Having your pal’s back when he is new in town is what being a friend is all about.
Okotoks Dawgs Black's Aidan Rose lashed a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to bring in Connor Crowson from third with the bases loaded giving the Dawgs a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Prospects July 24 at Seaman Stadium.
The winning RBI gave his roommate and fellow UBC Thunderbird, pitcher Vic Domingo, the W.
“I had an 0-2 pitch and I fouled it off and then he (Prospect pitcher Jesse Poniewozik) came back inside and it just happened to find my barrel,” Rose said, calling it the biggest hit of his Dawgs’ career, which was done in front of approximately 2,700 fans on A Tribute to Bill Robertson Night.
The Dawgs had dodged a Prospects’ bullet in the top of the 10th. The inning started with Prospects being placed on first and second to speed up the game in extra innings. The two runners than advanced to second and third on a double steal.
That’s as far as they got. Domingo sat the Prospects down by striking out the side.
“Obviously, it’s pretty scary,” Domingo said. “But I trusted myself and our defence and I knew that if I filled up the zone they weren't going to hit it and if they did hit it, it was going to be groundball and my defence was going to make plays for me.”
Dawgs Black coach Jeff Duda showed confidence in the right-hander by bringing the infield in with nobody out.
“Most people would just expect us to just give up the run, but I am really happy the coaches had enough trust in me to get the groundball or some strikeouts to get ourselves back (in the dugout),” Domingo said.
Duda could have had the infield and outfield taking in a movie at the nearby Okotoks Cinemas as a ball didn’t come into play.
The manager had history on his side. Domingo had struck out the side 1-2-3 in the ninth and the final two batters in the eighth – eight consecutive strikeouts.
He pitched three scoreless innings in picking up the win.
It was a night of outstanding pitching.
Prospects righty Scott Gillespie got the start and allowed two runs over eight innings, allowing four hits and struck out 12.
The Prospects jumped out to a 2-0 lead and the Dawgs were able to tie the game with a deuce in the bottom of the fourth.
The Dawgs’ Kaden Zarowny opened the back-half of the inning by being hit by a pitch. He advanced to third on a single by Alejandro Cazorla, who then went to second on an error.
Ty Doucette then brought Zarowny in with a single.
The Dawgs would tie the game when Cazorla scored from third on a double-play.
Meanwhile, Okotoks’ hard-throwing southpaw, starter Matt Wilkinson, was more than holding his own. “Tugboat” pitched five innings, giving up two runs and struck out 10.
Jack Seward came in relief in the top of the sixth for Wilkinson and pitched two innings of no-hit ball, sitting down three Prospects on Ks to set up Domingo’s heroics.
Domingo has appeared in five games with the Dawgs and has yet to give up a run in his 8 2/3 innings, all in relief. He has a 2-0 record.
“I wasn’t going to play summer ball, but before Aidan had left UBC he said: ‘If you ever want to play summer ball you got a place with me and the Dawgs,'” Domingo said. “I talked to my coach and he said ‘I think the best thing for you is just go play baseball and fall in love with the game again.'
“Which I did tonight, I loved being out here.”
He picked up his first win of the season the night before in Edmonton, when he pitched the eighth inning and struck out the side. The Dawgs scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth for the 8-4 win.
There’s nothing like winning to bring enjoyment back to baseball.
The Dawgs have catapulted into first place by winning four in a row and eight of their last 10. They had have a 15-9 record as of July 26, putting them three games ahead of the Lethbridge Bulls and Prospects at 12-12.
The Dawgs Black ended the weekend by downing the Bulls 9-4 on July 25. They were powered by Dryden Howse as the third baseman went 4 for 4 with 4 RBI. His day included a double and a two-run homer.
The Dawgs were in Sylvan Lake to take on the Gulls July 27, but results were too late for the Western Wheel’s deadline.
The Dawgs Black are back at Seaman on July 29 to take on their pals the Dawgs Red at 7 p.m. They have a 2 p.m. matinee against the Prospects on Aug. 1. They will also host the Bulls Aug. 4 at 7 p.m.
The Okotoks Dawg Reds were 2-3 last week and were in fifth place with a 10-15 record, 5 ½ games back of the first-place Dawgs Black.
The Reds host the Prospects at Seaman on July 31 at 7 p.m. They play the Dawgs Black twice on July 29 and Aug. 3. Both are at 7 p.m.
For more information go to dawgsbaseball.ca
