Bulls’ bats sound off in season opener

By Dale Woodard on June 19, 2021.

Two big innings powered the Lethbridge Bulls to a season opening win.

Playing their first game at their Spitz Stadium home field in almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic that cancelled last season, the Bulls downed the Okotoks Black Dawgs 14-7 in home-opening Western Canadian Baseball League action Friday night.

The win came in front of a crowd of 500 socially-distanced, mask-wearing fans who enjoyed a summer night at the ball park with more fans to be expected as Alberta moved into Stage 3 of the Open For Summer plan Friday.

Bulls designated hitter Brad Goodwin hit a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 7-1 lead as Lethbridge padded their lead the rest of the way despite some late Okotoks offence.

Goodwin ultimately went 3-for-5 on the night. He also pitched in relief in the ninth.

The Dawgs went up 1-0 in the bottom of the second after a pair of leadoff walks, but the Bulls threatened in their half of the second when Torrin Vaselenak doubled with one out. However, the hosts weren’t able to bring him in as Josh Kabayama lined out sharply to right field.

It didn’t take the Bulls long to get going in the third inning as Ty Penner scored on a double from Noah Orr to tie the game at 1-1. Orr the scored on a sacrifice fly from Carlin Dick to make it 2-1 and Lethbridge doubled their lead on a two-out single from Dalton Demers that scored Goodwin and Vaselenak for a 4-1 lead.

The hosts padded their lead to six in the bottom of the fourth when Goodwin sent a two-out-three-run shot over the centre field wall off Okotoks pitcher Quinn Tocheniuk for a 7-1 lead after four innings.

The Dawgs got one back in the top of the seventh when Max Hartman walked and then scored on a double from Ty Doucette off Bulls reliever Jake Anderson to make it 7-2.

Okotoks put runners on second and first with none out and made it 7-3 as Alejandro Cazorla doubled to right, ending Anderson’s night as Levi Abbot came on in relief.

Abbot’s first pitch was wild as Connor Crowson scored to make it 7-4.

Abbott settled in with a strikeout to end the inning to keep Lethbridge up by three heading to the bottom of the seventh.

The Bulls put runners on the corners with one out in their half of the seventh and Demers doubled the hosts lead, hitting an infield single that scored Dick from third to make it 8-4.

Josh Kabayama’s sacrifice fly to right field then scored Vaselenak to put the Bulls up 9-4.

Lethbridge added five runs in the bottom of the eighth to pad their lead before the Dawgs added three more in their half of the ninth to round out the scoring.

Anderson got the win for Lethbridge.

Penner was 3-for-6 for the Bulls.

The Bulls head to Vauxhall to take on the Jets in their Graduation Game tonight and are in Okotoks Sunday to take on the Red Dawgs.

The Bulls are back at Spitz Stadium Wednesday when the Red Dawgs pay a visit at 7:05 p.m.

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