August 2, 2018

By Tyler Lowey

Okotoks Dawgs

The Okotoks Dawgs forced a Game 4 with an 11-3 victory on Thursday night over the Edmonton Prospects at RE/MAX Field.

Trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five Western Division semifinal, the Dawgs' offence came to life.

The Dawgs grabbed their first lead of the series when they jumped all over Prospects starter Josh Sieglitz.

The Dawgs scored in the third when Collin Ridout (Tennessee Wesleyan University) led off the inning with a triple and came around to score on a poor throwing decision by catcher Anthony Cusati.

In the fourth, Ridout drove home Ryan Humeniuk (Indian Hills Community College) with a one-out single. Second basemen Zane Takhar couldn’t handle a grounder from Eddie Sanchez (Central Arkansas University). The error allowed J.T. Patterson (Bellevue University) to score. Will Hollis (Cisco College) singled to right to score Ridout. The Dawgs made it 6-0 after Abdiel Alicea (Tabor College) stroked one to right to score Hollis and Sanchez.

Sieglitz went four innings, gave up six but only three earned runs, walked three batters and struck out a pair, as he picked up his first loss of the playoffs.

Brock Townsend (Linn-Benton Community College) provided the Dawgs with solid start. He went 6 2/3 innings, only allowed three hits and struck out three, as he earned his first win of the playoffs. The Prospects got their only run off him in the fifth when Eric Crain scored Nick Spillman on a sacrifice fly.

In the top of the sixth, Ridout hit his second leadoff triple of the evening and came around to score two batters later on a triple to right field by Hollis. Hollis came around to score on Takhar’s second error.

Nate DeChaine (Morningside College) added insurance in the seventh when he scored Sanchez and Ridout with a bases loaded single.

The Dawgs kept the run production up in the eighth when Humeniuk ripped the Dawgs' fourth triple of the evening. He came around to score on a single by Cole MacLaren (University of Pittsburgh).

The Prospects were held to three hits entering the ninth, when Alex Jones (Niagara University) allowed Jake MacDonald to score pinch runner Taran Oulton with a triple to centre. MacDonald scored on a fielder’s choice by Spillman.

In the other Western Division semifinal, the Medicine Hat Mavericks grabbed a 2-1 series lead after they knocked off the Lethbridge Bulls 9-4 at Spitz Stadium.

The Prospects will host the Dawgs Friday evening back at RE/MAX Field for Game 4.