Late run gets Bombers past the Bulls
Two big swings of the bat weren’t enough to earn the Lethbridge Bulls the win.
The Bulls were edged 76 by the Brooks Bombers in Western Major Baseball League action Thursday night at Spitz Stadium.
Lethbridge got a towering three-run shot from Jesse Hillyard in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Bombers lead to 4-3 and then, after falling behind 6-3 in the eighth, got another big swing when Nolan Handley hit a bases-loaded triple to tie the game at 6-6.
But the Bombers brought the go-ahead run across in the top of the ninth with a two-out single from Mason Swegarden that scored Logan Burke from second.
Darius Carter hit a twoout double for the Bulls in the bottom of the ninth, but Bombers pitcher Juan Carreon was able to get Ryan Pouwells to fly out to left field to end the game.
With the the loss, the Bulls fall to 10-6 on the season as the teams get ready for the rematch tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Spitz Stadium.
The Bombers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when David Montoya scored on a David Janes single.
Brooks added to their lead in the top of the sixth with three runs to move up 4-0.
The Bombers put runners on second and third with one out, ending Bulls starter Wesley Moore's night as Hunter Cunningham came on in relief.
Janes and Drew Duncan then scored on a single up the middle from Kyle Genenbacher and the Bombers added one more when Burke scored on a throwing error from third.
But with one swing of the bat it was a one-run game in the Bulls half of the sixth.
Handley singled and Brock Frentzel walked before Hillyard cleared the bags with a shot over the scoreboard in left field to cut Brooks’ lead to 4-3.
The Bombers doubled their lead in the seventh as David Montoya singled and then scored when Janes singled.
Brooks tacked on one more before the inning was over as Lee Thomas scored on a Jaydon Wandler sacrifice fly.
But with another swing of the the bat the score was tied after eight innings as Handley belted a three-bagger that cleared the bases and scored Ryan Pouwells, Alex Bishop and Darius Carter to make it 6-6.
The deadlock didn’t last as the Bombers got their lead back in the ninth when Logan singled to centre field and scored on Swegarden’s single.
Bishop and Carter went 3for-4 for the Bulls with one run scored.
Handley and Hillyard were 2-for-5 with one run scored and three RBI.
Dawson Moser took the loss for the Bulls, giving up one run on two hits, striking out one.
The Bulls complete their three-game homestand Saturday night when the Okotoks Dawgs pay a visit to Spitz Stadium at 7:05 p.m.