The Weyburn Beavers came up short Tuesday night at Tom Laing Park, dropping a 7–2 decision to the Energy City Cactus Rats in the first of back-to-back matchups between the two clubs.
Coming off a tough weekend series in Saskatoon, the Beavers struggled to find their rhythm early and were never quite able to recover, committing five errors in the field and leaving seven runners on base.
“Yeah, tough one,” said Beavers' head coach Cam Williams post-game. “Obviously, tough weekend in Saskatoon. I thought we could recoup on the off day. And I think we just weren't ready to go. I think we just took them a little too lightly tonight. And you can't do that in this league. You can't do that in this game.”
Energy City opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first and added insurance with a run in the third, followed by a three-run fifth inning that effectively put the game out of reach. Zach Pyles delivered the big blow with a two-run double and finished the night with three RBIs.
Weyburn’s offence was held to six hits, with the only runs coming in the sixth inning after a rain delay paused the top half of the inning for around 15 minutes. Noah Brooks and Trevor Dale both scored, while Brayden Mayencourt and Ian Heck drove in the runs. Heck also doubled in the inning, one of two extra-base hits for the Beavers on the night.
On the mound, Heck started and took the loss, going five innings and allowing five runs, only two earned, on six hits. He struck out three and walked one. The bullpen gave up two more runs over the final four innings.
Despite the result, Williams pointed to tomorrow’s rematch as a chance to bounce back, particularly with standout starter Owen McConnell set to take the hill.
“They're pretty free swinging,” he said of the Cactus Rats. “And I think if we make our quality pitches early in the count, we can get them out. That being said, if we fall behind, we'll be in trouble because they are free swinging.”
McConnell, currently ranked second in the WCBL in ERA among starters, has been dominant since returning to the club for the 2025 campaign.
“He had a sneaky, really good year last year. He was an all-star for us,” Williams noted. “He gives us the confidence we need when he goes on the mound every five or six days. And that's what we need right now.”
The Beavers, 4-11 on the season, will look to break out of their four-game slump on Wednesday night at Tom Laing Park. The first pitch is at 7 p.m.