It would take an extra inning, but the Weyburn Beavers would record their first win of the season Tuesday night. They got past the visiting Lethbridge Bulls 9-8 after a walk-off fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth inning.  

“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the guys battled,” said head coach Cam Williams after the victory. “They faced some adversity, and they say good teams find ways to win. I think that’s what they did tonight.” 

One of the highlights of the game for the Beavers came in the third inning when a home run to left field by Ryan Muizelaar pulled the Beavers from a 6-2 deficit to within a pair of runs.  

“It feels good,” said Muizelaar. “It’s a team effort, especially towards the end. I think we executed in situational hitting well, and that’s what allowed us to get that many runs.” 

The nine runs are the most in one game so far this season, with Sunday’s game not counting in the standings yet as they only played three innings in Swift Current before it was called due to weather.  

In the tenth inning, some patient batting helped the Beavers get into a bases-loaded situation. 

Lethbridge had scored in the top of the inning to go up 8-7. The Beavers would start the inning with Jacob Carlson on second base, and he would be brought home to make it 8-8. Then, the Bulls loaded the bases as pitcher Jack Kalisky walked three batters.  

With one away, center fielder Dallas Cummins would send the ball towards the gap between 1st and 2nd, where Lethbridge’s Kalem Haney grabbed the ball, and opted to throw to 1st base instead of home plate for the force out. This allowed the game-winning run to cross the plate.  

“Glad to get the first win under our belts, and hopefully we can roll it into tomorrow and the rest of the year,” Cummins commented after the game.  

On the mound, the Beavers had some solid performances. Starting pitcher Owen McConnell would go three innings, striking out one, and giving up six runs on seven hits. Tanner Coddington came in to pitch the 4th and 5th innings, striking out two and walking one.  

Mathieu Rocheleau made his debut for the Beavers in the 6th, and went for 1 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits. Then, Ethan Webster came in to shut down the Bulls for the remainder of the game, the only blemish being the run allowed in the 10th inning. In 3 2/3 innings, Webster struck out six, while allowing one run on three hits.  

At the plate, Muizelaar finished the night with three RBI. Ryan Dauphinee, Ian Heck, Carlson, Easton Mould and Cummins were also credited with RBI in the win. Dauphinee also broke an early season slump, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double.  

The two teams will be back at Tom Laing Park Wednesday night as Lethbridge continues their visit to the Opportunity City. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.