Weyburn Beavers throw first no-hitter in almost two decades

A total of 114 pitches, 29 batters, 14 strikeouts. They made for a phenomenal game from Weyburn Beavers pitcher Christian Vick, who went the distance throwing the first no-hitter since the team joined the WCBL Friday night.

“It felt great, I felt in the zone, and the game kinda showed I was in the zone,” Vick said after the game. “I was ahead a lot and it worked out.”

The 14 strikeouts for Vick was two shy of the team record for a single game, 16, which was set last season by Ryan Johnson and Reid Wall last season.

The no-hit was just two plays away from being a perfect game. An error in the first inning allowed a runner to get on base, and an error in the third inning did the same. Aside from that, the performance was perfect from Vick.

“I felt fantastic, the best my arm’s felt in a long time. I commanded the zone, and I had them off-guard. I was just beating them.”

Vick got plenty of offensive support for his performance on the mound. The bats came alive as the Beavers avenged their loss Thursday night with a 12-0 win over the Edmonton Prospects Friday night.

The Beavers had home runs from Jack Barrie, James McCallum and Cory Wills. McCallum’s home tun came first, a two-run shot in the second inning. It was followed up in the same inning with a three-run blast from Barrie, his league-leading ninth of the season.

Wills, who was making his debut with the Beavers, went 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and four RBI. His homer came in the sixth inning, driving in two runs.

“I was just looking for the fastball over the middle, something I could handle, and it was there so I put a good swing on it,” WIlls said, describing the pitch he put over the fence.

Barrie, who drove in five runs, said the win felt good after the loss the night before.

“We just had a bit of a chip on our shoulder after last night; we don’t like losing,” Barrie explained.

The other run from the Beavers came from the bat of Dominic Bravo, who started the scoring with a single in the first inning which brought in Garrett Perez.

The Beavers, with the win, extended their lead over the Regina Red Sox for first in the Eastern Division of the WCBL to a full game. The Beavers will look to extend the streak again Saturday night when they take the field once again against the Edmonton Prospects to close out the three-game set. The game, the final home game before the road trip to Alberta, starts at 7:05 p.m. at Tom Laing Park.

Steven Wilson, Discover Weyburn