Regina Red Sox third baseman Brady Bye’s three-run homer on Saturday kept alive his team’s chances of repeating as the Western Canadian Baseball League champions.
With one out and facing an 0-1 count in the bottom of the fifth inning, Bye homered over Currie Field’s right-field fence to provide the go-ahead runs in a 5-3 victory over the Saskatoon Berries.
“He threw me a slider and it leaked in the middle a little bit,” said Bye, whose blast drove in teammates Jalen Meyers and Ian Montz.
“I was gonna sit in it and I got lucky to cut it out front and made a nice swing.”
Saskatoon got a two-run homer from Ethan Murdoch and was leading 3-2 when Bye, before a hometown crowd of 975, homered off losing pitcher Merek Yeager.
The best-of-three East semifinal is tied 1-1. Saskatoon won the opener 7-3 on Friday.
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“You look around the room, see the faces, and you know the guys,” said Red Sox manager Braydon Cobb.
“You do it for them. You do it for the seniors who won’t be back next year. And you play the game you’ve been playing since you were four years old.
Game Three is slated for Sunday, 7 p.m., in Saskatoon.
“We’re still having fun and we’re just getting started,” said Cobb, who took over the on-field managing duties July 17 as a replacement for Rye Pothakos.
Pothakos was Regina’s director of baseball operations and field manager last season, when the Red Sox won their first league championship since 2012.
Left-hander Samuel Jackson was the winning pitcher for Regina after allowing eight hits and three runs while striking out five batters. Right-handed reliever Kris Hahn earned a save with 2 1/3 scoreless innnings.
Saskatoon placed second in the East with a 38-18 record. Regina was third at 26-30.
The winner of this series advances to the East final against the second-place Moose Jaw Miller Express. Moose Jaw swept the Medicine Hat Mavericks in their divisional semifinal.
The East and West champions meet in a best-of-three league final.