Talk about starting a tournament off with a bang.
Dayne Liske made sure everyone could hear it when he clobbered a two-run shot to right field to extend the Gulls Prep lead to 5-0, which is how their matchup with Terriers Baseball would end in the opener of the Morneau Cup.
While the Gulls fell 8-2 to their rival, Dawgs Black, in their next game, they came right back on Thursday with a convincing 12-1 triumph over Atlantic Frontier.
It’s a similar story to how the Gulls did during the Prairie Qualifiers in May, winning two before losing one and winning another two to get themselves into the semi-finals. That game, along with the final, was rained out.
“We were probably playing our best baseball at the qualifiers and we’ve kind of continued it since,” Liske told Alberta Dugout Stories. “We know we’re good enough and we’ve proven it, so we just have to trust our game and worry about ourselves.”
The Southwest Tennessee Community College commit has been a force for the Gulls to start the tournament, going 4-for-8 with three runs batted in and four runs scored.
Ultimately, he doesn’t care about the numbers as long as the wins keep stacking up.
“I just want to be the best teammate that I can be,” Liske said. “Help the boys in any way I can and to get us a win.”
Before he heads off to college, the infielder would like to pick up at least three more of those victories before The Road to Okotoks comes to an end.
That would mean he and his teammates would get to walk away as the inaugural Morneau Cup champions.
“It would mean everything,” Liske said. “It’s what we’re here for and what we dream of.”
The Gulls wrap up their round-robin schedule against the Abbotsford Cardinals on Friday.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Pryor Dyck was outstanding with a complete-game three-hitter for Team Saskatchewan, striking out seven in a 1-0 thriller over the UBC Thunder. Cade Britz was the hero with a walk-off walk in the bottom of the seventh. We’ll hear from both in just a few minutes.
Jake Carriere’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh provided the breathing room needed for the Abbotsford Cardinals, as they won a fantastic 7-3 game against Mississauga.
Bo Anderson hit a two-run roundtripper and drove in another run as Gulls Prep mercied Atlantic Frontier 12-1.
Luke Laird got into the home run party with a two-run shot in the seventh inning to provide some breathing room as the Langley Blaze edged the Ontario Kobras 5-2.
Will Zielinski continues his unreal Morneau Cup tournament, going 3-for-3 with four RBI to lead Vauxhall past the Ontario Blue Jays 9-6.
The AHP Renegades and Etobicoke Rangers were involved in a wild matchup where the Rangers struck for five runs in the first inning. The Renegades drew even with a five-spot of their own in the bottom half of the inning, then they scored six runs in the third, three in the fourth and another in the fifth to walk-off mercy the Rangers 15-5. All but one AHP hitter had a run batted in, while Sam Davis went the distance on the mound, striking out eight.
Spencer Gordon’s sixth inning grand slam put it out of reach for the Victoria Eagles as they downed the DT Selects 16-6. He drove in two other runs in the contest.
And a shocker to end the day as Dawgs Black fell 6-5 to the Ontario Terriers. Noah Currah’s RBI double in the sixth stood up as the winning run in that one.
STANDINGS AFTER DAY THREE
Pool A
Dawgs Black – 2-1
Gulls Prep – 2-1
Terriers Baseball – 2-1
Atlantic Frontier – 0-3
Pool B
UBC Thunder – 2-1
Abbotsford Cardinals – 2-1
Team Saskatchewan – 1-2
Mississauga Tigers – 1-2
Pool C
Vauxhall Academy – 3-0
Victoria Eagles – 2-1
Ontario Blue Jays – 1-2
DT Select – 0-3
Pool D
AHP Renegades – 2-1
Langley Blaze – 2-1
Etobicoke Rangers – 2-1
Ontario Kobras – 0-3
Main image provided by Scott Savard Photography.
You can get your tickets to The Road to Okotoks here or watch all games online here.
