The Cinderella season continues for the expansion Calgary Rockies, as they upset the Red Deer Riggers by a score of 6-3 on Wednesday night to clinch the South Division title and advance to the Provincial Championship Series in their inaugural season!
The offense remained locked in from last night’s 12-1 drubbing of the Riggers in Calgary, as the team launched two more home runs off the bats of Mike Goldade and Ken Falconer in the twelve hit victory, but the story of the night was Series MVP Andrew Grieder’s gutsy performance on the mound as he turned around to start tonight’s Game 3 after a stellar four inning start in Game 2.
Grieder’s performance in Game 3 was arguably better than his season saving start a night ago, as he covered five innings while throwing only 66 pitches and striking out 6. He allowed only 1 run over those 5 IP and came out of the game with the Rockies only needing 6 outs to wrap up the 5-1 lead he had provided.
The Riggers and Rockies battled back and forth in a series that saw some excellent baseball played by both clubs all summer long, but the Rockies now turn their attention to the best-of-five Provincial Finals against the North Champion Sherwood Park A’s set to begin next Tuesday, August 8th. The Rockies now sit only three wins away from clinching a berth at the 2024 Baseball Canada Men’s National Championship Tournament in Tecumseh, ON in their first year of existence.
