NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks shortstop Nathan Ade celebrates his walk-off hit to secure the Mavericks 9-8 win over the Brooks Bombers Friday night at Athletic Park.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks sent their fans home happy after a little bit of extra baseball Friday night.
The Mavericks beat the Brooks Bombers 9-8 in walk-off fashion at Athletic Park to snap their two game slide. Infielder Nathan Ade was the hero in the 10th inning, driving in the winning run with an RBI single down the left field line.
Ade said his feelings after hitting the walk-off were, “to the moon.”
“After coming off a tough two games, it’s just absolutely electric in the stadium right now I can feel the whole city behind me in that play, during that AB,” Ade said. “It was nothing like I’ve ever felt before, just awesome.”
Entering Friday’s contest the Mavericks were coming off two games where they blew multi run leads. The Mavericks lost Thursday in Lethbridge to the Bulls 9-6 after being up 5-0 in the seventh and they dropped their home contest Wednesday against the Edmonton Prospects 9-8 after they led 8-3 through six innings.
Mavericks head coach Tyler Jeske said any win is great but given the context of their week, he described Friday’s win as a catalyst.
“You see the resiliency of these guys, you see the energy, the camaraderie and excitement together,” Jeske said. “Every every great team I’ve ever been a part of has always featured some type of dramatic win and dramatic moment, following some type of ugly loss or losses. To me, you couldn’t really write this up any better.”
The Mavericks were on the board first with a four run first inning that was capped by a two run single by first basemen Hunter Boylan.
Neither team scored until he fifth inning when the Bombers bats came alive. Brooks knocked in seven runs over three innings to quickly take a 7-4 lead.
Gerrit Erickson started for the Mavs and threw four and two thirds innings striking out four while allowing three hits and three runs. Mathew Krall took over on the mound and worked two innings with one strikeout and three runs allowed. Nathaniel Ewing followed Krall and gave up two runs while getting four outs.
The Mavericks scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two RBI triple from second basemen Kellan Williamson. Medicine Hat evened the game up at 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth when Ade scored on an error from the Brooks shortstop on left fielder Austin Cappas’ hit.
The Mavericks handed the ball to Isaiah Bartels in the top of the ninth to shut the door and put them in a position to win the game. Bartels worked through a bases loaded jam in the inning but the Mavs couldn’t plate a run and the game headed to extra innings.
Kellan Williamson attempted to steal home in the bottom of the ninth but was ruled out by the home plate umpire, much to the dismay of the 1,271 Mavericks fans in attendance.
With the WCBL’s extra inning rule, runners were on first and second to start the 10th frame. Brooks scored one run on a wild pitch and took the lead into the bottom of the 10th.
Williamson and designated hitter Adrian Salazar started the 10th on first and second base. Both moved up 90 feet on clean stolen bases and Salazar stole home on a passed ball to tie the game up at 8-8 with Ade at the plate.
Ade finished the night with three hits and two RBIs. The Davis, Calif. product said he had confidence heading into the at bat because he had faced the Brooks pitcher in the Mavericks 9-8 loss to the Bombers on June 2.
“The first time I faced that lefty he had my number so I had been wanting him forever since they beat us,” Ade said. “Forgy(assistant coach Michael Forgione) came over and gave me just that extra vote of confidence, ‘stick with you, stick with what you can do because what you can do is good.’ So I went up there, I knew that slider was coming because that’s the pitch he gets me on, I kept my barrel back and shot it down the left field line.”
Bartels picked up the win on the mound with his two innings of work. The Luverne, Minn. product said there’s nothing better than getting the ball in those high leverage moments.
“That is the best feeling in the world, there’s nothing better than shutting the door and not letting them have a chance, it’s the best,” Bartels said.
Jeske said the atmosphere in Athletic Park was electric and they could feel it on the field.
“The fans drive this team, point blank,” Jeske said. “It makes Athletic Park a true home field advantage, especially being in the Eastern Division where most of the ballparks are not Athletic Park. Most of the crowds are not these crowds, it makes it tougher for teams to come in here and play.”
The Mavericks are back in action Saturday in Swift Current against the 57’s before they host the Edmonton Prospects Sunday at Athletic Park. That game gets underway at 2:05 p.m.
