Don Rice
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The Saskatoon Berries are the cream of the crop in the Western Canadian Baseball League.
In just their second season of existence, the Berries will finish with the greatest single-season wins total in league history. Their 46 victories beats the all-time record of 44 set by the Sylvan Lake Gulls just last year. Saskatoon finishes the regular season with a 46-9 record.
“It means a lot to be a part of a team that set the record, especially being a second-year team,” said all-star outfielder Carter Beck, a Saskatchewan-born player who hails from Carnduff.
“It’s been really cool to see how we just go and compete every night and wins seem to come from it. It sets the Berries up for a very good future and shows what the organization is about.”
Their record-breaking 45th win was typical of a Berries game this season, with a lot of offence and timely late-game dramatics.
Trailing 6-3 in the sixth on Sunday against Medicine Hat, the Berries pushed the game to extra innings at 7-7. They gave up three runs in the top of the 10th. No problem for the Berries, who tied the game 10-10.
Still in the 10th, with two outs and the bases loaded, third-baseman Mason Roell stepped into a pitch for a walk-off grand slam and a 14-10 win.
Following Monday’s regular-season finale and their 46th win of the season, the Berries have outscored their opponents 495-255, averaging 9 runs scored and 4.6 runs allowed per game. They scored at least 10 runs in 22 of their 55 games, all wins. They also find a way to win the tight ones, with a 16-7 record in games decided by two or less runs.
“We don’t take any of the wins for granted, that’s for sure,” said Roell, who’s from West Bend, Indiana. “Each night gives us stuff to improve on. I think, down the stretch, we’re just continuing to work on eliminating those mistakes and just being more seamless.”
The Berries have received significant contributions from their entire lineup, paced by all-star game MVP Ethan Menard, who led the club with a .392 batting average and 12 home runs prior to Monday’s game. Beck was close behind at .385 with nine home runs. Saskatoon’s Cory Wouters had 12 home runs and a .363 average.
Leading the pitching staff is all-star starter Matt Whitney of Plantation, Florida, with a perfect 6-0 record, while Muenster product Merek Yeager posted a 5-1 record. Tanner Hosick of Bellevue, Nebraska — one of six Berries all-stars — has been the team’s top closer with five saves and a 2.70 earned-run average.
The Berries will play an East semifinal against the Moose Jaw Miller Express, the same team which eliminated them last year in the East final. The Berries host Game 1 of the best-of-three playoff series Wednesday at Cairns Field and travel to Moose Jaw on Thursday. A third game would be played in Saskatoon on Friday, if necessary.
“They’re a good team. They are a scrappy team. They battle. They never say die,” said Berries head coach Joe Carnahan about Moose Jaw.
“They’ve got some guys that can run, they’ve got some guys that can hit and they’ve got some good arms. Last year, they represented the East in the finals and they were one run away from winning. It should be a good series.”
The Miller Express features two of the league’s top batters in William Edwards (66 runs batted in) and Austin Gurney (60 RBIs), who were sitting 1-2 in the league. The team also features the league’s top strikeout pitcher in Westin Walls, with 89 through 72.1 innings. He has a 4-5 record this year but played a key role in last season’s playoff run when Moose Jaw made it to the final.
EXTRA INNINGS: The other East Division semifinal features Medicine Hat against the Regina Red Sox. In the West, the three-time defending champion Okotoks Dawgs face the Brooks Bombers, while Sylvan Lake take on the Lethbridge Bulls. All playoffs are best-of-three series with semifinals from Aug. 6 to 8, division finals to be played Aug. 10-12 and the league championship Aug. 14-16.
