Jay Kirkham’s bases loaded walk with one out in the bottom of the seventh was the difference Friday as the Indians rallied for a 3-2 win over the Beiseker Canadians.
On a night where the Indians honoured team founder and former third baseman Ray Bergeron by retiring his number, the Tribe played one of their most complete games of the season. Many Indians alumni were in attendance for the game, which featured a moving tribute to Bergeron prior to the first pitch.
The Indians tagged Canadians pitcher Jesse Visser for eight hits and three runs over seven innings, while Kirkham kept the Canadians off the scoresheet until the top of the sixth. Kirkham allowed five hits and two runs for the complete game win, while fanning four and walking four.
After Kirkham shut down the Canadians, facing just four batters in the top of the first, the Indians’ Riley Wik drilled the fourth pitch he saw from Visser to the wall in right-centre field for a leadoff triple. The next batter, Kyle Burkitt, lined the first pitch he saw into the gap between third and short to drive in Wik with the game’s first run.
In the bottom of the fourth, Brenden Nicolay’s two-out, ground-rule double to centre field drove in Desmond Bouteiller with the game’s second run. Bouteiller had reached base with a bloop single to right.
The Indians threatened again in the bottom of the fifth after Kirkham had set down the Canadians in order in the top of the frame. Despite loading the bases with one out, the Indians failed to increase their lead, with Visser striking out Steve Reaman and Desmond Bouteiller to keep the deficit at two.
Visser helped his own cause in the top of the sixth, leading off with a bloop double down the right field line. Kirkham then struck out Jeremy Guynn and Eric Hempel, and then fanned Allen Metzger with what should have been the final out of the inning. Instead, the pitch in the dirt got past catcher Coulter Haugen, allowing Metzger to reach first and advancing Visser to third. Ian Jalbert brought in Visser with a single past a diving Nicolay, while Metzger moved to third. A passed ball to Wade Olsen allowed Metzger to score the game’s tying run.
In the top of the seventh Kirkham surrendered a leadoff single to Dave Sherman before settling down, retiring Cam Culp on a sacrifice bunt that moved Sherman to second. After intentionally walking Visser, Kirkham retired Guynn and Hempel to get out of the inning.
Prior to the bottom of the seventh, Bergeron stepped into the dugout to offer some encouragement to the team and the encouragement seemed to pay off. Wik drew a walk to start things off for the Indians and moved to second on bloop single to left by Burkitt. Blaine Hoppins advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and Visser then intentionally walked Damon Dreeshen to load the bases. Kirkham walked on five pitches to drive in the winning run.
The win came two nights after the Indians lost 2-1 to the Carstairs Cubs in a pitcher’s duel.
With two games left in the regular season – a matchup with the league-leading Rocky Red Dogs last night and a game against the Eckville Angels on Wednesday – the Indians are running out of time to catch Beiseker and Carstairs for the division lead. Indians manager Steven Bouteiller said both games were must-wins.
