McFarland: Dyck tosses shutout to lead Team Saskatchewan to first win at Road to Okotoks
*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on July 17. You can read it here.
July 17, 2026
By Joe McFarland
Saskatchewan Dugout Stories
It’s not the way he drew it up, but Pryor Dyck will take the first win for Team Saskatchewan at the Morneau Cup.
The Watrous native admits the nerves were prevalent heading into the bottom of the seventh and were amped up even more when his old friend, Cade Britz, came up with bases loaded and none out.
The leftfielder battled and earned a walk, driving in Casey Rauckman for the walk-off 1-0 victory over the UBC Thunder.
You could almost sense the sigh of relief from the dugout after two very close losses, including a similar 1-0 setback just a day earlier against the Abbotsford Cardinals.
“Definitely picks up the confidence,” Dyck told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “It was tough to begin the tournament with two losses, but I think the boys are back up and ready to go at it again tomorrow.”
The Going Yard Academy hurler certainly did his part to make sure his team could pick up the victory, twirling a complete-game three-hitter, allowing just one walk while striking out seven on 85 pitches.
“The curveball was definitely working – I could flip it in any count and that helps a lot,” said the 18-year-old righthander. “My fastball had some ride on it, and I was able to hit my spots.”
The Road to Okotoks has been a special one for the Team Sask group with many having been together at several events, including the 2025 Canada Summer Games.
To go out on top would mean the world to the group as many are heading off to college in the fall.
“It would mean more than anything to me right now,” Dyck said. “Winning bronze at the Summer Games was huge and felt amazing, but winning the first Road to Okotoks would be a surreal feeling.”
Team Sask rounds out the round-robin on Friday against the Ontario Terriers.
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Listen to Alberta Dugout Stories podcast about Day 4 of the Road to Okotoks here.
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THE DAILY RUNDOWN
In other action around the Morneau Cup on Day 3 of the round-robin:
Jake Carriere’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh provided the breathing room needed for the Abbotsford Cardinals, as they won a fantastic 7-3 game against the Mississauga Tigers.
Bo Anderson hit a two-run round-tripper and drove in another run as Gulls Prep mercied Atlantic Frontier 12-1.
Luke Laird got into the home run party with a two-run shot in the seventh inning to provide some breathing room as the Langley Blaze edged the Ontario Kobras 5-2.
Will Zielinski continues his unreal Morneau Cup tournament, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead Vauxhall past the Ontario Blue Jays 9-6.
The AHP Renegades and Etobicoke Rangers were involved in a wild matchup where the Rangers struck for five runs in the first inning. The Renegades drew even with a five-spot of their own in the bottom half of the inning, then they scored six runs in the third, three in the fourth and another in the fifth to walk-off mercy the Rangers 15-5. All but one AHP hitter had a run batted in, while Sam Davis went the distance on the mound, striking out eight.
Spencer Gordon’s sixth inning grand slam put it out of reach for the Victoria Eagles as they downed the DT Selects 16-6. He drove in two other runs in the contest.
And a shocker to end the day as Dawgs Black fell 6-5 to the Ontario Terriers. Noah Currah’s RBI double in the sixth stood up as the winning run in that one.
STANDINGS AFTER DAY THREE
Pool A
Dawgs Black – 2-1
Gulls Prep – 2-1
Terriers Baseball – 2-1
Atlantic Frontier – 0-3
Pool B
UBC Thunder – 2-1
Abbotsford Cardinals – 2-1
Team Saskatchewan – 1-2
Mississauga Tigers – 1-2
Pool C
Vauxhall Academy – 3-0
Victoria Eagles – 2-1
Ontario Blue Jays – 1-2
DT Select – 0-3
Pool D
AHP Renegades – 2-1
Langley Blaze – 2-1
Etobicoke Rangers – 2-1
Ontario Kobras – 0-3