After enduring one of the toughest losses in recent team history earlier in the week, the Moose Jaw 18U AAA Canucks suddenly find themselves on a roll.
The Canucks travelled to Martensville for a doubleheader with the Sask5 Giants on Sunday afternoon and came away with a pair of victories, winning the opener 4-3 before taking a 7-6 extra-inning win in the rematch.
Moose Jaw has now won three straight and are 5-12 on the season, having moved into ninth place in the 13-team Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League.
Canucks 4, Giants 3
The Canucks scored a pair of runs in each of the second and third innings and would ride a solid pitching performance from Kaleb Waller and Kaedyn Banilevic to the one-run run.
Waller -- who on June 15 tossed a no-hitter but still took a 1-0 loss -- allowed three runs, one earned, over 5 ⅔ innings work to earn the win. Banilevic finished things off, allowing a single hit and striking out four the rest of the way.
Waller helped out his own cause with a solo home run in the second and was 2-for-4 on the day. Nathan Varjassy was 1-for-3 with a double and run scored.
Canucks 7, Giants 6
Moose Jaw found themselves trailing 5-4 heading into the seventh, but Newkirk tripled to bring home Banilevic with the tying run and Ty Reid drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Canucks the lead.
Sask5 managed to tie things up in the bottom of the frame, though, leading to an extra inning.
There, with runners on first and second for the tiebreaker, Cooper Gregor bunted Reid and Nathan Pisio into scoring position. Reid then scored on a passed ball two batters later to once again give Moose Jaw the lead.
Reid then got the job done in the bottom of the inning, getting the ground out on the lead-off bunt, a short fly ball to right field and a strikeout to secure the victory.
Newkirk finished the game 2-for-2 with a double to go along with his late-game three-bagger, two runs and two RBI.
Banilevic got the start and allowed two runs on five hits in 4 ⅔ before Kyle Duncan allowed two runs on a hit and three walks to close out the fifth. Reid took over from there and tossed the final three innings, allowing a run on three hits.
Moose Jaw is back in action on Wednesday, June 22 when they host the Regina Wolfpack. Game time is 7 p.m. at Ross Wells Park.
