By Medicine Hat News on August 16, 2019.
The Okotoks Dawgs will look to win their first summer league title in a decade after beating the Regina Red Sox 7-2 in Game 1 of the Western Canadian Baseball League’s best-of-three finals Thursday. At Regina, the Dawgs got a complete game from starting pitcher Nolan Ruff, a first-inning RBI from Gavin Logan and three more runs in the third off Heibert Romero, a reliever making his first start of the summer. Tristan Peters went 3-for-5 for the Western Division champions, who host Game 2 tonight at what should be a sold-out Seaman Stadium in Okotoks. Riki DeSa scored both of Regina’s runs, one in the third and the other in the eighth, both on the heels of three-run Okotoks outbursts. Three Red Sox errors contributed to both big innings. Okotoks didn’t technically win its last title, handed the Western Major Baseball League trophy in December 2009 after Melville was penalized for using an illegal player. The Dawgs and Millionaires never finished their finals series that August due to rainouts and players having to go back to college, initially named co-champions before the penalties eliminated Melville. Okotoks also won WMBL titles in 2004, 2007 and 2008. If necessary, Game 3 would be back in Regina on Saturday. 8