The Weyburn Beavers brought the bats and then some Wednesday night at Tom Laing Park, snapping a four-game losing skid in emphatic fashion with an 18-7 win over the visiting Energy City Cactus Rats.
Weyburn’s offence exploded for 12 hits and drew 11 walks in a game that saw left fielder Noah Brooks have a career night, launching two home runs, including a leadoff solo shot in the first, and finishing with five RBIs.
“I think we definitely put it all together tonight,” said Brooks after the game. “The sticks were working, and that’s kind of what we’ve been looking for. Owen gave us a good chance to win on the mound, and the bullpen came in and shut it down.”
Brooks admitted it was a milestone night for him personally.
“First time in my life,” he said when asked the last time he went yard twice in a game. “So, it was fun. It was good.”
The Beavers led 9–6 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but that’s when the floodgates opened. Weyburn sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, drawing six walks, including four in a row, and scoring nine runs to blow the game wide open. Patience was key at the plate.
“You’ve got to be patient, especially when the guy’s up there not throwing many strikes,” Brooks explained. “You’ve got to narrow your zone and hunt for a pitch in a certain area.”
Weyburn head coach Cam Williams praised his team’s response after recent struggles.
“I thought we responded really well after a tough night last night and a tough couple games, honestly,” said Williams. “Obviously, offence kind of took off there in the bottom of the eighth, but even before that, we had a lot of really good at-bats.”
Williams credited starter Owen McConnell for grinding through five innings. McConnell struck out nine and picked up his first win of the season, allowing five earned runs over five innings. The bullpen combined for four strong innings, allowing just one run while striking out eight more.
“Noah’s been great for us all year,” added Williams. “That leadoff home run really gets everyone fired up. That’s kind of why we put him in that spot, and against his former team too, so it was a really big night for him.”
The win improves Weyburn’s record to 5-11 on the season. They’ll look to build on the offensive momentum as they welcome the West Division-leading Sylvan Lake Gulls to Tom Laing Park for games Thursday and Friday night.
“Tomorrow’s a new day,” said Williams. “Sylvan’s a tough team, but if we play like we did tonight, I think we can beat anybody. We’ve got a really good, experienced squad and a bullpen that’s been sharp lately.”
Joe Hart will get the start on Thursday, followed by Dylan Parton on Friday. Both games at Tom Laing Park start at 7 p.m.