The Prospects came into Thursday nights game on the brink of elimination in the Western Division Finals of the Western Major Baseball League after a tough 14-3 loss against Medicine Hat on Wednesday. With their backs against the wall, Edmonton would play one of the most exciting games of the year.
Josh Sieglitz would tend to the mound in Game 4 for the Prospects and be tasked with stopping a very potent Medicine Hat offense.
The Prospects would get on the board first after Tony Olson would get on base with a leadoff walk. Anthony Cusati would drive Olson in with a two-out double to right field and the Prospects would go up quickly 1-0 in Game 4.
Sieglitz would pitch two scoreless innings before Reed Odland of the Mavericks would put one over the fence tying the game 1-1 in the top of the third. The Mavericks would score the very next inning as well of a Sal Rodriguez double to center field scoring Carson Johnson. That would end Sieglitz night as Braedan Alleman would come into the game.
The two teams would go back and forth for five innings going scoreless before finally, the Prospects would get a break. Eric Crain with a two-out double to left field would keep the inning alive before AJ Nitzschke would tie the game and bring Crain in off a single to center field.
We’d go through the ninth without any scoring and for the first time this series we’d go to extra innings. That’s where things got interesting. Anthony Cusati would lead off the bottom of the 10th for the Prospects with a walk. After Daylen Calicdan would hit it to the pitcher moving Cusati to second base, Cusati would once again advance to third on a fielder’s choice. With two outs in the bottom of the 10th and a man on third base, Zane Takhar would come up to bat and on a 1-2 count Barry Caine would throw a wild pitch and Cusati would score walking off the Mavericks in Game 4.
The Prospects exciting 3-2 win Thursday night means we’ll be playing a series-deciding Game 5 Friday night in Medicine Hat with a chance to go the WMBL Championship on the line.
Braedan Alleman is our player of the game in this one as he’d come in to pitch in the top of the fourth inning and pitch 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing only 5 hits and 7 runs as he’d get the win for the Prospects in Game 4.
Friday, August 10 – Game 5, Away Game