SOUTHERN AB NEWSPAPERS PHOTOS Ian Martens
(Left) Lethbridge Bulls' Hank Forrest slides into third under the tag of Medicine Hat Mavericks' Louie Canjura during Western Major Baseball League playoff action Friday night at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge.
Nick Kuhl
Lethbridge Heraldnkuhl@lethbridgeherald.com
The Medicine Hat Mavericks used a six-run third inning to stake a lead they would not give up Friday. For good measure, they put up seven more runs in the fifth.
It helped them clinch the series 3-1 and eliminate the Lethbridge Bulls from the 2018 season.
Carson Johnson had six RBI, Colton Wright hit a grand slam, and Zack Gray hit a three-run home run
for the Mavs as they beat the Bulls 17-4 in Game 4 of the 2018 WMBL West Division semifinals Friday night at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge.
Mavs starting pitcher Jared Libke gave up eight runs in five complete innings to earn the win. Bulls starting pitcher Bryce Oriold-Fraser had three strikeouts early but gave up eight runs on eight hits in three and a third innings in the loss.
Dylan Borman had all four RBI for the Bulls, who had 12 hits on the night. Hank Forrest added two doubles and triple in the losing effort. The Mavs finished with 21 hits.
The Bulls took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Borman hit a sacrifice fly to centre field to score Ashton Roy who got on base with a lead off double.
That was their only lead of the game.
In the top of the third, Louie Canjura had a lead off walk and Reed Odland had a single to right. Jaxson Hooge hit a sacrifice bunt to move the two runners over, then David Salgueiro was hit by a pitch. Johnson then hit a one-out three-run double to left centre.
After a Wright single, Gray crushed a three-run home run off the tennis court fence beyond right centre field to give the Mavs a 6-1 lead.
The Bulls challenged in the bottom half of the third, when Kaleb Warden led off with a walk, then Borman blooped a single to shallow left field and Dustin Braun hit a two-out single to left.
But Jesse Hilyard lined out to third and the Bulls stranded the bases loaded.
The Mavs added two more to their lead in the top of the fourth, when Johnson hit a two-run double down the left field line to score Odland and Salgueiro. That hit chased Oriold-Fraser from the mound, with Talon Derrick coming on to pitch.
In the bottom of the fourth, Forrest hit a one-out triple, Roy and Warden both walked then Borman hit a two-RBI double to cut the Mavs’ lead to 8-3.
The Mavs scored seven more in the top of the fifth, highlighted by Wright’s grand slam off Derrick to put the Mavs up 15-3.
Borman added an RBI single in the sixth off Barry Caine who was in to pitch for the Mavs.
Liam Sabiston also came on to pitch for the Bulls in relief of Derrick. He gave up a run in the top of the eighth as Canjura drove in pinch hitter Julien Ly to put the Mavs up 16-4.
Jordan Dray added a solo home run in the top of nine for the 17-4 lead.
Both managers were tossed out of the game in the ninth inning after intentional pitches were thrown at opposing batters.
Medicine Hat will now move on to play Edmonton in round two, as the Prospects defeated the Okotoks Dawgs 3-1 in that WMBL semifinal series.
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