Berries “running back to Saskatoon” with first franchise victory

After an 0 and 5 start to the season, it’s fair to say the Saskatoon Berries have been picked on in their return to the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL)

On Friday night, however, it was the Weyburn Beavers who were ripe for the picking.

Berries starting pitcher Michael Singleton fanned eight batters over seven innings and Saskatoon defeated Weyburn 5-0 for the first franchise win for the WCBL’s newest team.

The 1-5 Berries will try to start their first win streak of the season when they host the 3-3 Lethbridge Bulls Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Cairns Field.

The WCBL is a league that invites players who are playing college baseball in the United States to play summer ball when school is no longer in session. It also allows local players to play ball at home.

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The inaugural edition of the Berries has eight players from Saskatchewan – six of which were born in Saskatoon.

Nolan Sparks is one of those players from Saskatoon who is getting the opportunity to play at home in front of family and friends. He plays in the outfield and said he’s excited for what will be a new experience for everyone.

“I’m just excited for everyone and all the people of Saskatoon,” Sparks said. “The field looks great and the uniforms and jerseys we got look awesome, so we’re just excited to get going.”

He feels people around the city are excited to have a baseball team back for the first time since the Yellow Jackets folded in 2014.

Saskatoon previously had a WCBL team from 2002 through 2014 — the Yellowjackets.