Swift Current runs table to win WMBL title
By Steven Mah
Southwest Booster
The Swift Current Indians capped an astonishing post-season run with a 5-2 win over the host Edmonton Prospects to win the Western Major League championship Saturday.
The win clinched a three-game series sweep for the Tribe as they finished 9-0 in the playoffs to claim their first league title since 2010.
Three pitchers combined to limit the Prospects to one earned run as the Tribe pitching staff held the Prospects to three runs over 27 innings in the series.
Reece Calvert made his first start of the playoffs and got the win with five scoreless innings. He allowed seven hits and three walks but struck out four along the way. Aidan Goodall (Nanaimo, BC) got the next four outs to keep the Tribe in the lead. Closer Ryan Pope pitched for the third straight night and allowed two hits and one unearned run with three strikeouts in the save.
Pope was named the playoff Most Valuable Player after getting multiple-inning saves in all three games in the championship series. The Yuba City, Calif. native allowed only one earned run over 15.1 innings in the playoffs.
A three-run ninth inning was the difference for the Tribe as they erupted in the low-scoring series.
The Indians loaded the bases with one out and Shane Dokey singled to score Kyle McDonald for a crucial insurance run and a 3-1 lead. League Most Valuable Player Alec Humphreys added a single to score Luis Rivas and Tobias Moreno scored on a fielder’s choice.
The Indians had led in the first inning when Alex Schultz singled home Dokey. They added another run in the sixth inning after Dokey doubled and then Liam Goodall (Nanaimo, BC) brought him home.
Bobby St. Pierre (Windsor, Ont.) pitched seven innings allowing one run with Pope working two scoreless in Game 2, a 2-1 win. Humphreys had a pair of hits plus he drove in a run and Liam Goodall knocked in the other run.
Luke Wiechec (six innings) and Pope (three) combined on the two-hit shut out to win the opener 3-0. 9 Alex Schultz had three hits for the Indians.
123 456 789 R H E
Swift Current 100 001 003 -- 5 9 4
Edmonton 000 000 101 -- 2 9 0
Winning Pitcher: Reece Calvert. Losing Pitcher: Zach Siggelkow
Location: Telus Field. Attendance: 2290.
Batting Stats
Swift Current
Batter P AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
Dokey, S 2B 4 2 2 1 1 2 .314
Humphreys, A SS 4 0 1 1 0 2 .378
Goodall, L LF 5 0 1 2 0 2 .216
Cooper, B C 5 0 2 0 0 0 .229
Schultz, A RF 3 0 1 1 1 0 .333
Zirbes, K 3B 3 0 0 0 1 2 .161
MacDonald, K 1B 3 1 0 0 1 2 .200
Rivas, L DH 4 1 1 0 0 1 .259
Moreno, T CF 3 1 1 0 0 2 .448
Totals 34 5 9 5 4 13
2B: S.Dokey (2). HP: T.Moreno (1). RBI: S.Dokey (5), A.Humphreys (8), L.Goodall 2 (7), A.Schultz (5). SB: T.Moreno (6).
Team LOB: 8.
Edmonton
Batter P AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
Olson, T 3B 4 1 2 0 1 1 .261
Wedgewood, L C 5 1 1 0 0 2 .179
Scammell, C CF 4 0 0 0 1 1 .239
Sabrowski, E 1B-RF 5 0 2 0 0 1 .395
Funderburk, K 1B 5 0 2 0 0 0 .271
Spillman, N 2B 3 0 0 0 2 2 .233
Kreiter, C LF 4 0 2 0 0 0 .273
Zazulak, J RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 .167
Whittlesey, B DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Shedden, D SS 3 0 0 0 1 0 .159
Totals 37 2 9 0 5 7
2B: C.Kreiter (3). SB: T.Olson 2 (4).
Team LOB: 13.
Pitching
Swift Current
Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
Calvert, R, W 5.0 7 0 0 3 4 3.52
Goodall, A 1.1 0 1 1 2 0 3.86
Pope, R S 2.2 2 1 0 0 3 0.00
Totals 9.0 9 2 1 5 7
WP: K.MacDonald (1).
Edmonton
Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
Siggelkow, Z, L 5.0 2 1 1 1 9 6.57
Funderburk, K 3.0 4 1 1 1 4 3.38
Whittlesey, B 1.0 3 3 3 2 0 12.00
Totals 9.0 9 5 5 4 13