June 8, 2019

By Dan Khavkin

Okotoks Dawgs

EDMONTON, AB- The Okotoks Dawgs (7-1) suffered their first defeat of the season, seeing their seven-game season-opening win streak get snapped at the hands of the Edmonton Prospects (7-4) Saturday night 10-1.

Dawgs head coach Mitch Schmidt says tomorrow’s attitude to the rubber match has to show on the field.

“It’s about having a short memory but it’s also about controlling our approach to our game and the attitude we carry with it,” he says.

“We have to play with the ‘next pitch’ mentality because the next pitch is what we can control.”

The first loss is always hard to take in, especially losing to a bitter rival in this fashion.

“We don’t have to change our game,” Schmidt explains,

“Tonight, we gave it back to them which is why we didn’t score runs. We had the opportunities but hit into double plays that would’ve changed the game if the ball stayed low.”

UBC Thunderbird product Jared Spearing was handed his first loss after starting in his second game of the season – also his second against Edmonton. He pitched five innings, surrendering six hits and four runs while striking out three.

His Prospects counter-part Hunter Boyd became the first pitcher to hand the Dawgs their first loss of the season.

Boyd pitched a complete-game, allowing only six Okotoks hits while striking out six en route to his first win of the season.

Game-eight for the Dawgs also marked the first time this season that Okotoks has failed to put a run on the board past the fifth inning.

Edmonton put two runs on the board in the bottom of the third inning on a base-hit from Tanner Roundy before a double-steal fooled the Dawgs on defence who didn’t catch Travis Hunt crossing home-plate.

The Prospects followed up with another two-spot on the board as in the bottom of the fourth, a two-run base-clearing RBI double from Pierce Blohowiak padded Edmonton’s lead to 4-0.

Six runs in the bottom of the eight including a solo home run from Javier Ramirez, two walks from a bases-loaded situation and a base-clearing three-run RBI triple from Hiroshima, Japan native Katsu Takahashi sealed the Prospects their first win against the Dawgs in their third try.

Okotoks pulled a run back on an RBI triple from Jacob Melton in the top of the ninth but that’s all the Dawgs could muster.

The Dawgs will stay the night in Edmonton and will focus their attention on the rubber match back inside RE/MAX Field Sunday, June 9, with the first pitch set for 2:05 p.m.