Photo courtesy of AB Dugout Stories / Twitter

By Scott Roblin

Dawgs' Day

Okotoks Dawgs capture first WCBL championship in a decade

Aug 17, 2019 | 12:11 PM

OKOTOKS, AB – It was a championship a decade in the making, as the Okotoks Dawgs were crowned kings of the Western Canadian Baseball League on Friday night.

The Dawgs erased years of playoff disappointment with an 8-6 victory at Seaman Stadium over the Regina Red Sox in Game 2 of their WCBL finals series, winning the fifth league title in franchise history.

Trailing 5-4 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Dawgs scored four runs in their final at-bats of the season against the Red Sox with outfielder Davis Todosichuk driving home the eventually championship-winning run.

Okotoks’ Liam Rihela gave the home fans something to cheer about in the bottom of the second with a solo home run to give the Dawgs an early 1-0 lead.

The Red Sox were unfazed however, driving in three runs in the third inning with a double by Adam De La Cruz and a sacrifice-fly from Ryan Eastburn to give Regina their first lead of the night.

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Todosichuk was able to cut the deficit to a single run two innings later with an RBI single to the gap, before Gavin Logan’s fielder’s choice a few minutes later tied up the game at 3-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, Todosichuk continued his torrid Game 2 with another single in his final WCBL game to bring home Ricardo Sanchez and put the Dawgs back on top.

Just as it seemed Regina’s season was slipping away, second baseman Ivan Nunez took the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning over the wall for a two-run homer to make it a 5-4 game.

Looking to avoid a do-or-die Game 3 in Regina, Sanchez stepped up for Okotoks in the eighth inning in an 0-2 count with an RBI single to tie the game once more.

Todosichuk picked up his third RBI of the night with a bunt single to give the Dawgs the lead, which was followed up by a two-run double from Logan with two outs.

Regina was able to score a run in the top of the ninth to close the gap to 8-6, but Robbie Wilkes was thrown out at first base on a dropped third strike to start the party for the Dawgs.

Along with Todosichuk’s championship calibre night at the plate, Tanner Simpson threw six innings for the Dawgs with three runs allowed on eight hits and a trio of strikeouts.

Friday’s championship marked Okotoks’ first WCBL title since 2009, while it’s back-to-back years of heartbreak for the Red Sox as they lost the 2018 league championship series as well against Medicine Hat.