SASKATOON -- The Moose Jaw Miller Express and Regina Red Sox are both a win away from first round upsets and a spot in the Western Canadian Baseball League East Division Final.
The Miller Express took an early lead and held on for a 6-4 victory over the regular-season champion Saskatoon Berries in Saskatoon, while the Red Sox pulled away late for a 6-2 win against the Medicine Hat Mavericks in Medicine Hat.
As a result both Moose Jaw and Regina can finish off their respective best-of-three series at home on Thursday night, with the games at Ross Wells Park and Currie Field taking place at 7:05 p.m.
Moose Jaw 6, Saskatoon 4
The Miller Express have been a playoffs thorn in the side of teams that finish ahead of them in the standings for several seasons now, and that didn’t change on Wednesday night.
Moose Jaw built a 5-3 lead through the first three innings and rode a stellar string of pitching performances to secure their Game 1 win over Saskatoon, who set a regular season record with 46 wins and finished first overall in the WCBL.
A three-run second inning for Moose Jaw would turn out to be a key to the victory. Thomas Soto -- who set a record for most runs scored in the regular season -- had the key hit in the frame, with his one-out single bringing home Robert Estrada and Pacey Phillips with Moose Jaw’s second and third runs. Soto would then come around to score on an Austin Gurney single two batters later.
Saskatoon got back into things in the third thanks to a two-run single by Corey Wouters that scored Abiam Medina and Mason Roell, making it a 5-3 game after three innings.
Will Edwards knocked home Phillips with an insurance run in the sixth, Roell got one back for Regina when his sacrifice fly scored Medina in the seventh, and that would cap scoring on the night.
Miller Express ace Westin Walls turned in a stellar start to pick up the win, allowing four runs, only one earned, on seven hits through 6 ⅓ innings. Nathan Pisio took over in the seventh and escaped a bases loaded jam without allowing a run; Ethan Merk then finished things off, by striking out the side in the ninth.
Soto finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and two RBI, while Gurney was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI. Estrada and Phillips each had three hits and crossed the plate twice.
Medina was 3-for-5 with two runs to lead Saskatoon.
Calvin Junek started for the Berries and allowed four runs on six hits, taking the loss. Jacob Spencer, Zac Laird and Noah McCombs all saw action in relief.
Regina 6, Medicine Hat 2
A two-run home run off the bat of Rafael Jackson in the third inning would give the Red Sox a lead they’d never relinquish.
Medicine Hat got one back in their half of the third, the teams exchanged runs in the seventh and Regina added three insurance markers in the eighth to close out the offence on the night.
Jackson’s round tripper also brought home Dan Castellanos, who had hit a double earlier in the third.
Carter Roth knocked home Micah Dvorak with Medicine Hat’s first run in the bottom of the inning, and the teams would exchange runs in the seventh -- with James Wright hitting a solo home run for Regina -- before the Red Sox pulled away for good the next inning.
Wright and Brady Bye each had run-scoring singles that scored Jackson and Matthew Fox respectively, and Jory Graves would score on a bases-loaded walk to Justin Simard.
All that was more than enough run support for Regina’s pitching staff. Landon Riley started for the Red Sox and allowed two runs on 10 hits over 6 ⅓, striking out six before Aiden Page allowed only two hits the rest of the way.
Luis Diaz was the losing pitcher despite a decent effort of his own, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out six.
Should a Game 3 be needed in either series, they would take place in Saskatoon and Medicine Hat respectively on Friday at 7:05 p.m.
