Tanner Hosick pitched the 11th and was saddled with the loss after giving up the unearned winning run.
Fox and Meyers were each 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI for Regina, while Montz had two runs and three RBI to go along with his homer.
Medina went 5-for-6 for Saskatoon, scoring two runs and knocking in two. Mason Roell was 4-for-5 with a double, Jalen Freeman had three hits and two runs scored.
Regina will now look to finish off the series on Monday night at Currie Field, with first pitch at 7 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be back in Saskatoon on Tuesday night.
Game 1 of the West Division final between the Sylvan Lake Gulls and Okotoks Dawgs was also Sunday night and saw Simon Baker hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to key a 7-3 victory over the Okotoks Dawgs.
Game 2 of that series is in Sylvan Lake on Monday and back in Okotoks on Tuesday if necessary.
