For the second time in six days, the Saskatoon Berries used a grand slam home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to win a significant game in walk-off fashion.
However, Saturday’s victory was a playoff series win – compared to a triumph that broke the W-C-B-L’s single season record for wins! Carter Beck (pictured) slammed a one-out, full count pitch over the right field fence – between the scoreboard and the jumbotron – giving the Berries a 16-12 triumph over the Moose Jaw Miller-Express and a 2-1 victory in their best-of-three East Division semi-final series in front of 1,759 fans at Cairns Field. It was a marathon contest – that took four hours and seven minutes to play – and was loaded with epic, emotional moments and innings with both teams thinking they had the game in hand before it went to extra innings and Beck’s heroics. Moose Jaw tallied three unearned runs in the second inning to open the scoring. Saskatoon looked to have things under control when they scored 10 times in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings combined. However, the Miller-Express didn’t quit – scoring nine times in the top of the eighth inning to go ahead 12-10 and looked to be on their way to the East Division final, especially with Game 1 winning pitcher Westin Walls coming in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. But, the Berries tied it with three hits, including a two-out, full count pitch that Mason Roell drove into centre field to score Evan Janner with the tying run and force extra innings. Winning pitcher Noah McCombs, the eighth Saskatoon hurler of the night, retired Moose Jaw in order in the top of the 10th inning – setting the stage for the final blow off the bat of Beck, his fifth hit in seven plate appearances plus three runs scored and five runs batted in. Besides combining for 28 runs, the Berries and Miller-Express pounded out 40 hits, used 14 total pitchers, who threw 397 pitches. Saskatoon also got home runs from right fielder Ethan Murdoch and catcher Bailyn Sorenson while Moose Jaw first baseman Eduardo Saenz also went deep, his three-run blast in the eighth inning gave the Miller-Express the late lead that they couldn’t hold. Because the game was rained out on Friday and played Saturday night, the best-of-three East Division final starts Sunday with the Berries hosting the Regina Red Sox at 6 o’clock at Cairns Field. Following are media scrums with Beck, Murdoch, McCombs and head coach Joe Carnahan, Les Lazaruk’s webcast call of the game-winning hit and the official box score courtesy the W-C-B-L website…..
Game Date: 08/09/2025
Moose Jaw Miller Express 12 AT Saskatoon Berries 16 (EXTRA INNINGS)
YTD YTD
Moose Jaw AB R H BI AVG Saskatoon AB R H BI AVG
Soto, T SS 6 1 2 4 .375 Beck, C CF 7 3 5 5 .500
Edwards, W LF 6 1 1 0 .231 Menard, E 1B 6 1 3 1 .333
Gurney, A CF 6 1 3 0 .467 Janner, E PR 0 1 0 0 .000
Saenz, E 1B 6 2 3 3 .333 Zdunich, T 1B 0 0 0 0 .000
Estrada, R DH 5 3 2 0 .462 Medina, A 2B 6 1 2 1 .357
Rivas, A C 5 0 0 0 .083 Roell, M 3B 6 2 3 2 .333
DeGrazia, T RF 5 1 3 0 .231 Wesslund, C 3B,PR 0 0 0 0 .000
Phillips, P 2B 4 2 1 1 .400 Houston, N SS 5 1 2 1 .167
Waliczek, B 3B 4 1 2 1 .250 Murdoch, E RF 3 2 2 3 .333
Wouters, C DH 5 2 1 0 .333
Sorensen, B C 5 1 1 2 .154
Freeman, J LF 5 2 3 0 .500
47 12 17 9 48 16 22 15
Moose Jaw 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 - 12 17 1
Saskatoon 0 0 0 3 2 5 0 0 2 4 - 16 22 3
2B--Saenz, E 1B (1), Beck, C CF 2 (3), Menard, E 1B (1), Medina, A 2B (1),
Freeman, J LF (1). 3B--Soto, T SS (1), Houston, N SS (1). HR--Saenz, E 1B
(1), Beck, C CF (2), Murdoch, E RF (1), Sorensen, B C (1). RBI--Soto, T SS
4 (7), Saenz, E 1B 3 (3), Phillips, P 2B (3), Waliczek, B 3B (1), TOTALS
9 (0), Beck, C CF 5 (9), Menard, E 1B (3), Medina, A 2B (1), Roell, M 3B
2 (3), Houston, N SS (1), Murdoch, E RF 3 (5), Sorensen, B C 2 (2),
TOTALS 15 (0). HP--Rivas, A C (1), Waliczek, B 3B (3). SF--Houston, N SS
(1), Murdoch, E RF (1). SH--Estrada, R DH (0). SB--Estrada, R DH (1),
Waliczek, B 3B (2). E--Soto, T SS (4), Beck, C CF (1), Roell, M 3B (2),
Whitney, M P (1).
LOB--Moose Jaw 9, Saskatoon 11. DP--P. Phillips(2B) - T. Soto(SS) - E.
Saenz(1B), Z. Laird(P) - N. Houston(SS) - E. Menard(1B).
YTD
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Moose Jaw
Glazener, J 3.2 8 3 3 1 4 1 7.36
Merk, E 1.1 6 6 6 0 1 1 18.00
Pisio, N 0.2 1 1 1 2 0 0 5.40
Guardiola, R 2.1 1 0 0 1 2 0 9.00
Walls, W (L,1-1) 1.0 4 4 4 1 0 0 6.14
Medina, F 0.1 2 2 2 0 0 1 54.05
9.1 22 16 16 5 7 3
Saskatoon
Whitney, M 2.0 4 3 1 0 0 0 4.50
Laird, Z 3.0 2 0 0 0 4 0 1.80
Trondson, M 0.1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Hosick, T 1.2 1 0 0 0 4 0 0.00
Sall, M 0.1 2 4 3 1 1 0 81.08
Martina, K 0.0 3 3 3 0 0 0 99.99
Mixon, C 0.2 3 2 1 0 0 1 13.49
McCombs, N (W,1-0) 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
10 17 12 8 1 11 1
WP--Pisio, N (1), Guardiola, R (1), Sall, M (1). HB--Trondson, M (1),
McCombs, N (1). SO--Soto, T 2, Edwards, W, Gurney, A, Saenz, E 2, Rivas, A
3, Phillips, P, Waliczek, B, Beck, C, Medina, A, Roell, M, Wouters, C,
Sorensen, B 3. BB--Phillips, P, Murdoch, E 2, Wouters, C, Sorensen, B,
Freeman, J. BF--Glazener, J 19 (19), Merk, E 11 (17), Pisio, N 4 (10),
Guardiola, R 10 (22), Walls, W 8 (40), Medina, F 3 (3), Whitney, M 11 (11),
Laird, Z 10 (18), Trondson, M 4 (4), Hosick, T 6 (6), Sall, M 5 (5),
Martina, K 3 (3), Mixon, C 5 (5), McCombs, N 7 (15). P-S--Glazener, J
60-39, Merk, E 33-27, Pisio, N 18-7, Guardiola, R 43-26, Walls, W 29-17,
Medina, F 12-6, Whitney, M 34-24, Laird, Z 43-28, Trondson, M 12-8, Hosick,
T 36-23, Sall, M 25-14, Martina, K 13-8, Mixon, C 17-13, McCombs, N 27-19.
T--4:08.
Weather:
Plate Umpire - Trevor Drury, Field Umpire #1 - Scott Mills, Field Umpire #3 - Scott Mostoway