The Weyburn Beavers have now won three consecutive games at home after a thrilling 5-4 extra-innings win over the Saskatoon Berries last night.
“I think, you know, pitchers kept us in it,” said Beavers head coach Cam Williams after the game. “They did really well. Defense was really sharp too, and although the bats weren’t there to start, they really kind of figured it out and clicked at the end there. Overall, a really big team win.”
Back-and-forth would be the best way to describe the game, with Weyburn taking an early lead in the second inning, and then Saskatoon tying it in the third. Then, the Berries took the lead in the 8th inning, and Weyburn responded with three runs to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th. Saskatoon responded with two more runs in the 9th to force extra innings, and then Easton Mould would hit a screamer of a single right up the middle to bring in Ryan Webster for the win.
“We just came ready to play today, and I think, end of the day, the whole team played well, and I think that was the difference today,” said Mould after the game. The RBI was his 13th of the campaign.
At the plate, Halen Otte had a double for the Beavers, with Ryan Dauphinee and Ryan Muizelaar driving in runs as well. Mould would finish the game with two hits,, as did Dauphinee, Muizelaar, and Brayden Mayencourt.
On the mound, the Beavers had strong performances from all three pitchers.
Ian Heck had the start and would go for five innings, striking out eight, and only having one unearned run across the plate. Tanner Coddington pitched three innings in relief, striking out three with one earned run allowed. Devin Costa had come on in what was a save situation in the ninth but allowed two runs. He would recover in the 10th, shutting down the Berries while striking out two to earn the win.
“The pitching was really good by Ian Heck then Tanner got in there and shoved, and then we were able to get a walk-off win by Easton which was huge,” said Costa.
The night was also Billet Appreciation Night, with the team honouring the families that have brought in the players to their homes, helping make the season possible. In a tradition that goes back for nearly a decade, the billet families themselves chose the walk-up music for the players, something that everyone enjoyed.
“I love it, because the billets are such special people, opening up their homes and hearts to our guys and sometimes, they know them more than any of us, and I know they really appreciate the night, and love having our guys with them,” Williams noted about the night.
For Mould, his billet family of Niki and Cory Young selected the song Big Balls by AC/DC, which drew a laugh from the crowd during the game.
“They chose not to tell me the song at all until I showed up there, and I walked up to the plate the first time,” Mould chuckled after the game. “I had a nice laugh, and I knew it was going to be something with those guys, and they’re cool, so I knew it was going to be something good.”
Brittany Sparwood is the billet coordinator for the Beavers. In addition to being the person who is responsible for finding the spaces for the players when they come to town, this past season she has billeted six different players at various times.
“I have to say that this has been one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done,” Sparwood commented. “You have family members for life that are true family members.”
Sparwood encouraged anyone who wants to sign up to be a billet for the 2025 season can reach out to the team at any time.
The Beavers are now off to Regina where they will play the Red Sox Wednesday night. They then return to Weyburn Thursday for a game against the Swift Current 57s Thursday at Tom Laing Park.