The Moose Jaw Miller Express have won big, they’ve won a pitching duel and now they have their first walk-off win of the Western Canadian Baseball League season under their belt.
Trailing 3-2 to the Regina Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth at Ross Wells Park on Tuesday night, the Express would load the bases before getting back-to-back base hits to take a 4-3 victory.
Luke Lachance knocked home Wyatt Tweet with the tying run in the ninth and one batter later Bobby Pokorney finished things off, with a base hit bringing home Dougie DelaCruz with the game-winning run.
The contest marked another solid outing from Moose Jaw’s pitching staff, and it was one of their heroes from the 2022 playoffs who got things done initially.
Cameron Dunn -- who gave the Millers an outstanding start in their Game 2 win of the WCBL final against Okotoks last season -- was back at it Tuesday, allowing a pair of runs on three hits while tossing four innings in his first appearance of the season.
Jake King tossed two innings of relief and allowed a single run, setting the stage for Julian Gonzalez to close things out. The Keystone College junior was outstanding, holding Regina scoreless over the final three innings and allowing a single hit while striking out a pair.
Moose Jaw trailed 3-1 when Gonzalez entered the game, but would get one back in the bottom of the seventh when Wyatt Tweet hit his second home run of the season to get the Millers back within two and set the stage for the ninth-inning rally.
DelaCruz provided Moose Jaw’s other offence in the second inning, picking up where he left off after his all-star season at Mitchell College with his first round-tripper of the campaign.
Pokorney capped his night with a 3-for-5 showing, while Wyatt Tweet was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Dawson Tweet also had a 2-for-4 game and DelaCruz crossed the plate twice.
Daniel Crabtree had a solid start for Regina, going six innings and allowing a single run on six hits. Anthony Sharkas was 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Red Sox.
The Miller Express have Wednesday off, but are back in action on Thursday when they host the Swift Current 57’s. Game time is 7 p.m. at Ross Wells Park.
