It’s safe to say that Dawson and Wyatt Tweet are off to one heck of a start to the season with the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
The Russell, Man. duo were back at it at the plate on Thursday night at Ross Wells Park, helping pace the Express to an 8-5 victory over the Brooks Bombers in Western Canadian Baseball League action.
The win saw the Millers improve to 10-4 on the season and move 2 ½ games up on the Regina Red Sox for top spot in the East Division.
Let's start with the elder Tweet first.
Batting third as the designated hitter, Dawson put together a 4-for-5 night that included a pair of runs scored to go along with doubles in the third and fifth innings. Tweet is now hitting .500 for the season to easily lead the WCBL and also has the second most hits in the league with 24 to go along with six doubles to tie for the lead in that category.
Wyatt hit the first home run of the season for the Miller Express at the end of May and hasn’t stopped raking since. He hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning against Brooks n Thursday and finished with a 3-for-3 night that included two runs scored and two RBI. That steady output has Wyatt hitting .439 -- third best in the WCBL -- while his three home runs are tied for second in the league and 13 RBI see him sitting fourth overall.
Dougie DelaCruz also had a solid game against Brooks, putting together a 3-for-5 showing that included a lead-off home run in the second inning, two runs scored and three RBI. Fellow veteran Luke Lachance had one of his best games of the season, going 2-for-4 and knocking in a pair of runs.
For all that offence, things were close heading into the bottom of the fifth. Things changed quickly, though, as the Express sent 11 men to the plate and put up five runs to take a 7-2 edge.
That was more than enough for the Millers' pitching staff to finish things off.
Cameron Dunn got the start and allowed two runs on four hits over five innings before giving way to Matt Vasquez, who allowed a single hit over the next 1 ⅓ innings. Zach Sigmon finished things off, allowing three runs on two hits over the final 2 ⅔.
The Miller Express now hit the road for a swing through the West Division, featuring two-game series against the Sylvan Lake Gulls (Friday and Saturday), Fort McMurray Giants (Sunday and Monday) and Brooks Bombers (Tuesday and Wednesday), Next home action is Friday, June 23 when they host the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
