By Steven Okonek | Sports OnFocus | June 22, 2026
ABBOTSFORD — The Abbotsford Merchants dropped the opener but came back swinging. The Merchants dropped a tough 4–3 decision to the Rangers on Friday before turning it around Sunday afternoon, winning the rematch 5–3 to split the two-game series.
Game 1: Rangers 4, Merchants 3 — June 19-21
Abbotsford held a 3–0 lead through six innings and looked like the better team most of the night. Then the Rangers pushed four runs across in the seventh, and that was enough. Tanner Hraby pitched all seven innings for the Merchants, striking out seven and allowing only three earned runs, but the late-inning collapse cost him the decision.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| Abbotsford | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
Caleb Guden put the Merchants on the board early with a home run, and the offense put up nine hits on the night. Dakota Ellenbecker went 3-for-4 with a double, and Tanner Hraby added a double of his own. Blake Jakobi drove in a run with a hit in the second. The Merchants’ biggest problem wasn’t hitting — it was the inability to add on late and protect the lead when it mattered.
For the Rangers, Cam Wallin closed the game with two perfect innings to earn the win, and Landon Parlier went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Merchants Key Stats — Game 1
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Ellenbecker | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tanner Hraby | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Caleb Guden (HR) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Blake Jakobi | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Charlie Gierl | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blake Bargender | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner Hraby (L) | 7.0 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
Game 2: Merchants 5, Rangers 3 — June 21
Two days later the Merchants had an answer. Abbotsford scored two in the first, added two more in the third and one in the fourth, and held on for a 5–3 win. Blake Jakobi flipped from second base to the mound and threw five innings to earn the win, and Caleb Guden closed it out with two clean frames.
Tanner Hraby did a little bit of everything in Game 2. Batting leadoff at shortstop, he went 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and three stolen bases. Charlie Gierl was the run-producer, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Dakota Ellenbecker added a hit and drove in a run as well.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotsford | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Rangers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Jakobi’s pitching line shows 92 pitches over five innings with six walks, but he kept the Rangers to two hits and three earned runs while the Merchants built their lead. Guden was sharp in relief, retiring the Rangers in order through the final two innings on just 40 pitches.
Henry Reimann took the loss for the Rangers, throwing 6.1 innings and allowing five earned runs.
Merchants Key Stats — Game 2
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner Hraby (3 SB) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Charlie Gierl | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dakota Ellenbecker | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Blake Jakobi | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Evan Wilkins (SB) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Blake Bargender | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Jakobi (W) | 5.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Caleb Guden | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Stats sourced from GameChanger (Game 1) and GameChanger (Game 2).
