Dawgs win second straight against Fort McMurray

Eddie Sanchez had three hits to help lead the Okotoks Dawgs to a 10-3 win over the Fort McMurray Giants on Friday. Photo Credit: Amanda Fewer

Friday July 28, 2017

Dawgs win second straight against Fort McMurray

By Dustin Saracini

Okotoks, AB - The “dream summer” continued tonight as the (33-13) Okotoks Dawgs won their second straight game, 10-3 over the (19-27) Fort McMurray Giants on Friday.

Jack Rupe (UC San Diego) strung together yet another impressive outing for the starting rotation, working into the seventh inning while limiting the Giants to one run and striking out six.

“Jack was awesome on the mound tonight,” Brendan Rose said following the win.

“He threw strikes for us, didn’t allow many base runners, and it’s really easy to play behind him when he’s on like that. Our offence, we had good at-bats all night, it’s easy to hit when everyone is having good at-bats.”

Eddie Sanchez (Central Arkansas) led the way with a three-hit game, while Rose doubled his home run total, cracking the third blast of his five-year Dawg career -- his second in as many nights.

“Last night was an accident,” Rose joked.

“Tonight, I tried to [hit a home run] at that at-bat, which I don’t try to very often, which I probably should never try, anyway, it worked out.”

As a club, Okotoks collected 12 hits in the victory. In 2017, they have now hit a franchise-high 45 home runs thus far.

It didn’t take long for the Dawgs to get ahead tonight. Following a three-up, three-down inning from Rupe, the bats took advantage of some command issues, starting the game off with back-to-back walks before a single up the middle from Matt Lloyd (Indiana University - Okotoks, AB) handed Okotoks a 1-0 lead. A night ago, the local second baseman ended his 24-game hitting streak -- he started a new one with his first at-bat. With two outs, the red and white scratched another run across the plate via the double steal.

The Giants chipped away with some patient at-bats of their own in the top of the second, plating a run off an RBI single to cut the advantage in half.

Okotoks reclaimed their edge with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Lloyd registered his 19th multi-hit game of the season, dropping a single into shallow left field to kick off the frame as Campbell made it a 3-1 contest, scorching an RBI triple down the alley in right-centre -- his first triple of the season. The red and white wouldn’t strand him at third, either, as a Jayse McLean (North Dakota State University) RBI single gave the Dawgs a three-run lead. McLean would move up 90-feet on a passed ball before swiping third and scoring on a ground out.

In the seventh, Rose kept the power numbers coming, hitting a bomb to deep right field on the first pitch, putting the game to bed.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Jack Rupe (R): 7 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 6 K

Eddie Sanchez: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RB, .356 AVG

Matt Lloyd: 2-4, R, RBI, .391 AVG

OF RECORD:

WP: Jack Rupe (2-1) LP: Tyler Moskalyk (2-4)