NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks second baseman Brady Bean squares up a ball in the Mavericks 8-5 loss Monday night at Athletic Park against the Moose Jaw Miller Express. The Mavericks were wearing special jerseys in honour of their Hometown Hype night.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks lost 8-5 Monday night against the Moose Jaw Miller Express on Mark Goodman’s last game at the Mavericks helm.
Medicine Hat’s head coach accepted a professional baseball job with the Colorado Rocky Mountain Vibes of the Pioneer League and Monday was his last game in Medicine Hat. He was a little emotional after the game and was thankful for the opportunity in Medicne Hat and the fight his team showed in the loss.
“It was a tough loss but it was good to see there was still fight with the boys and we’re not giving up,” Goodman said. “We’re still on that roller coaster of wins and losses but we’re still fighting so it’s a good sig, we could easily give up but we’re not.
“I love this town, I’ve enjoyed my time here and it’s sad to say goodbye…”
See Wednesday’s Medicine Hat News for a more detailed story on Goodman’s departure and on assistant coach Kevin Mitchell taking over as head coach.
Monday night’s contest at Athletic Park was a pitching duel for the first five innings as Medicine Hat starter Zac Robinson and Moose Jaw’s Zach Sigmon traded outs and held the other offence off the score board. Moose Jaw cracked the scoreboard first, putting up a run in the top of the fifth inning before jumping ahead with a five-run sixth inning.
Robinson was lifted in the sixth inning and finished his night with two runs allowed on four hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Kyle Calzadiaz took over with a runner on base and allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits while striking out two. Bryce Libke took the ball to start the seventh inning and only allowed one run on one hit.
Casey Henderson continued the trail of Mavericks pitchers out of the bullpen. pitching the eighth inning while allowing a run on three hits and a walk. He started the ninth but was relieved by Matt Krall who allowed a hit but registered a strikeout for the final out of the frame.
Moose Jaw added to their lead in the seventh inning, scoring a run in the top of the frame for a 7-0 lead. The Mavericks plated three runs to make it a 7-3 game. Left fielder Ryan Dousett had a two-RBI triple and scored a pitch later on a sacrifice hit off the bat of right fielder Brody Gardner.
The Miller Express added a run in the top of the eighth and the Mavericks answered back with two in the bottom of the frame for a 8-5 game. Dousett drove in a run with a RBI single that was followed up two batters later with a RBI single from shortstop Bret Carrell. Dousett was happy to contribute and says they were one step away from a vastly different outcome.
“It was one bad inning, we battled,” Dousett said. “We could have sank and just gave up and we didn’t because these fans deserve better. We we’re a little short, but we’re right there.”
Medicine Hat threatened in the ninth inning, with two outs they had the bases loaded and first baseman Max Valdez was at the plate. He saw two pitches, a ball then a strike, before grounding our to the second baseman for the final out and the 8-5 game.
The Mavericks (12-13) continue on their busy stretch as they head to Regina Tuesday for a seven-inning double header against the Red Sox. The first game gets started at 6:05 p.m. with the second game set to start at 8:05 p.m.
