You can only lose so many close games before the breaks finally go your way.
For the Ice, that finally happened on Thursday night against the Regina Rattlers at Lyle Helland Ball Diamond.
Moose Jaw scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 9-8 victory over Rattlers, overcoming a 7-0 deficit in the process.
Things didn’t go as well in the nightcap, as the Ice dropped a 15-12 decision.
Moose Jaw is now 1-7-1 on the season, with their next contests this weekend as part of the Moose Jaw Ice ‘A’ tournament at Optimist Park.
Ice 9, Rattlers 8
Regina scored two runs in each of the first three innings to go ahead 6-0 and tacked on one more in the top of the fifth for their seven-run edge.
Moose Jaw would finally get on the sticks in the fifth, scoring three runs and then adding on two more the next inning to find themselves trailing 8-5 heading into the final frame.
There, the first three Ice batters would reach base and bring home a single run, setting the stage for Peyton Mengel, who would score Marisa Montgomery and Rachel Ward with a two-run double.
With the game now tied, Kenzie Martel hit a ball back to the pitcher, but an error would allow Mengel to come home with the winning run.
Mengel had a near-perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and four runs batted in, while Ward was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Montgomery scored a pair of runs; Dayna Newberry had a pair of hits.
Mengel also got the start and allowed six runs, three earned, while striking out six and walking four over three innings. Kiarra Adrian took over in the fourth and put together one of her best performances of the season, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out six over the next three innings. Taya Molde shut down the Rattlers in the top of the seventh.
Rattlers 15, Ice 12The Ice came back and were then the victims of a comeback in the nightcap -- trailing 5-0 through two, the Ice scored five in the third and the max seven in the fourth, but the Rattlers would get all those back with a seven-spot of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Moose Jaw couldn’t score in the top of the fifth and final frame, Regina put up three to earn the win.
The Ice had only seven hits despite all the offence, as Blake Maltais went 2-for-2 with two runs scored to go along with Zoey Chesney’s 1-for-2 outing that included a run and two RBI. Adrian also knocked in a pair.
Maddie Cruz started and went three innings, with three of her five runs allowed earned on six hits. Montgomery tossed the final two frames and allowed 10 runs, only five earned on nine hits to go along with two strikeouts.
