WEYBURN -- The Moose Jaw Miller Express are into the Western Canadian Baseball League win column.
Hours after nearly pulling off an epic comeback against the Weyburn Beavers on Saturday night, the Express saw an early lead against the Beavers evaporate but would snap a 7-7 tie with a run in the top of the eighth and go on to an 8-7 victory in Weyburn.
As a result, Moose Jaw is now 1-3 on the season and in fifth place in the East Division after the opening week of play, while Weyburn falls to 2-2 to sit in fourth.
One night after an epic showing that saw rookie Jackson Yeager put together a nearly perfect night at the plate -- including two home runs, two doubles and seven RBI -- he’d pick up the game-winning run in the eighth.
After a lead-off walk, Yeager would advance to third on a two-out single by Andrew Niaves and then score the go-ahead run when Adrian Vivo drew an error at first base.
Winning pitcher Jordan Bauer would toss a scoreless bottom of the eighth and Nathan Pisio would earn the save, striking out a pair in the bottom of the ninth.
Moose Jaw had built a 7-1 lead through four innings, but Weyburn rallied to tie the game with a pair of runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth.
Yeager was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and is now hitting .471 on the season. Naives was 3-for-4 at the plate, and Will Edwards was 1-for-5 but made that hit count with a three-run home run in the third.
Alex Alva led Weyburn with a 2-for-5 afternoon that included a double, run scored and three RBI.
Rodolfo Guardiola started for Moose Jaw and allowed two runs on three hits in 4 ⅔ innings, Christian Garcia pitched the next 1 ⅓ but was victimized by a pair of untimely errors, giving up five runs, only one earned, in 1 ⅓ innings of work.
Gram Middleton allowed two runs on two hits in two innings of work to start for Weyburn. Jasiah Mendoza only managed a single out in the third, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks, with Isaiah Granado allowing a single hit and one unearned run while striking out side over the next 3 2/3rd innings. Logan Kinter finished things off, allowing three hits and the single unearned run in the ninth.
The teams will face each other for the third straight time on Wednesday evening in Weyburn, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. at Tom Laing Park.
