Staring at a potential third loss in four games, the Okotoks Dawgs had to create their own luck.
Fortunately, they came through when it mattered the most.
Luke Gorman scored on a bases-loaded walk-off bunt by Trever Allen in the bottom of the10th inning to steal a 9-8 victory over the Edmonton Prospects on Sunday, June 12 at Seaman Stadium.
“We just had to make something happen,” Dawgs coach Brandon Newell said.
The Dawgs dropped their home opener on June 9 15-10 to the Medicine Hat Mavericks who look to be a powerful force in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) season. After a 10-5 win over Lethbridge at home on June 10, the Mavericks again dropped the Dawgs this time in Medicine Hat setting up Sunday’s must-win.
On Sunday the Dawgs (4-3) surrendered a run in the top half of the 10th inning and needed a sacrifice fly by Calgary native Tyler Hollick to tie the game at 8-8.
Allen then stepped up to the plate for the risky, game-winning maneuver.
“He wanted to do it. We had a good runner at third base with Luke (Garmon),” Newell explained.
“We had to make our breaks sometimes when things aren’t going great and that was a good time to do it.”
Garmon, a shortstop out of Kentucky’s Wesleyan College, said the situation presented the perfect opportunity for the bunt as the Prospects had drawn their middle infield back to double-play play depth.
“It’s a risky move but I like to play that way and coach likes to play that way too and I trust Trever on the bunt so it’s a great play overall,” Garmon said. “We made our own breaks.”
The game started well for the Dawgs as they took a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning.
However, the Prospects managed to pile up seven runs in the top half of the inning, which sent the hometown team reeling.
Despite falling behind again at home, Newell said he was proud of his team for finding a way to come back and tie the game.
“Sometimes when you’re in one of those little funks, one of those innings happens every game and today, I was really proud of our guys, we found a way to overcome that one inning,” he said.
Garmon credited the Dawgs’ rabid fan base for supporting them in their successful comeback attempt.
“We had a great fan base today, they helped bring us back up,” he said.
Leading the way offensively for the Dawgs was Hollick, who went 2-4 with two runs and three RBI.
Relievers David D’Errico and Jed Vandernaald managed to settle down the Prospects after the sixth inning striking out eight batters between them.
In a short season that’s been marred by ups and downs thus far, Garmon said a win like this can bring a team together.
With the way the Dawgs are now hitting the ball, the sky is the limit.
“Things are coming around,” he said. “We’re about to hit a streak.”
Sandwiched between two losses to the West Division-leading Medicine Hat Mavericks the Dawgs’ other weekend victory came courtesy of the standout effort by starting pitcher Ryan Rogers.
Rogers struck out 11 batters over six innings to deliver a 10-5 victory at Seaman Stadium on Friday, June 10 over the Lethbridge Bulls.
Allen helped out his starter with three RBI while first baseman Justin Juneau had three hits and two RBI of his own.
Newell was complimentary of Rogers who now has 20 strikeouts through two starts.
“He’s got great command,” he said. “If he gets two strikes, he’s got a put away pitch.”
Rogers has calmly given the Dawgs two quality starts in his first season in the WMBL.
Newell said he is hardly surprised by the play of the Owensboro, Kentucky native.
“He’s a pretty low-key guy. Ryan’s a typical Kentucky guy, not much rattles him and he’s proved that in his first two starts,” he said.
The Dawgs exacted some revenge on the Mavericks on Monday night as they defeated them 8-5 in Medicine Hat. The win pushed their record to 5-3 in the young season.
The Dawgs will look to close the gap even further on the division lead in their next home date on Thursday at Seaman Stadium.
The Edmonton Prospects will come to town looking for redemption from Sunday’s loss. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
Okotoks will host the Swift Current Indians on Friday and Saturday night at Seaman Stadium with both games starting at 7:05 p.m.
The weekend will finish up with a rematch against the Mavericks at home on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.
