The Swift Current 57's jumped back in the win column last night after a day off, working an 8-7 win over the last-place Melville Millionaires.

The 57's held a commanding 7-1 lead through the first half of the game, but the Millionaires stormed back at home, narrowly missing completing the comeback.

Melville fell one run short of a chance at extra innings after scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, before stranding runners on first and second base.

Swift Current saw steady nights at the plate from shortstop Ethan Hunter and right fielder Myles Miller.

Hunter went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs, an RBI, and a walk. Miller was 3-for-5 with a run, and a team-high two runs driven in.

On the mound for the 57's, starter Evan Pontley lasted six innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits while walking a pair, and striking out six batters.

Reliever Spencer Koelewyn continued a stretch of dominance on the mound, going two innings of hitless ball, striking out four Millionaires.

The product of South Dakota has now gone 14-1/3 innings without allowing a run, a streak that started on July 1 against the Medicine Hat Mavericks. Since last giving up a run on June 28, Koelewyn's earned-run-average has been trimmed down from 3.64 to just 1.99 after last night's performance.

Meanwhile Keil Krumwiede pitched the ninth inning, allowing two runs (none earned) on three hits to cut the comeback short.

The win vaulted the Swift Current 57's back up into second place in the WMBL's Eastern Division, after the Regina Red Sox lost to the division-leading Weyburn Beavers last night.

Swift (25-19) sits one game ahead of the Red Sox (23-19), with both teams in action tonight. The 57's are back on the diamond against the Millionaires, while the Red Sox are on the road making up for a previously rain-delayed game in a double-header against the Yorkton Cardinals.

A couple of standings-related notes to look for as the regular season winds down, ending on Sunday.

The 57's need just one more win to secure a seed no lower than third, which would mean avoiding Weyburn (34-10) in the first round of playoffs. The Moose Jaw Miller Express (21-23) are currently four games back of the 57's with four games to play.

Also, a rained-out July 20 contest between the Red Sox and Edmonton Prospects doesn't look like it will be made up due to time constraints, so Regina will only have a 47-game regular season.

That means if Swift wins three out of four remaining games against some of the weakest competition in the WMBL, then Regina would have to win all five of their remaining games to have the better win-percentage, climbing into second place. That would mean home-field advantage in the first round of WMBL playoffs.

With Swift playing once and Regina playing twice tonight, tomorrow morning could see some cranked up intensity in the two teams' race ahead of playoffs.