After a 26-29 regular season, the Moose Jaw Miller Express had a great WCBL playoff run, but they ultimately fell one win short. Photo: Western Canadian Baseball League

*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on August 21. You can read it here.

August 23, 2024

By Joe McFarland

Saskatchewan Dugout Stories

Robert Estrada. Austin Gurney. Nate Mensik.

Had the Moose Jaw Miller Express been able to force the Okotoks Dawgs to extra innings in the third-and-deciding game of the Western Canadian Baseball League championship series, the heart of the team’s order was due up in the top of the 10th inning.

Instead, they could only watch as long-time Dawg Connor Crowson sent a 1-1 offering from Takao Cookson over the fence in deep centre field to capture the 6-5 walk-off victory, winning the final series 2-1.

It was a heartbreaking way for the Miller Express season to end, as they had battled back from deficits of 3-0 and 5-3 to give themselves a chance to win the game and the series.

“I’ve played this game since I was four years old and worked hard every single day for moments like this and we just fell short,” Mensik told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories after the game.

It also capped off an incredible playoff run for Moose Jaw, who overcame plenty of adversity over the course of the season to book their ticket to the final.

HITTING THE RESET BUTTON

After getting to the championship series against Okotoks in 2022 and being the top team in the WCBL East Division in 2023, the Miller Express had high expectations heading into 2024.

However, the season didn’t go according to plan as the team floated around the .500 mark for most of the summer.

They finished the season with a 26-29 record, finishing fourth in their division and earning a spot in the playoffs, where they faced the top-seeded Regina Red Sox.

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Listen to the Alberta Dugout Stories podcast about the 2024 WCBL Finals here.

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Second baseman Nathan Houston says their regular season performance wasn’t indicative of how well they played, adding it only felt like a matter of time before it all clicked.

“As soon as the playoffs started, it was like a restart button,” said the Melville, Saskatchewan product. “We didn’t care where we ended up in the standings, we knew we would be tough to beat in a three-game series.”

The Miller Express swept the Red Sox with a 4-3 win on the road and a 7-6 victory at home, earning a berth in the division final against the expansion Saskatoon Berries.

They opened the series with a 14-1 loss, but instead of folding up the tents, they went to work believing they could still win the series.

“It didn’t matter what seed you are, you still have to come ready to play,” Mensik said.

“You have to play all nine innings.”

The bats came alive at Ross Wells Park in game two, as the Millers returned the favour with a 17-6 victory, forcing a decisive third game.

Thanks to a Westin Walls complete game and timely hitting, they took the 5-3 victory, forcing a rematch of the 2022 final against Okotoks.

LOSE ONE, WIN ONE

Just like in the second round, things didn’t start well for Moose Jaw as they were beaten 7-4 by the Dawgs in the championship opener.

However, the team allowed six of the seven runs in the second inning and scored all four of theirs in the third, making them believe if they could eliminate a big push from their opponents, they had a good chance of winning.

Back at Ross Wells Park in game two, the Dawgs built themselves up a 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

That’s when Gurney hit a three-run home run which lifted his team back up and got the boisterous home crowd back in the game.

The Miller Express fell behind 7-3, but scored five runs in the eighth inning to steal the 8-7 victory.

“We might not be the biggest, we might not be the strongest, we might not be the fastest, but we are going to give it our absolute all,” Mensik said. “We are going to go hard until the last second because hard work beats talent every single day of the week.”

The Harry Hallis Trophy was packed back up and ahead of the team buses, made its way back to Okotoks one more time.

WHY NOT US?

Even in the final game of the series, the Miller Express had to overcome more adversity as the Dawgs once again jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

However, an RBI single from Gurney and a two-run home run from Mensik tied it back up.

The back-and-forth affair saw the Dawgs reclaim the lead in the next half-inning, getting out to a 5-3 lead again before Moose Jaw dug in its heels.

In the eighth inning, Thomas Soto scored on a triple from Robert Estrada, who scored on a wild pitch from Dawgs reliever Gavin Wuschke.

“Why not us?” Mensik said. “That’s what we kept telling ourselves the whole day. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to win this game.”

However, the Dawgs had other plans, with Crowson hitting the winning home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Houston, who would have been the fourth man up in the 10th, was at a loss for words about how it all ended, although he was also proud of the way they came together in the moments that mattered most.

“Up or down a few runs, everyone had each other’s backs and I loved that,” the Arizona Western College standout said. “Being in the dugout with all your boys and playing close baseball games, I don’t think it gets better than that.”

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

As team president and governor Darryl Pisio looked back on the team’s playoff run, he couldn’t help but be proud of what head coach Eric Marriott’s roster had accomplished.

Pisio’s family hosted an annual end-of-season barbecue and awards night before the playoffs, and said the message to the players was simple.

“We basically announced to the kids then that you gotta believe,” Pisio said after game two of the finals. “We believe in you, all the fans believe in you, everyone believes in you.”

“You guys are a very talented bunch and you just have to believe in yourselves and, sure enough, they’ve been believing since then.”

From the players and staff to the volunteers and community, Pisio says it would mean the world to capture the team’s first championship since 2002.

It’s a sentiment echoed by the players, including Mensik, who is nicknamed “The Mayor of Moose Jaw.”

“We love this city and the city loves us,” said the college senior, who is now hoping to turn pro. “I wish we could have brought that trophy home.”

Houston says veterans like Mensik and Gurney have shown the way for the younger players this season, and he’s confident they will be back.

“The people of Moose Jaw deserve a ring, they really do,” he said. “The fans, the billet families, the coaches, board members … they are all just genuine people that care about the right things and it’s easy to notice that stuff.”

It’s an experience the team will take with them heading into next year, as they look to finish a piece of business that has been years in the making.