Bulls sweep Red Sox to stay in playoff hunt

By Lethbridge Herald on July 29, 2022.

Lethbridge Bulls Noah Rodriguez rips the ball just foul against the Regina Red Sox on Friday night in Western Canadian Baseball League action at Spitz Stadium.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Lethbridge Bulls hung on to beat the Regina Red Sox 8-6 to sweep the two-game series at Spitz Stadium on Friday night.

“Weston (Seifken) gave us a good start and the offence did their job today,” said Bulls coach Chance Wheatley.

“And we took care of the baseball which is something we’ve been lacking lately. So it was good.”

Wheatley said, “We needed these two wins and need more coming forward. Fort Mac and Brooks are making it tough on us. So we’ve got to keep pace and gain on them here.”

It was the Red Sox who got on the board first for the second night in a row as in the third inning Zane Zielinski hit a two-out bloop single to right with two men on and scored Christopher Munoz.

The Bulls tied in the bottom of the fourth as Roger Riley hit a one-out single to score Nick Gravel.

The Red Sox’s Michael Zinter hit a single to score Diego Aragon and push the visitors ahead 2-1 in the top of the fifth.

Zinter  and Michael Kenney also scored to make it 4-1 Regina.

The Bulls had a big fifth inning where they scored five runs on four hits.

Cardel  Dick hit a grounder to the Red Sox shortstop who booted the ball and allowed  for Torrin Vaselenak to score and cut Regina’s lead to 4-2.

Noah Rodriguez was dealt a wild pitch and allowed for Carlin Dick to score and tie the game at 3.

Rodriguez would hit a single to score Cardel Dick to move Lethbridge ahead 4-3.

Kalem Haney came up after and hit a double to score Rodriguez and increased the home side’s lead by two runs.

Carter Claerhout would later come up to bat and score Haney  with a single to double the Bulls lead to 6-3.

Regina got their fourth run in the sixth inning as Kenney hit a sacrifice fly to cash in Munoz.

Haney did the unthinkable in the seventh inning as he hit an in-the-park home run and it was first home run in a Bulls uniform dating back to last season to make the game 7-4.

“But it felt good, right,” said Haney.

“All the guys congratulated me as I got to the dugout. But it was nice, one today and it felt good.”

Haney doesn’t consider himself a home run hitter.

Carlin Dick hit a two out single to cash in Vaselenak and double Lethbridge’s lead to 8-4 in the eighth.

Regina inched closer in the ninth as they got two runs but that’s as close they could come.

With the win, the Bulls improve their record to 22-25 and sit a half a game back of the idle Brooks Bombers for the final playoff spot in Western Division.

The Bulls will play in Okotoks today (7:05 p.m.)and tomorrow (2:05 p.m.) and host the Sylvan Lake Gulls on Monday at 6:05 p.m.