MOOSE JAW -- The weather might have been less than ideal for baseball, but that didn’t keep the Saskatoon Berries and Regina Red Sox from each picking up doubleheader sweeps in Western Canadian Baseball League action on Sunday.
The East Division-leading Berries took 4-3 and 4-0 victories over the Energy City Cactus Rats, while the Red Sox downed the Sylvan Lake Gulls 8-0 and 4-3. The Moose Jaw Miller Express didn’t have as much luck in Medicine Hat, falling 7-1 to the Mavericks.
The game between the Swift Current 57’s and Weyburn Beavers was postponed.
Saskatoon 4, Energy City 3
Energy City rallied with single runs in the sixth and seventh to tie the game, but Saskatoon would pick up the win in an extra inning.
The WCBL plays seven inning games during doubleheaders.
Nathan Houston was the hero for the Berries, stealing third in the extra inning and then scoring when Nomar Prieto reached on an error.
Carter Beck went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for the Berries, Abiam Medina also had three hits and knocked in a run.
Parker Huso went 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Cactus Rats.
Matt Whitney got the start for Saskatoon and allowed a single unearned run on seven hits over five innings. Tanner Hosick pitched the final two innings to pick up the win.
Tristan Harley pitched five innings for Energy City and allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out six; Sebastian Mizener tossed the eighth and took the loss.
Saskatoon 4, Energy City 0
Robert Bonilla held the Cactus Rats to only four hits over five innings before Noah McCombs and Zac Laird each had a scoreless inning of relief to secure the victory.
The Berries offence helped out by getting a 3-0 lead out of the first inning before adding an insurance run in the fifth.
Josh Higgins had a decent showing of his own in the losing effort for Energy City, allowing four runs, three earned on six hits over five innings.
Bailyn Sorensen hit a solo home run for Saskatoon, while Houston was 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Timo Aracena had two of the Cactus Rats’ four hits on the afternoon.
Regina 8, Sylvan Lake 0
Red Sox starter Kai Langford was all but untouchable in the opening game in Regina, giving up only three hits while pitching a complete game, striking out four and facing only five batters over the minimum. He now has a 0.95 earned run average over three starts.
Langford would get all the run support he needed in the second inning when Regina put up a pair of runs, and the Red Sox would add another two in the third and four in the fourth.
Jaden Collura went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, while Justin Seward had a pair of hits and knocked in two. Rafael Jackson picked up three hits.
Noah Konings, Simon Baker and Matty Fung had the only hits for the Gulls.
Matthew McKenzie started for Sylvan Lake and allowed four runs on eight hits over three innings to take the loss.
Regina 4, Sylvan Lake 3
The Red Sox trailed 2-1 heading into the fifth inning, but a three-run outburst would be enough to secure the win in game two of the twinbill.
Matthew Fox hit a solo home run and had a pair of hits to pace the Red Sox offence, while Seward also had a pair of knocks.
Sylvan Lake had only five hits in the game, with Bryce Turner going 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Ty Fortin started for Regina and allowed a pair of runs on two hits in the first two innings before giving way to Calvin Shepherd, who allowed a single run over the next 4 ⅓ to secure the win. David Hankins got the final two outs to pick up the save.
NIck Veselinovic gave up four runs over four innings on eight hits and struck out six while taking the loss.
Medicine Hat 7, Moose Jaw 1
The two teams found themselves in a low-scoring battle through five innings, with the Mavericks nursing a 2-1 lead. A five-spot in the sixth would give Medicine Hat control the rest of the way and they’d secure the win.
Westin Walls had a decent start on the mound for Moose Jaw and kept the Mavericks in check until the sixth. He’d end up surrendering six runs on seven hits and striking out eight in 5 ⅓ innings while taking the loss.
Xander Roberts picked up the win, allowing a single run on four hits over 5 ⅓.
Moose Jaw had only four hits total, with Tanner Degrazia getting two of them.
Carter Roth was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in for Medicine Hat.
