Trick or treat? On Halloween 2019, the Western Canadian Baseball League formally approved a Sylvan Lake franchise. On March 15th, 2020 the franchise officially became known as the Sylvan Lake Gulls. A world wide pandemic then would take away everyone’s treats for 15 months.
Gulls Stadium in Pogadl Park is still under construction but what has been built is top notch. The site has no gas yet meaning Opening Night featured food trucks and porta potties instead of permanent concession stands and bathrooms.
It made no difference, the field turf was pristine. The seating area, no bleachers yet, is the definition of “no bad seat” as no matter where you are in the Stadium you are on top of the action. What a treat!
The Club’s scoreboard still has not arrived and as of this posting the WCBL’s “Gamelive” stats haven’t been updated so I apologize but the game recap will be based on tweets.
The road team, as the Edmonton Prospects will be all of 2021 as their new Spruce Grove Metro Ball Park is being built, collected the first hit ever at Gulls Stadium in the top of the first inning. The Gulls would open the scoring in the bottom of the first when the throw down to second base to try catch the stealing baserunner ended up in center field allowing the Gulls runner at 3rd to cross the plate.
Edmonton Prospects starting picher Julian Tymochko was in a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the bottom of the second when he found his game. Tymochko would retire the side to escape any damage in the inning. He would go on to retire nine consecutive batters.
The top of the 5th inning blew the game open for the Edmonton Prospects. Devin Heck, Dion Wintjes (his second time knocking in a run) and Conor Bronson began the 9-run barrage putting the Prospects up 12-1.
This Baseball fans is when my wife and I took leave of the game. The win in hand for Edmonton the bigger winner truly is the town of Sylvan Lake. As a Prospects fan I loved the result of the game. As a Gulls fan, I loved the beginnings of a magnificent stadium and the return to live sports.
It’s somewhat appropriate to not be able to write a “proper game recap” because the most important part about Friday June 18th is that live baseball is back!!
Edmonton Sports Fan 