Bulls sound off versus Bombers

MERCIER HITS GRAND SLAM

The Lethbridge Bulls ended a busy weekend on a winning note.

It was a high-scoring win to boot as the Bulls downed the Brooks Bombers 13-7 in Western Major Baseball League play Sunday afternoon in Brooks.

The win, which improves the Bulls to 2-7 this season, comes after a pair of losses to th Okotoks Dawgs Friday and Saturday night at Spitz Stadium.

However, Sunday afternoon in Brooks, three big innings were more than enough to power Lethbridge as the Bulls put up three runs in the second inning and added four more in the sixth and three in the eighth. Brett Mercier hit a grand slam and Lachlan Mayo, Jesse Hilyard and Ashton Roy also hit their first home runs of the season.

The Bulls jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Nick Ankermann and Mayo were each hit by pitches with the bases loaded, bringing in Roy and Brett Semeniuk, while Blake MacDonald singled in Grant Schmidt for the other Lethbridge run.

The Bombers knotted things 3-3 in their half of the second, but the Bulls moved back ahead for good with Mercier’s bases-loaded homer that handed Lethbridge a 7-3 lead.

After the Bombers scored two in the sixth to cut the lead to 7-5, it was Roy’s turn to go yard in the seventh inning before Mayo and Hilyard hit back-to-back homers in the eighth for an 11-6 lead. The Bulls plated two more runs in the ninth. Semeniuk singled to lead off and scored on a basesloaded walk and MacDonald scored on a fielder’s choice.

Mercier’s grand slam gives him eight RBI on the season. Mayo also had a four-RBI outing Sunday and has five this season, while MacDonald and Roy have driven in six each.

The Bulls had 13 hits as Semeniuk was 3-for-3 with two runs scored.

MacDonald was 2-for-6 leading off with two runs scored and one RBI, while Mercier and Roy were 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Lethbridge starter Liam Vulcano threw three innings, giving up three runs on two hits, walking five and striking out five.

The Bulls return home to Spitz Stadium Tuesday when they host the Medicine Hat Mavericks at 7 p.m.

The Bombers pay a visit Thursday at 7 p.m.