Bulls 3, Mavericks 2: Lethbridge forces Game 5
By Sean Rooney on August 4, 2017.
SEAN ROONEYsrooney@medicinehatnews.com
Twitter: MHNRooney
All night long the balls kept holding up in a stiff breeze at Athletic Park.
With their season on the line and time running out, the Lethbridge Bulls found the extra gear to put a couple too far to catch.
Lethbridge beat the Medicine Hat Mavericks 3-2 Friday, turning the tables on a low-scoring game with two home runs in the eighth inning. They’ll host a deciding Game 5 Saturday (7:05 p.m., Spitz Stadium).
“Our team’s down by one, runner on base, everybody wants to be in that position — you want to be the guy,” said Brett Semeniuk, whose stunning two-run shot was the difference. “He threw me a pitch I could handle and I put a swing on it.
“It’s a big win for us.”
Nolan Handley’s 400-foot rocket got the Bulls on the board earlier in the eighth, just the third hit of the night off Mavs starter Tanner Helms.
Medicine Hat’s bullpen got to work, but not fast enough to get Helms out of the game.
“They had some clutch hitting,” said designated hitter Colton Wright. “That’s just the way the game works. We’re not going to press, the guys in the locker room could be upset right now but we’re going to be alright.”
A pair of doubles put Medicine Hat in the lead, but the hosts also wasted many opportunities against Lethbridge starter Ben Erwin. Chris Caffrey doubled and scored in the second, but two batters failed to cash in a pair of other runners. Medicine Hat left the bases loaded the following inning, and were frustrated when home plate umpire Jeff Wang called Blake Rowlett out trying to take home on a wild pitch in the fifth.
“We’ve got to have better at-bats,” said Mavs coach Michael Thompson. “We had plenty of chances to score guys, didn’t do a great job baserunning today.”
Erwin was clutch for the visitors, pitching around a trio of errors to last seven innings and giving up just seven hits to the best-hitting club in the league. He then ceded to all-star reliever Chris Stodolka for the final two frames. A highlight-reel, diving catch by centre-fielder Brock Frentzel ended the eighth inning, then Stodolka struck out Salgueiro and Louie Canjura to close the ninth.
Salgueiro had a miracle catch of his own, going to the wall for a basket catch off a Carter Witbeck knock to the deepest part of the park.
Neither coach would name a starter for Game 5 following Friday’s thriller. Game 1 Bulls starter Brady Moxham has gone home with a case of the shingles, while Mavs Game 1 ace Jared Libke is available but not confirmed.
The winner will move on to face either Okotoks or Edmonton in the WMBL semifinals, which could start as soon as Monday. Edmonton beat Okotoks 9-8 Friday to force a fifth game in their series.
“Just when I think we’re out and done, we come up and do something clutch like that,” said Bulls coach Jesse Sawyer. “I’m proud of the boys, excited for tomorrow.” 3
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