indians jul30
Josh Johnson takes his cuts to lead off the ball game for the Indians Wednesday night

The Swift Current Indians ended the regular season on a record-setting note with a 10-5 win over the Moose Jaw Miller Express at home Wednesday.

The Tribe trailed the Millers 5-1 after three innings, but got a boost from Eric Sams, who hit a solo home run in the fifth followed by a three-run shot in the eighth, and Josh Johnson stole two bases to set a new WMBL single-season record with 38 stolen bases.

"The guys deserve it," said Coach Joe Carnahan. "They've been working hard all year, there's been a lot of moving parts through the year with injuries and guys signing, and the guys that have been here the whole time and also the ones who stepped in to replace those guys have all done a good job. Everybody's been pulling on the same rope, working together for the common cause of winning a championship.

"[Johnson] has been absolutely outstanding for us," Carnahan said. "First time I talked with him on the phone to see if he's interested in coming up, I told him about the stolen base record, and from the scouting reports I got on him, I figured it would be in reach for him. He needed seven stolen bases in the last two games and he got it, so that's a guy with heart right there. The biggest thing about him is just the way he is in the dugout with the guys, and around the community. He's such a great leader and I'm just very fortunate to be able to coach him here this season."

Mike Frericks got the win on the mound after four innings of shutout ball in relief of starter Peter Irvin.

The Indians finish the regular season in first place in the Central Division and will face Weyburn in the first round of playoffs. The first game of the best-of-five series will be Friday night at Mitchell Field.