Bulls charge back

Lethbridge rallies from 6-0 deficit to topple Giants 11-9

It wasn’t the start the Lethbridge Bulls wanted, but fortunately the ending was a little more ideal. The Bulls topped the Fort McMurray Giants 11-9 in Western Major Baseball League play Saturday night at Spitz Stadium.

In a pivitol weekend for both teams as they battle for the fourth-and-final playoff berth in the Western Division, the win not only improves the Bulls to 18-23, it gives them a 2-0 lead in the weekend series against the Giants that wraps up today at 2 p.m. at Spitz Stadium.

Saturday’s win also puts the Bulls three games up on the Giants in the standings.

However, the early-going had the makings for a potentially long night as the Bulls were rung up for five runs in the first inning and another in the second and were also tagged for three errors as the Giants opened a 6-0 lead.

But the Bulls responded with a five-spot of their own in the bottom of the third and got the bats going in the latter part of the game with two runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth for a 10-7 lead.

Fort McMurray added two more in the seventh to make it 10-9, but the Bulls added one more in the eighth before closer Tallon Derrick came on in the ninth and struck out the side to post the save.

The early-going, however was all Giants as the visitors raced to a 5-0 lead after the first inning.

Jordan Stickler led off with an error to the shortstop and scored the game’s first run when Liam Rihela reached on an error to second base.

B.J. Minarcin scored on a sacrifice fly from Drew Dickerson before John Laschiavo cleared the bases with a triple that scored Jonathan Lindau, Rihela and Mike Bowes.

Fort McMurray added another run in the second inning when Dickerson reached second on an error to right field, scoring Minarcin for a 6-0 lead.

The Bulls charged back in the third with some run support for starter Jesse Hilyard.

Kaleb Warden singled to centre field to score to score Hank Forrest and Nick Ankermann before Dylan Borman mashed a double that scored Ashton Roy to make it 63.

Lethbridge pulled to within one when Jaret Semeniuk singled to centre field to score Warden and Borman.

After a scoreless fourth inning the Giants went up 7-5 when Rihela teed off a solo home run, but the Bulls tied it up in their half of the fifth as Borman scored on a passed ball and Dustin Braun came in on a Jaret Semeniuk single.

Lethbridge grabbed the lead for good with a three-run sixth inning that paced them to a 10-7 lead.

Ankermann singled to left field to start and plated the go-ahead run on a Warden single.

Braun then doubled with two out to score Warden and Borman to make it 10-7.

The Giants closed the deficit in the seventh inning with a pair of runs, starting with a Rihela triple that scored Lindau.

Fort McMurray closed within one when Rihela came in on a Dickerson groundout, but the Bulls added some insurance in the eighth inning when Borman’s sacrifice fly scored Hank Forrest.

Lethbridge scattered 16 hits Saturday, led by Warden’s 3-for-5 performance at the plate to go along with two runs scored and three RBI. Warden had a three-run home run in Friday’s weekend opener.

Forrest and Braun also had a three-hit nights.

Hitting leadoff, Forrest was 3-for-4 wiht two runs scored and Braun went 3for-4 with one run scored and two RBI.

Borman was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI, Ankermann batted 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Jaret Semeniuk was 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Hilyard earned the win for Lethbridge, going six innings and giving up seven runs on five hits, walking four and striking out five.