Friday Sports: Dawgs Take Game 1, RedBlacks Shock Stampeders

WCBL

It’s advantage Dawgs in the WCBL Final.

Led by a six-run second inning the Okotoks Dawgs fought off the resurgent Moose Jaw Miller Express to take a 7-4 result in Game 1 of the best-of-three Western Canadian Baseball League Final in front of over 5,000 fans Thursday night at Seaman Stadium.

Okotoks looked to be in control of the series opener with its six run second inning. Logan Grant kicked things off with an RBI double, Rose then drove in two with a towering double to left field. Brendan Luther and Ricardo Sanchez brought in two more Dawgs on a fielder’s choice and sacrifice fly with Tucker Zdunich then scoring on a wild pitch.

Moose Jaw rallied for four runs to trim the deficit back down to two in its next opportunity with a statement third inning on Nate Mensik’s two-run double followed by Ryan Gouldin’s RBI double, however that’s all the offence the visitors could muster.

Game 2 goes Friday night at Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw.

(WCBLBaseball.com)

CFL

Lewis Ward didn’t know how to feel when he saw his 51-yard field goal split the uprights with no time left on the clock.

Ward’s lengthy kick gave his Ottawa Redblacks a thrilling 31-29 win over the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Thursday.

“I had a split second there where I was completely emotionless,” said Ward, who finished the game with three field goals. “I saw it go through. I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t surprised. I just didn’t know how to feel.”

Calgary kicker Rene Paredes hit a field goal from 48 yards with 2:23 remaining on the clock to put the Stamps up 29-28 before Ward’s heroics.

Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 27-of-35 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown pass to Devonte Dedmon.

After dressing as the Redblacks’ third quarterback in Ottawa’s last two games, Masoli made his first start since suffering a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon in a 21-13 road loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 8, 2023.

Ryquell Armstead and Dustin Crum ran for touchdowns for Ottawa, while Richie Leone added a single.

Short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens ran for three touchdowns for the Stampeders (4-6), who lost for the first time at home this season in front of 17,692 fans at McMahon.

“It was a rough one and our locker room’s real quiet,” said Calgary coach Dave Dickeson after the disappointing setback. “A lot was put into it, just unfortunate to come out with the loss.

“I’m not saying we outplayed them, but it felt like a lot was put into finally getting that lead, but we just weren’t able to finish.”

• The Montreal Alouettes visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders Friday night in a Week 11 CFL matchup. Davis Alexander will start at quarterback for league-leading Montreal, while Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo returns from a three-game absence as Alexander’s backup. Meanwhile, Q-B Trevor Harris is back in action for the Riders. Harris hasn’t played since Week 3 because of a knee injury.

NFL

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Rookie Drake Maye ran for a touchdown and led the New England Patriots on two of the team’s three scoring drives Thursday night in a 14-13 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The No. 3 overall draft pick out of North Carolina appeared in just one series in the Patriots’ preseason opener, but played the second and third quarters of this one. He finished 6 of 11 for 47 yards.

“Had some good things and had some bad plays. Definitely a lot of things to learn from,” Maye said. “It was good to go out there and have some tape to learn from.”

Joey Slye, who’s competing with incumbent Chad Ryland for the starting job, kicked two field goals for New England. The Patriots (1-1) finished with 11 first downs, but just four came in the last two quarters.

MLB

The Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The 57-and-64 Blue Jays have won three in a row after sweeping the Los Angeles Angeles to kick off their road trip. Yariel Rodriguez is set to start for Toronto while Chicago counters with Kyle Hendricks on the mound.

PGA

Canada’s Stephen Ames takes the course at Calgary’s Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club today for the Rogers Charity Classic on the P-G-A Champions Tour. American Ken Duke won last year’s edition for his first Champions title in his 100th career start. Ames is second in the tour’s standings.

(Canadian Press)