The Moose Jaw Canucks nearly pulled off a comeback for the ages, but had to settle for an extra innings loss in the final home game of their Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League 18U AAA season.
Trailing 10-3 through six innings and 11-6 heading into their last at bat, the Canucks quickly put up three runs to get within striking distance but found themselves down to their last strike while trailing by a pair.
Caleb Newkirk would draw a walk to load the bases, though, and Nathan McDougall capped the comeback with a single to centrefield that scored Grier Peterson and Tate Mcdairmid with the tying runs.
The extra inning didn’t go as well for the local squad as Swift Current used the international tiebreaker to perfection, scoring three runs and then successfully holding off the Canucks in the bottom of the inning.
McDougall led the way offensively with a 3-for-5 showing that included the two key RBI, while Gulutzan was 2-for-5, knocked in a pair and scored a run. Macdairmid crossed the plate three times for the Canucks, while Ty Red also scored a pair of runs.
McDougall got the start on the mound and was the victim of some untimely errors, with only two of the seven runs he allowed over three innings counting as earned. All told, he’d allow six hits and walk a pair.
Max Simmons allowed two runs on three hits over the next two innings before Beisal surrendered three more runs on five hits in 1 ⅔ frames of work. Gultuzan finished things off, allowing a hit in the extra inning.
Moose Jaw fell to 8-20 to sit in 12th place in the 13-team league. They close out the regular season on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Swift Current for a doubleheader.
