Masterful moundsmen and gobsmacked Gulls opened the Western Canadian Baseball League Championship Series.

The first game of the WCBL final at Gulls Field - a 4-1 win for the Saskatoon Berries over the Sylvan Lake Gulls - featured phenomenal performances on the bump from starting pitcher Zachary Landerville, as well as relievers Brooks Jones and Wesley Shackleford of the Berries. 

Landerville - a 6-foot-3 righthander from Saint-Jerome, Quebec - was unhittable in the first third of the game and his final line showed 5.2 innings of five strikeouts and just one earned run. Sixty of his 86 pitches went for strikes and he allowed only three hits and one walk during the outing. 

Things didn't get any easier for Sylvan Lake sluggers after Landerville's night came to an end.

Brooks Jones, a lefty from Lawrence, Kansas, took over and recorded three strikeouts in 1.1 innings. The 6-foot-3 southpaw registered 19 strikes in his 25 pitches and helped quiet the crowd of 1,967 fans. 

From there, Wesley Shackelford cruised through the final two innings, allowing no hits, no walks and no runs to close out the victory. The Odessa College righthander from Belleville, Texas has put together an outstanding postseason for Saskatoon. In his nine innings, Shackelford has one win, three saves, 14 strikeouts and zero runs against in four appearances this August. 

Offensively, the Berries made the most of their five hits. Outfielder Ethan Murdoch had two of those knocks, including a home run and two runs scored, while catcher Aiden Kilshaw had two runs batted in (RBI). 

For the Gulls, the nerves were on full display. Starting pitcher Reece Hemmerling allowed three earned runs over 4.1 innings and hit five Saskatoon batters. 

The defence behind Hemmerling also struggled, committing three errors during the game. 

Sylvan Lake was unable to muster much at the plate. Third baseman Johnboy Rittenhouse managed two hits and outfielder Dominic Giusti had one hit and one run.

The second game of the best-of-three series is set for 7 p.m. at NexGen Patch at Cairns Field in Saskatoon on Sunday, Aug. 16th.

If the Berries win, they will claim their first Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy victory in franchise history. Should the Gulls prevail, a third and deciding game will happen at Sylvan Lake at 7:05 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17th.