It was a sweet victory for the Okotoks Dawgs as they open up this 2026 WCBL season with a 8–4 road win over the Sylvan Lake Gulls. The name of the game tonight for the Dawgs was playing clean and taking care of the baseball. Okotoks got out to an early lead, scoring a pair in the top of the first as Ricky Sanchez (Gonzaga University) and Cal Gates (Indiana University) came around to score on a pair of throwing errors by the Gulls. They never relinquished their lead after that, leading almost wire-to-wire in a dominant season debut.
Fan favorite Sanchez, in his final season with the Dawgs, was part of the trio of veterans that led the offensive charge tonight along with Nash Crowell (Tennessee Tech University) and Leo Cote (University of Portland). All three had drove in runs on the night as they avenge the heartbreaking playoff defeat at the hands of the Gulls last season. Landon Kauffman (University of Portland) also added a pair of hits on the evening.
As mentioned, the defensive effort of the Dawgs stole the show tonight, with Sanchez, Cote, and Connor Crowson (Tennessee Tech University) all making stellar plays in the infield to help out their pitching staff. With baseball being the ultimate team sport, it’s only fitting that tonight’s win was a total team effort from the Dawgs.
Pitcher Joe McBride got the starting nod tonight, and went for three and two thirds innings of two-hit ball, allowing just two runs and turning things over to the bullpen with a 7–2 lead. The pen was able to lock the win down, getting out of a couple tough jams. A base-running error by the Gulls in the bottom of the sixth helped keep things in check for Okotoks. Dalton Hoffart (Hill College) and Grady Keljo (University of Portland) had standout performances from the back end of the pen, inducing 1-2-3 eighth and ninth innings in the victory.
The Okotoks Dawgs are set to welcome Sylvan Lake for their Home Opener tomorrow, May 29, at 7:05 p.m. For any future games at Seaman Stadium make sure to grab your tickets now and check out all the team info at www.dawgsbaseball.ca/tickets or call 403-262-3294.
