Sylvan Lake Gulls reach West Division finals

The Sylvan Lake Gulls have advanced to the West Division finals for the third year in a row.

On Thursday night they defeated the Brooks Bombers 4-1 in a come-from-behind victory on foreign soil to win the best of three semi-finals in the West.

Against the Bombers, they trailed 1-0 late in the game at Elks Stadium, but the Gulls scored four runs in the eighth inning to take the lead. The Gulls’ first run came on a pitcher’s baulk that sent home Matty Fung, followed by back-to-back unearned runs by Elijah Tanner, Cooper Ciesielski and Elijha Hammill on multiple catcher’s errors.

On the mound, Hunter Jones had a strong outing, allowing one run on three hits. He also struck out five batters in five and a third innings of work.

Oregon’s Finbar O’Brien relieved Jones in the sixth inning and pitched two and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball, striking out four batters. Veteran pitcher Tyler Boudreau closed the game in the ninth inning, striking out one batter.

The Gulls will now face the winner of the other semifinal series in the West, between the Lethbridge Bulls and the Okotoks Dawgs. The series is currently tied at 1-1, with the deciding Game 3 scheduled for Friday night in Okotoks.

Game 1 of the West Division Final is on Sunday in Sylvan Lake, with Game 2 away. If necessary, Game 3 returns to Sylvan Lake on Monday, with the winner advancing to the Western Canadian Baseball League Finals.

The Gulls have had some success against both teams in the regular season, beating Lethbridge seven out of eight times and the Dawgs three out of eight times.

If the Gulls advance to the league finals, it will be the first time in franchise history since their inaugural season in 2021.