MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Miller Express appear to be taking an old baseball adage to heart and then some in the early stages of the Western Canadian Baseball League season.
It doesn’t matter how many runs you give up, as long as you score one more than the other guys.
Despite giving up 48 runs over their last four games, the Miller Express hold a 2-2 record in that span, including a 12-11 extra-inning win over the Fort McMurray Giants at Ross Wells Park on Saturday.
Veteran infielder Bobby Pokorney was the hero on the night, knocking home Owen Robbins from third with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th to see the Miller Express improve to 4-3 on the campaign.
That puts Moose Jaw a game back of the East Division-leading Medicine Hat Mavericks and half a game behind the second-place Regina Red Sox.
It looked as if jt was going to be an easy night for the Express in the early going, as a four-run third inning helped Moose Jaw build a 7-0 lead through four. Fort McMurray got on the bats the next inning, though, putting up four runs and then taking an 8-7 lead with four more in the sixth.
A pair of runs in the top of the eighth gave the Giants a 10-8 lead, setting the stage for the Millers’ Darren Hagan to come up big in the bottom of the ninth, as he’d knock home Gerritt Gulutzan and Nate Mensik with a one-out single. Hagan himself got to third with the potential game-winning run, but the Giants escaped into extra innings.
Each team scored a run in the 10th, leading to Pokorney’s game-winner in the 11th.
Hagan had a stellar night, going 3-for-5 with three runs and two runs batted in, while Ethan Bear continued to swing a hot bat with a 2-for-6 outing that included a home run and a pair of RBI. Robert Estrada also had a good night, going 3-for-4.
Darcy Barry led Fort McMurray’s offence, going 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and five RBI.
Ethan Merk got the start for Moose Jaw and cruised through the first four innings before giving up six runs on nine hits over 5 ⅓. Julian Gonzalez allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits over the next two innings, Jadon Canelli tossed two scoreless and Takeo Cookson finished things off, allowing a single run over the final 1 ⅔.
Trevor Syer got the start for Fort McMurray and surrendered the first seven Moose Jaw runs on nine hits, Phoenix Johnson tossed 2 ⅔ scoreless, Jason Maldonado gave up four runs on five hits over four innings and Keith Manby allowed the game-winner in the 11th.
The Miller Express are back in action on Sunday afternoon when the Weyburn Beavers are in town, with first pitch at 2:05 p.m.
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