NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Hunter Cooper gives props to his catcher Zach Stark after finishing one of his six innings on the mound in the Mavericks 13-1 win Monday night against the Swift Current 57's at Athletic Park.
Watch out WCBL, the Medicine Hat Mavericks are on a roll.
The Mavericks picked up their third win in a row Monday night, beating the Swift Current 57’s 13-1 at Athletic Park.
The win comes on the heels of the Mavs sweeping their two game set against the Weyburn Beavers on Saturday and Sunday. All three wins have been high scoring affairs, with the Mavericks outscoring their opponents 37-9 and out hitting them 45-20.
Left fielder Nat Ewing led the Mavericks offensively Monday with three hits, five RBIs and a home run. He said it’s obviously been a lot of fun since the Mavericks snapped their four game losing spell and started the winning streak.
“Winnings a lot better than losing, playing these last few games, they haven’t been close games,” Ewing said. “We’ve definitely been stepping up both pitching and hitting wise. We’ve been putting up like 10, 13 runs. It’s definitely been a lot more fun.”
Mavericks head coach Tyler Jeske said the win showed him a lot about the team and how they can carry momentum.
“We’re coming off two wins against Weyburn and we’re starting to feel good,” Jeske said. “As you go through the season, it’s been the consistency factor and putting it together for 27 outs. So for tonight to come out, coming off two wins and just carry that momentum and continue to show up. We’re 0-0 today, and I thought that was absolutely huge.”
“It started with (Hunter) Cooper on the mound, he gave us an outstanding out and it kind of just goes from there.”
Mavs pitcher Hunter Cooper picked up the win in his second start of the season, registering nine strikeouts while only allowing two hits in his six shutout innings of work.
The Anaheim, Claif. product said getting through six innings was something the pitching staff has been focused on and he was happy to achieve that. Cooper said he knew from the moment he woke up, it was going to be a good day.
“In the third inning I had two strikeouts and then a swinging bunt, that inning I just felt everything going together,” Cooper said. “My last outing I felt a little bit clunky, I was not getting into my legs too early or too late. So I worked through a pen earlier last week and I just felt good all day. When I woke up this morning I thought, this is going to be a good day.”
The Mavericks offence struck first in the third inning on an RBI double from second basemen Kellan Williamson. In the fourth inning, the bats went to work knocking in seven runs on five hits.
Ewing drove in shortstop Nate Ade with an RBI single, that was followed up with a fielders choice hit from first basemen Hunter Boylan that scored another run. David Dell knocked in a run with a RBI single that led to a pitching change.
After a walk to load the bases, centre fielder Braden DeSonia scored two runs with an RBI double. Getting a second at bat in the inning, Ewing knocked in two more runs with a single to cap off the frame.
The Mavericks bats cooled off in the fifth only to be re-kindled in the sixth inning by an RBI single from Ade. Ewing smacked his home run on the second pitch he saw to score two runs before Dell rounded out the inning with an RBI single.
Ewing started the season slow at the plate but has turned it around the same time the Mavs as a team have turned their fortunes about. The Jersey Shore, Penn. product is batting .300 in the last five games with six RBIs. He said it’s nice to see his bat finding holes that it wasn’t to start the year.
“I’ve been hitting the ball well, I was just hitting it right at everybody and it was like that for 10 games or so,” Ewing said. “So tonight, being able to hit the ball hard and it actually go somewhere and be on base and everything, it definitely keeps my confidence up.”
Jack Suhai took over on the mound in the seventh for the Mavericks and threw a shutout inning. Nate LeBleu was tasked with the eighth inning and was not able to register an out, allowing the 57’s only run.
Mavs pitcher Zach Robinson, who joined the club before Monday’s game after starting the season with the Okotoks Dawgs, took over on the mound. He worked the final two innings of the game, shutting the door for the 13-1 win while picking up three strikeouts.
The Mavericks(9-13) are off Tuesday before they host Okotoks at Athletic Park Wednesday for an 7:05 p.m. contest.
Jeske said after their 14-6 win Sunday against Weyburn he quoted the baseball movie Major League about their winning streak. Besides being glad some of the players understood the 32-year-old movie reference, he reminded his players they’re 0-0 to start each day.
“I ended my message with, tomorrow we wake up we have a day off and we’re 0-0 again. We’re going to show back up Wednesday and we’re going to play Okotoks,” Jeske said. “We’re 0-0 again and the rent is due every day.”
Jeske was thankful for all 943 fans in attendance for a Monday night contest and said they make gaining momentum and building on the long season easier.
“Looking at it, the fans have stuck with us and it’s time to keep building, day-by-day.”
