A late game rally brought the Weyburn Beavers close, but a ninth inning run from the Swift Current Indians lifted the visitors to a 9-8 win at Tom Laing Park Tuesday night. The win gives the Indians a sweep in the best-of-five division semifinal series. Swift Current will now go on to face the winner of the other Eastern division semifinal between Yorkton and Regina.

The Beavers had jumped out to an early lead, as they had in each of the previous games in the playoff series, when they put two runs on the board in the first inning. Swift Current answered back, though, and scored four in the top of the second. While Weyburn replied with a run of their own, Swift Current would fight hard to hold on to the lead.

In the fourth inning, The Indians pulled away, scoring three more, to go up 7-3. That inning would prove to be the last for starting pitcher Cole Feazell, who was replaced with Scott Doucet. Feazell left the game having given up seven runs on ten hits, while striking out four. The decision to put in Doucet was a win at all costs move for the Beavers, as Doucet was the projected starter for game four.

The change in pitchers seemed to spark the Beavers. After giving up a single run to the Indians, Weyburn scored two in the bottom of the fifth, and two more in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 8-7 game. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Beavers would add one more, to tie the game up. Doucet gave way on the mound to closer Eric Evans for the ninth inning.

Evans, though, would find himself in tough against the line-up. He would give up a single run, while facing six batters in the inning. The run would prove to be the difference, as Indians closer Ryan Pope came out, and struck out two of the three batters faced, with the third popping up to the pitcher.

The end of the season for the Beavers comes after they qualified for the post-season for the third consecutive year under head coach Phil Curtis. With many of the players on the squad eligible to return next season, their spirits were high after the game, knowing this season they proved they could compete with the best in the league, and will more than likely count themselves as among that elite next season.


Game Date: 08/02/2016
Swift Current Indians  9 AT Weyburn Beavers  8

                                 YTD                                   YTD
Swift Current      AB  R  H BI   AVG  Weyburn            AB  R  H BI   AVG
Dokey, S 2B         5  1  2  2  .462  Moro, D CF          5  1  1  1  .429
Humphreys, A SS     5  0  2  1  .462  Rintoul, C 2B       4  1  2  2  .500
Goodall, L LF       5  0  1  0  .357  Fluellen, U DH      5  2  3  1  .533
Cooper, B 1B        4  1  0  0  .250  Harrell, C 1B       4  1  1  2  .200
Schultz, A RF       5  1  1  0  .286  Hjelle, R RF        5  0  0  0  .214
Zirbes, K 3B        3  1  1  0  .364  Anderson, J LF      5  0  1  2  .231
MacDonald, K DH     5  2  4  1  .308  Williams, C 3B      4  1  1  0  .333
Rivas, L C          4  2  2  0  .500  Frazier, Z C        4  1  1  0  .222
Moreno, T CF        3  1  2  4  .455  Urbistondo, A SS    2  1  2  0  .455
                   39  9 15  8                           38  8 12  8

Swift Current        0 4 0   3 1 0   0 0 1 -  9 15  0
Weyburn              2 1 0   0 2 2   0 1 0 -  8 12  0
2B--Dokey, S 2B (1), Rivas, L C (1), Moro, D CF (3), Fluellen, U DH (3),
Harrell, C 1B (2), Anderson, J LF (1), Urbistondo, A SS (2). 3B--Moreno, T
CF (1). RBI--Dokey, S 2B  2 (4), Humphreys, A SS (4), MacDonald, K DH (1),
Moreno, T CF  4 (6), TOTALS  8 (0), Moro, D CF (3), Rintoul, C 2B  2 (4),
Fluellen, U DH (3), Harrell, C 1B  2 (3), Anderson, J LF  2 (3), TOTALS  8
(0). HP--Harrell, C 1B  2 (1). SF--Moreno, T CF (1). SH--Urbistondo, A SS
(0). SB--Schultz, A RF (1), Zirbes, K 3B (2). CS--Moreno, T CF (1).
LOB--Swift Current 8, Weyburn 7.
                                                               YTD
                                 IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR     ERA
 Swift Current
Pizarro, J                      5.2  10   7   7   2   4   0   11.12
Goodall, A (W,1-0)              2.1   2   1   1   0   2   0    3.86
Pope, R (S,2)                   1.0   0   0   0   0   2   0    2.25
                                9    12   8   8   2   8   0
 Weyburn
Feazell, C                      4.0  10   7   7   1   4   0   15.75
Doucet, S                       4.0   4   1   1   1   2   0    2.25
Evans, E (L,0-1)                1.0   1   1   1   2   2   0   13.50
                                9    15   9   9   4   8   0
WP--Pizarro, J (1), Evans, E (1). PB--Rivas, L. HB--Pizarro, J (1).
SO--Goodall, L 3, Cooper, B, Schultz, A 2, Zirbes, K, MacDonald, K,
Fluellen, U, Harrell, C, Hjelle, R 3, Anderson, J, Williams, C, Frazier, Z.
BB--Cooper, B, Zirbes, K 2, Rivas, L, Rintoul, C, Urbistondo, A.
BF--Pizarro, J 30 (30), Goodall, A 9 (9), Pope, R 3 (18), Feazell, C 22
(22), Doucet, S 16 (16), Evans, E 6 (12). P-S--Pizarro, J 90-56, Goodall, A
35-26, Pope, R 12-8, Feazell, C 75-49, Doucet, S 52-31, Evans, E 24-14.
T--2:57.  A--355

Weather: 29c and sunny
Plate Umpire - Braden Lonsberry, Field Umpire #1 - Brad Woof, Field Umpire #2 - Dave Bisskey

 

Photo gallery from the Beavers playoff game at Tom Laing Park on August 2, 2016: