Bulls out-last Giants
Lethbridge wins first game in key weekend series
On a night that doubled as the Lethbridge Bulls Strike Out Hunger initiative, Dustin Braun and Kaleb Warden served up the main course. In key homestand against a team gnawing at their heels in the standings, the Bulls hung on to defeat the Fort McMurray Giants 7-6 in Western Major Baseball League play Friday night at Spitz Stadium.
As local “celebrities” got soaked in the dunk tank during each inning with proceeds supporting the Interfaith Food Bank, Braun and Warden gave the Bulls an outing to sink their teeth into.
Braun slugged two home runs and Warden added a three-run shot for a win that improves the Bulls to 17-23 and moves Lethbridge two games ahead of Fort McMurray for the fourth-and-final playoff spot in the Western Division.
Bulls closer Chris Stodolka made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as the Giants pulled within one and then loaded the bases with two out. But the closer was able to send Jordan Stickler down looking for the final out to register the save as the teams go back at it tonight in the rematch at 7 p.m. at Spitz Stadium.
“We were talking beforehand and we said if we could get tonight, that’s huge,” said Bulls head coach Jesse Sawyer. “We’re taking everything one game at a time right now and we found away with that three spot. Kaleb Warden, unbelievable, he just came in and what a great piece of hitting. It was huge for us. We made it interesting in both the eighth and the ninth innings, but we got out of there. A big win for us.”
The Giants went up 1-0 in the top of the second when Drew Dickerson singled to centre field to lead off and scored on a John Loschiavo single.
That didn’t last long as Braun went yard for the first time in the evening, sending a two-run shot over the left field wall for a 2-1 lead after two innings.
Fort McMurray evened it back up in the top of the fourth inning as Brandon Green scored on a sacrifice fly to centre field from Joshua Iannetti.
The Bulls went ahead for the second time in the game, putting runners on the corners and going up 3-2 when Jesse Hilyard scored on a Blake MacDonald hit to centre field.
The Giants pulled even at 3-3 when B.J. Minarcin scored on a Liam Rihela double before taking a 5-3 lead in the sixth. John Loschiavo singled in Mike Bowes and Iannetti added another on a single from Jonathan Lindau.
In another timely swing of the bat, the Bulls re-took the lead in the seventh inning and never gave it back. MacDonald reached first base on an error and Ashton Roy walked. Warden brought them all home with a two-out, three-run shot over the right field wall for a 6-5 lead. The Giants loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth, but Bulls third baseman Dylan Borman ended the threat, hauling in a Lindau grounder for a force out at third before completing the double play with a throw to first to end the inning and keep Lethbridge’s one-run lead intact.
“He was great for us tonight,” said Sawyer of his third baseman. “He made a couple of great plays, plays that could’ve changed the game, especially in the eighth inning to get that double play. That was huge to get out of that and I know we need a similar effort tomorrow.”
Braun then made it a two-run lead in the eighth with his second homer of the game.
“He’s a little bit sore right now, he’s been battling a few injuries,” said Sawyer. “But the kid’s a gamer, he's a senior and this is his last season. I went to him before the game and I know he’s hurting, but he wanted to be in there and he battled his butt off for us tonight.”
Fort McMurray, however, made the hosts sweat it out in the ninth.
Rihela drew a walk to lead off and Dickerson singled to put runners on first and second.
Tristian Richardson came in as a pinch runner for Dickerson and eventually scored on a Bowes single to trim the lead to 7-6.
Stodolka was able to end the threat, getting Stickler to strike out looking. The Giants outhit the Bulls 12-9. Braun was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, while MacDonald was 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI.
Jaret Semeniuk was 2-for-3 with one run scored and Roy had the other multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Bulls reliever Seth Spangler earned the win for Lethbridge, coming on to throw the seventh in relief of starter Andrew Grieder.
Grieder went six innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out four.
Hilyard gets the start in tonight’s rematch.
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