NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks infielder Blake Dale looks to apply a tag on Moose Jaw Miller Express outfielder Roberts Estrada in a 6-4 loss Saturday at Athletic Park.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Mavericks are looking for more heading into the all-star week.
They picked up three wins in a five-game home stand, with the two losses leaving a bad taste.
They beat the Weyburn Beavers 19-6 on Tuesday and 11-8 on Wednesday before falling 19-5 to the Moose Jaw Miller Express on Thursday. An 8-3 win Friday over the Swift Current 57’s was a nice rebound, one that set them up for a rematch with Moose Jaw on Saturday.
They went back and forth with the Millers Saturday, before an eighth inning error cost them a pair of runs, falling 6-4 to end the week 3-2. Shortstop Carter Roth had a ball slip under his glove in the eighth, allowing two runs to score before he was caught on the base paths for the final out, a line-out that was thrown to second to catch him between bases.
It sets the Mavs up for the opportunity to continue showcasing what has been their strongest ability this season, bouncing back from adversity.
“We’ve definitely been battle tested and from a playoff-like season that we look forward to playing in, it’s going to be shocking to see something new come that time because we’ve kind of had everything thrown at us,” head coach Jonathon Thornhill said. Saturday. “In the aspect of a wild pitch that scored three runs or a walk off two-run wild pitch, or we’re up five and give a lead and take the lead, all that stuff. It’s a lot of up and downs, and that’s why they call it a marathon, not a sprint.
“All in all these guys, whether we have the lead or not, it’s been a fun group to go to war with, day in and day out. Anytime you get to wake up and go the ball field with these guys, it’s a good time.
Saturday’s game was Superhero Night at Athletic Park, as the Mavs donned Superman themed jerseys in support of Dominic Strong and the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
The Mavs hosted the Saskatoon Berries on Monday in a make-up game for a rainout on June 20. That game was cancelled due to rain. The make-up date for the make-up game is to be announced.
The Mavs host the Millers tonight at Athletic Park before they head to Moose Jaw for a pair of games on Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday’s game is the first showing of the Mavs’ alternate identity, the ‘Baby ‘Spreys’, honouring the history of the Baby Blue Jays that played in Medicine Hat and the Mavs’ unofficial third mascot, the family of Ospreys that lives in the light towers at Athletic Park.
They’ll host the Millers on Friday at Athletic Park on Friday in the final game before the all-star break.
