Written by Jay D Haughton Wednesday, Aug 09 2023
The Moose Jaw Miller Express is now only two wins away from advancing to the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) final for the second consecutive year.
Moose Jaw was able to come back to beat the Swift Current 57s on Tuesday night 8-6, to sweep the best-of-three first round series.
Tuesday’s win also marked the second year in a row that the Miller Express has picked up the first-round sweep over the 57s.
The hometown team now will now face the Medicine Hat Mavericks in the East Division final, after they took care of the Regina Red Sox in two games.
Game 1 will be on Friday at Ross Wells Park starting at 7:05 p.m.
For the second game in a row, Moose Jaw had to overcome an early deficit to the 57s.
In the bottom of the first inning, with the bases loaded, Kelton Saylor would drive in two runs with a single to left field and put Swift Current up 2-0.
In true Moose Jaw fashion, it didn’t take them long for their bats to come alive. Moose Jaw would find themselves in a bases-loaded situation in the top of the third inning. Nate Mensik drove home Bobby Pokorney from second base, then Austin Gurney brought Dawson Tweet home with a two-out double.
The very next batter, Dougie Delacruz picked up an RBI single to give Moose Jaw the 3-2 lead.
Swift Current fought back in their half of the third inning, as Dawson Schultz had a two-run single, and then Rydell Adair had an RBI single to cap off the big inning, giving them the 5-3 lead.
The Miller Express rattled off their second three-run inning of the game in the fourth.
Thomas Soto, Mensik, and Tweet picked up RBIs in the inning, and Moose Jaw took the lead back, it was now 6-5.
A pair of one-run innings in the sixth and seventh innings extended Moose Jaw’s lead to 8-5. The 57s added a run in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn’t enough, as their season would come to an end, losing 8-6.
Dawson Tweet, Dougie Delacruz, and Julio Acosta all had two-hit nights, while Matt Vasquez picked up the win in 2/3 innings of work, allowing only one hit.