MOOSE JAW -- After the kind of game the Moose Jaw Miller Express had against the Saskatoon Berries onenight earlier, it stood to reason they’d want a major bounce back against the Brooks Bombers on Saturday night.
As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened.
The Express scored runs in three straight innings midway through the contest and would go on to a 7-2 victory at Ross Wells Park.
The Berries, meanwhile, kept trucking along, taking a 10-5 win over the Swift Current 57’s for their seventh-straight victory.
Moose Jaw 7, Brooks 2
It wasn’t the greatest of starts for the home team, as the Bombers scored a pair of runs in the third inning and held that lead until the fifth when Moose Jaw took control of things.
The Express scored three that frame and tacked on two more in each of the sixth and seventh before shutting down Brooks the rest of the way.
Gustavo Soto, Adrian Vivo and Ben Waliczek all had two hits each for Moose Jaw, with lacing a pair of doubles and knocking in three runs. Thomas Soto and Tanner DeGrazia each crossed the plate twice.
Seth Reker and Abdon Bastardo had two hits each for Brooks.
Rodolfo Guardiola started for Moose Jaw and allowed two runs on four hits in 4 ⅔ innings, striking out five. Nathan Yunick, Cristian Garcia, Abe Ahlberg and Nathan Pisio each pitched an inning of shutout relief.
Hudson Groh allowed three runs on five hits in five innings for Brooks and took the loss.
Moose Jaw improved to 4-4 and are fourth in the East Division, Brooks fell to 3-4 and are fourth in the West.
The Express are right back in action on Sunday afternoon when they rematch with the Bombers, with first pitch at 2:05 p.m. at Ross Wells Park.
Saskatoon 10, Swift Current 5
The Berries hit double digits in runs for the third-straight game, overcoming an early 1-0 deficit with runs in five straight innings.
Carter Beck continued his fast start to the season with a 2-for-4 outing that included a run and two RBI, while Bailyn Sorensen had a double as one of his two hits and Mason Roell crossed the plate twice.
Jose Ayala had a 2-for-4 night with a home run and three RBI to lead Swift Current, while Silas Hilton was 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Donovan Borg also had three hits.
Matt Whitney was the winning pitcher, allowing five runs on 10 hits over five innings, Zac Laird, Tanner Hosick and Dallen Rude combined to shut the 57’s down the rest of the way.
Ryker Ratcliff gave up five runs, two earned, on four hits in 3 ⅔ innings to take the loss.
Saskatoon is now 7-1 on the season in in first in the East, Swift Current fell to 0-9.
The two teams will do it all over again on Sunday afternoon, with game time at 4:05 p.m. in Swift Current.
