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The Saskatoon Berries hit a milestone Aug. 12, winning their way into the WCBL championship series for the first time.
This weekend, they head just west of Red Deer, Alta., to play the Sylvan Lake Gulls Saturday night for Game 1, before returning home to the patch Sunday for Game 2.
The Berries are coming out of two wins earlier this week when they beat the Moose Jaw Miller Express Tuesday and Wednesday, for a score of 7-4 both games.
They say those wins are giving them a bit of a boost as they head to Sylvan Lake.
“They were number one on the East Division and they’re a tough, competitive team. And beating them in two definitely gave us a lot more confidence getting ready for the championship,” said Brooks Jones, a relief pitcher for the Berries.
Sylvan Lake lost to Regina last year in the 2025 Championship Game where Regina took home the trophy, so Sylvan will be gunning for the championship title.
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“I think they’ve had that on their mind all season. They wanted to get back here and wanted to get back to the championship. So they’re going to play tough games, and we just got to match that,” said Adam Korte, a relief/starting pitcher for the Berries.
Head coach Joe Carnahan says the Gulls are a good club who may pose a bit of a challenge. “They can really pitch it, they got a potent lineup, run the bases well, play good defence. So they’re a good all-around team and that’s what you expect when you’re in the finals, to play a good team, and it should be a good series.”
But Carnahan says the team is ready, as he reminds them to keep the identity they’ve had all season.
“Just be the same guy every day, the same guy that you’ve been all year. And just come with a good attitude and play for each other and play for the city and play for the fans.
The Berries say winning Game 1 of the series would be huge for them, giving them the chance to take it all on home field Sunday.
“Winning a championship in front of these fans would be amazing, you know, being able to celebrate here in Saskatoon. So this first one on the road is super important. It’s going to kind of decide the direction of the series,” said Korte.
Watch the video above for more on the Berries as they head into the WCBL championship series.
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