Record-setting Saskatoon Berries see historic season halted in Game 3 loss to Regina
The Berries walked off the diamond at Cairns Field with their season coming to a close, falling just shy of reaching the WCBL championship series for a second year in a row.
'It's just tough having a season like we did and coming up short,' said Berries first baseman Ethan Menard. 'It's never easy. A team like we had this year, you don't win that many games without being really close with guys and really close with coaches. So the goodbyes are definitely hard.'
After putting together the winningest regular season in WCBL history, the Berries won't get a chance to chase a title after falling 6-2 to the Regina Red Sox in Game 3 of East Division finals.
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As on their home diamond, Saskatoon watched the Red Sox celebrate a divisional title and the opportunity to face the Sylvan Lake Gulls for glory this week.
'It's just heartbreaking, you know,' said Menard. 'Having such a good season, having a bunch of good guys around you and losing the last one of the season.'
For Saskatoon's group of returning players, it's déjà vu from a year ago when the team lost Game 3 of WCBL East finals to the Moose Jaw Miller Express to see their inaugural season come to an end.
Berries star outfielder Carter Beck said Tuesday's loss at the hands of the Red Sox brought those memories rushing back with a sense of unfinished business in the team's locker room.
'It's terrible that I got flashbacks from last year,' said Beck. 'It kind of is what it is; it's over now. You can't change it now.'
Tied 1-1 in the top of the third inning, the Red Sox would cash in runs from Brady Bye and Jalen Meyers to take a 3-1 lead before Saskatoon answered back with an sacrifice-fly from Abiam Medina to score Beck from third.
The turning point of Game 3 came in the seventh inning for Regina, as Matthew Fox delivered a two-run RBI to stretch the Red Sox lead to 5-2.
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That was immediately followed up with a Bye deep shot to the wall in centre field, scoring Fox to deliver the final dagger on Saskatoon's season.
It was a stunning upset for Regina, defeating the Berries who entered playoffs as the top-ranked team in the WCBL following a record-setting 46-9 regular season.
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That regular season success didn't end up translating quite the same once the post-season hit however, with the Berries going 3-3 over their six playoff games.
'We had opportunities and that's what you want,' said Berries head coach Joe Carnahan. 'You want to have opportunities; sometimes you take care of them and sometimes you don't. This year we weren't able to cash in on some of the opportunities we had.'
Despite their championship hopes evaporating on Tuesday night, the Berries will still enter the league's record books with the most regular season wins in a season in WCBL history beating last year's Sylvan Lake Gulls.
1:54
Red Sox on doorstep of WCBL championship series, Berries playing for season in pivotal Game 2
Though it doesn't provide any comfort in their disappointment, Beck said that record will help set the table for an even deeper run next summer.
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'We took another step with this program and this whole organization,' said Beck. 'We took another step and had a really good season, just keep building off that and trying to get better every year. It's going to be tough to beat that regular season record, but hopefully we can keep those kind of wins up and then win more in the playoffs.'
With 10 seniors dotting the Berries roster, the team will be losing a good chunk of their team including the Louisiana-born duo of Menard and catcher Bailyn Sorensen who have been with the team since its inception in 2024.
The two now depart a city they'd only heard about in movies.
'I only knew it through the movie Grown Ups and the guy saying Saskatchewan,' said Sorensen. 'I looked it up and I was like, 'That's in Canada.' That's how I kind of figured out that's where Saskatchewan was.'
Sorensen quickly became a key piece of the Berries' offence at the dish and a reliable play caller behind home plate and added it was an easy decision to potentially close out his baseball career in Saskatoon.
'I wouldn't trade coming up here for the world,' said Sorensen. 'These people here, they welcome you with open arms. This is a great organization fuelled by great fans, we have great owners. It was a big thing coming to Saskatoon.'
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Dubbed the 'Mayor of Saskatoon' during his time in the city with his big swings and gregarious personality, Menard said it will be a hard goodbye, departing the organization.
It will be hard saying goodbye both to his teammates he's spent the last two summers battling with and a city which will continue to have a hold on his heart.
'I don't think I'll ever be able to appreciate a place as much as I appreciate Saskatoon,' said Menard. 'The care and the love that you feel from everybody, the ups and downs, just unwavering love and affection for the guys that are on that field working their tail off every day.'
Red Sox reach WCBL championship
As for the Red Sox, it was jubilation following Tuesday night's Game 3 win to see the franchise reach their first WCBL championship series since 2019.
It was a moment that Red Sox catcher Brady Bye has been waiting for since he was young, following the team and going to games growing up in Regina.
'It means the world to me, man,' said Bye. 'I came up watching these games as a little kid, coming to the kid camps. Now being a part of it and going to a final, it really means the world to me.'
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The Red Sox finished as the third seed in the East Division with a 29-27 record and lost several players off their roster early due to heading back to their collegiate programs.
Despite this, head coach Rye Pothakos said it's a credit to the organization for rising above those challenges to now get the chance to play for a championship.
'It's great for our organization,' said Pothakos. 'We got a great organization, we got players that never quit, we got a great group of people at the front at the top office. This is unbelievable for us and what a great year.'
Regina has not won the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy since 2012, when the Red Sox beat the Medicine Hat Mavericks to repeat as league champions.
Set to face-off against the Sylvan Lake Gulls who are preparing for their first WCBL finals appearance after sweeping the three-time defending champion Okotoks Dawgs in the West Division final, it's a moment the Red Sox say they're more than ready for.
'We know they have the heart,' said Pothakos. 'There's no quit in these guys. They have a mission, they're on a mission and we're going to chase it again here in the next week.'
Game 1 of the WCBL championship series will be held at Currie Field in Regina at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, with Game 2 and, if needed, Game 3 being hosted by Sylvan Lake on Friday and Saturday.
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