Evans, Kauffman, Machej help Dawgs eliminate Cactus Rats

The Okotoks Dawgs advanced to the WCBL West Division final with a 16-6 win over the Energy City Cactus Rats at Seaman Stadium on Saturday. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs

August 8, 2026

By Rhett Vasseur

Okotoks Dawgs

The Okotoks Dawgs closed out their first round playoff series with a dominant 16-6 win over the Energy City Cactus Rats in front of 4,111 fans at Seaman Stadium on Saturday night.

With the win, the Dawgs swept the best-of-three series and advanced to the West Division final.

The Dawgs’ bats were led by Landon Kauffman (Vancouver, B.C.) who went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks.

Matt Evans (Tillsonburg, Ont.) also had a good night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.

Eric Machej (Edmonton, Alta.) pitched in with three hits and two runs.

On the mound, the Dawgs received a four-inning start from Evan Lehnert in his playoff debut.

Emmett Stacher then had a great relief outing, going two strong innings allowing one run while striking out six.

Reid Madriaga also continued his scoreless streak with another great appearance.

The next game for the Dawgs will be Game 1 of the WCBL West Division Final on Tuesday. The Dawgs will play the winner of the series between the Lethbridge Bulls and Sylvan Lake Gulls. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 7:05 p.m.