MOOSE JAW -- It wasn’t the way they wanted to get the job done, but the Moose Jaw Miller Express will take their playoff spot just the same.
Despite dropping a 13-3 decision to the Saskatoon Berries at home on Sunday afternoon, a 4-0 Regina Red Sox win over the Weyburn Beavers saw the Express officially clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Canadian Baseball League’s East Division.
Weyburn sits eight games back of Moose Jaw in fifth place and have seven games remaining, meaning the playoff teams have been decided in the East.
Saskatoon (40-7 as of Sunday afternoon) will finish first overall in the league, with Medicine Hat (31-17) in second in the East. Regina (25-24) is currently in third and could be caught by Moose Jaw (21-28) depending upon how things shake out in the final games of the season.
Saskatoon 13, Moose Jaw 3
Berries pitchers Michael Sall and Matthais Trondson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, but the Express would break things up before putting three late runs on the board. Things were well in hand by that time, though, as Saskatoon had built a 7-0 lead through seven innings before putting up six in the eighth.
Saskatoon sent balls flying out of Ross Wells Park afternoon, hitting five home runs. Evan Janner led the way, going 2-for-4 with a pair of homers, three runs and five runs batted in. Carter Beck, Ethan Murdoch and Bailyn Sorenson also had round trippers, with Mason Roell adding a pair of doubles.
The Express ended up with four hits on the afternoon, with Andy Rivas hitting a solo home run in the ninth.
Sall pitched three no-hit innings and Trondson tossed four before the Express broke things up when Carson Obrecht came on in the eighth.
Westin Walls allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings and took the loss.
Regina 4, Weyburn 0
The Red Sox scored runs in each of the first two innings before holding that 2-0 lead until the seventh and eighth when they tacked on insurance markers each frame.
Landon Riley made only his second appearance of the season on the mound for Regina and it was a good one, as he’d go the distance and toss a complete game shutout, giving up five hits while striking out four and walking two.
Ian Heck was solid in his own right for Weyburn, putting together a quality start but still taking the loss after allowing the first two runs on six hits.
Zayd Brannigan was 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the first inning for Regina, Ian Montz was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Zach Tanabe and Nathan Varjassy each had a pair of hits for the Beavers.
Regina 15, Swift Current 1
Regina capped off their six games in three nights weekend in style, blowing open a 4-1 game with four in the sixth and another in the seventh before pouring across six more in the eighth.
Matthew Fox led the Red Sox offence, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Montz and Jordan Tucker each crossed the plate three times, while Jordy Graves knocked in four runs.
Braxton Vail had two of Swift Current’s five hits in the game.
James Adcock started for Regina and allowed a single run on four hits in two innings, Chris Spry earned the win after going five innings in relief and giving up a single hit, walking six and striking out four.
Jaylen Gutierrez was the losing pitcher, allowing four runs on five hits over the first five innings.
Swift Current falls to 10-37 with their fifth straight loss and are two games back of Weyburn in sixth in the East.
The 57’s are the lone Saskatchewan team in action on Monday, as they travel to Medicine Hat. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
