The Western Canadian Baseball League’s (WCBL) Energy City Cactus Rats lost their first home game inside their new stadium in Spruce Grove – in front of a crowd that consisted of just players and staff. The Cactus Rats faced off against the Okotoks Dawgs in the rain-delayed match but ended up dropping to the visitors 4-1. No cameras were allowed inside the stadium to record the match. In a news release from the Dawgs, that team’s “persistence offence” was led by star hitter Jacob Wrubleski, who went two for three with 2 RBIs and a two-run home run in the top of the first. Another Dawg, Landon Kauffman, went two for four with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Emmett Stacher (two for three) also notched an RBI single in the sixth inning. WCBL execs allow Cactus Rats to play Ahead of the match with the Dawgs, there was some speculation about whether the Cactus Rats would be allowed to remain a part of the league. The issue has to do with the team’s home, Metro Ballpark, a venue that is still under construction. The game was allowed to go ahead, but space was limited to about 150 people – just teams and supporting staff – to limit visitors from roaming into unsafe areas and maintaining fire code capacities. Construction of the facility has been plagued with delays for years, officials said. Work on the began in 2023 and it was supposed to be completed in June 2025. The WCBL says the project is still far from complete, with seats still in storage in Edmonton and anyone at the park forced to use portable toilets for the time being. The park’s lights, which would allow for later games, also aren’t working, so schedules have needed to be changed to accommodate. The league says the Cactus Rats were given the go-ahead to play under several conditions, including having the field in playing condition, submitting weekly progress reports and having all public messages approved by the WCBL before posting. “I really hate to speculate on what (the board) would do if these targets aren’t met. I can tell you that they were frustrated by the delays that have happened to this date… so I think the board will take it seriously, if that is the case,” WCBL president Kevin Kvame told CTV News Wednesday. With the win, the Dawgs extended their winning streak to eight games. The Cactus Rats are fourth in the WCBL west division with four wins and six losses. The club has lost its last two games. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Alex Antoneshyn
