NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Dylan Esquival delivers a pitch in the Mavericks 7-6 loss against the Lethbridge Bulls on May 27 at Athletic Park.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Mavericks hit the road Wednesday looking for a win. Four days later they’re looking to build off three in a row.
The Mavericks picked up back-to-back wins in Weyburn against the Beavers on Tuesday and Wednesday, winning 13-7 and 6-4. They were looking for a third win in a row Thursday in Regina but that contest against the Red Sox was postponed due to rain. Medicine Hat beat the Swift Current 57’s 4-3 in walkoff victory Friday night at Athletic Park.
Mavericks head coach Mark Goodman says they got what they needed from the road trip, some quality time with just the boys and getting rid of the zero in the win column. He sees a difference in how the team carries themselves from before they got on the bus to Weyburn to before their Friday night tilt at Athletic Park against the Swift Current 57’s.
“It’s a different feeling, the boys are a lot closer, a lot more swagger knowing that we can compete in this league now that we’ve seen some other teams, we know we can hang,” Goodman said. “They’re starting to get who they truly are, their true colors are starting to come out. It’s like the first couple of weeks of school, everybody’s different now, they’re getting comfortable with dad and their true spirits coming out. I love it.”
There was no big change made from the Mavericks’ 13-7 loss at home Sunday against Swift Current to their pair of wins in Weyburn, no sacrifices were made to the baseball gods. Goodman says it was just buy-in and execution of the game plan.
“We’ve been hitting every game enough to win every single game, it’s just the pitching right now has given too many walks, and even that first night in Weyburn, we still had seven walks,” Goodman said. “We just managed to keep banging it back up the middle so well that we couldn’t give up enough runs.
“But as soon as we can take care of those seven walks down to three, it’s going to take us to the next level. But they’re getting there, now these guys are in their second and third time out each time and are getting better, it just takes time.”
Mavs starter Dylan Esquival is the prime example of a pitcher who outperformed his first outing in the red and white and looks to build off it going forward.
The freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. had a strong debut May 27, throwing three innings with one run allowed and three strikeouts in a 7-6 loss against the Lethbridge Bulls. In his start against Weyburn on Wednesday, he punched out 10 batters and allowed only two runs in his six innings of work, earning the win. It was a start Esquival says he was nervous to make but felt at ease once on the rubber.
“Just a little bit of nerves in there, some excitement, but as soon as I stepped on, it just felt normal and I was just throwing it,” Esquival said. “The fastball was working pretty good and the slider would come in a lot, so I just had a little bit working that day and it was good, a lot of fun.”
He worked through a bases-loaded bottom-of-the-fifth inning with one out, getting the Beavers’ batters to pop out and ground out without allowing a run. He says all he was thinking about on the mound was not giving up a run and was happy to celebrate with anyone within a country mile once they got out of the jam.
“Everybody within a five-mile radius was getting a fist bump, it was great,” Esquival said.
He says the road trip did a lot for him getting to know his new teammates as they played together in opening weekend but are able to know one another even more as they get set for the season ahead.
“The guys have been great, it’s been fun watching them hit and just coming together as a team ,” Esquival said. “The first couple, three games we were getting to know each other and it hasn’t been all that, but now six games in, we’re all just the best of friends.”
Editors note: The story has been updated to include the results of the Mavericks win Friday night.
