Brunner, Crowson, Luther lead Dawgs to Game 1 WCBL finals win

The Okotoks Dawgs defeated the Medicine Hat Mavericks 8-0 in the first game of the Western Canadian Baseball League championship series on Tuesday. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs

August 15, 2023

By Michael Kwas

Okotoks Dawgs

The Okotoks Dawgs took the first game of the best-of-three WCBL finals on Tuesday night with an 8-0 win over the Medicine Hat Mavericks at Seaman Stadium.

The Dawgs recorded 14 hits in the shutout, while their pitchers held the Mavericks to just four hits.

With the victory, the Dawgs move to 5-0 in the playoffs and are one win away from their seventh WCBL title.

Brendan Luther (Mississauga, Ont.) belted his third home run of the playoffs to open the scoring in the first inning for the Dawgs. That blast also extended his hitting streak to 22 games. He finished the game 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Connor Crowson (Okotoks, Alta.) went 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Dawgs, while Alejandro Cazorla (Okotoks, Alta.) homered in the third inning and had two RBIs in the win.

On the mound, left-hander Graham Brunner (Sherwood Park, Alta.) pitched his best game of the season, allowing just three hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings in which he struck out eight batters.

The Dawgs will travel to Medicine Hat for the second game of the WCBL finals on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.