Millers Top Mavs in Extra Innings

(Story courtesy Marc Smith, DiscoverMooseJaw.com) The Moose Jaw Miller Express scored a big win on Thursday night in Medicine Hat.

Chris Suarez smacked a run scoring double in the top of the tenth inning that gave Moose Jaw a 5-4 win over the Mavericks in Western Major Baseball League action.

Moose Jaw entered the game on a two-game losing skid, while Medicine Hat had won five straight. The win puts the Millers at 4-10 on the year and drops the Mavericks to 11-3.

It took a while for both offences to get going with the game scoreless into the fifth inning.

Medicine Hat struck first when Ryan Helgren drove in two with a single in the bottom of the fifth, but Moose Jaw answered right back in the sixth, scoring two runs on two hits, including an RBI-single by Suarez and a sac-fly from Jackson Schnurbusch.

In the seventh, the Millers took the lead on a two-run single by Brooks Benson, cashing in Shoma Sasaki and Lance VanNoy.

The lead was short lived for Moose Jaw however with Medicine Hat scoring a pair of unearned runs off Millers reliever Mark Baughman in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.

Both teams had a chance to take the lead over the final two innings, including Moose Jaw putting runners on first and second with no outs in the ninth, but they came away empty handed.

Cole Distler led off the tenth with a single and two batters later, Suarez stroked a double to score Distler from second.

Medicine Hat left one runner stranded in the bottom of the tenth.

Kyle Sonntag got the start for Moose Jaw, giving up two runs on five hits over six innings. Relief pitcher Travis Kuhn picked up the win, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout and one walk.

Medicine Hat’s Talon Kunkel was tagged with the loss, giving up the winning run in the tenth inning. He pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits.

Starter Troy Schreivogel went 5 1/3 innings with Moose Jaw scoring one run off him on five hits.

The Millers struck out 11 times in the loss.

Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat will meet again on Friday night at Athletic Park in Medicine Hat. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

The Millers return home this weekend to host the Edmonton Prospects for a two-game series. They square off on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. and on Father’s Day Sunday at 2:05 p.m.