Mavericks eye sweep of Miller Express
By Ryan McCracken on August 2, 2014.
NEWS PHOTO RYAN McCRACKEN Medicine Hat Mavericks starting pitcher J.P. Stevenson throws to the plate during his team's 10-5 playoff victory over the Moose Jaw Miller Express at Athletic Park on Saturday evening.
A six-run fourth inning powered the Medicine Hat Mavericks to a 10-8 victory and a 2-0 series lead over the Moose Jaw Miller Express at Athletic Park on Saturday.
After opening the scoring at 1-0 on a passed ball in the first inning, the Mavericks exploded into the fourth, posting six hits and a walk in seven straight batters, and driving in six more runs in the process.
After Bryan Arthur, C.J. DeDeaux and Garrett Wiese loaded the bases with no out, Andy Scott stepped to the plate and connected with a single for his third RBI of the series. Michael Forgione repeated the feat in the next at-bat, driving in DeDeaux and bringing up Blake Rowlett, who cleared the bases with an RBI single; thanks in part to an error from Moose Jaw right fielder Danny Lokesak. Sheldon Daquioag then brought Rowlett home with the team’s fourth RBI hit of the inning.
Starting pitcher J.P. Stevenson had a strong performance from the rubber, holding the Miller Express at bay for the opening four innings and allowing the Mavericks to jump to an early 7-0 lead.
Moose Jaw finally managed to find some consistency against Stevenson in the fifth, posting three runs to the board in a two-out rally with RBIs from Frank Pluskota, Michael Hunter and Aiden Stinnett to end Stevenson’s night on the mound.
Despite the stumble, the Mavericks answered right back in the bottom half of the fifth, taking advantage of relief pitcher Zach Shelstad and re-establishing a seven-run lead with an RBI from Forgione and two more from Daquioag.
The Miller Express managed to chip away at the Mavericks lead, recording lone runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, and two more in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit, and the Mavs moved within one win of a WMBL semifinal berth.
Jon Rand will start on the mound for Medicine Hat on Sunday, as the Mavericks look to wrap up the series with a sweep in Moose Jaw.
10-9
