NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Nathan Stark throws a pitch in the ninth inning of the Mavericks 7-0 loss to the Regina Red Sox Wednesday night at Athletic Park.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks are chasing right now.
The Mavericks were held to four hits Wednesday night as they lost 7-0 to the Regina Red Sox at Athletic Park. The loss is their second in a row to Regina, after they lost 6-5 Tuesday night in a game where they led 4-0 after four innings.
Head coach Tyler Jeske said it has been peaks and valleys around the team for the last week.
“It’s harder because hits aren’t falling and you start chasing hits and start pressing for hits and start swinging at more pitches out of the zone,” Jesse said. “Now you’re getting behind in counts or you’re not taking a walk when you get the opportunity. I really look at it and go, what is the definition of a good at bat and can we scale this back and simplify it down to just execute our approach? Can we not try to do too much, the 500 foot home run is not worth more runs than the one that bounces off the top of the wall and goes over.”
The loss puts the Mavericks record at 11-18 on the season as they remain in fourth place of the WCBL’s East Division.
Zach Robinson started the game for the Mavericks and lasted three and a third innings with four strikeouts. Isaiah Bartels registered the final two outs in the inning before working a clean fourth frame with two strikeouts of his own.
Mavericks left fielder Josh Stark led the way offensively with two hits in the loss, something he said he was happy with.
“It felt good to get those two hits today, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the lineup and it was nice,” Stark said.
Bartels handed the ball off to Jack Suhai who pitched an inning and two thirds with a strikeout before Kam Richards had to come into the game and get the last out of the seventh inning with a strikeout.
Nathan Stark worked the eighth and ninth innings racking up two strikeouts without allowing a hit. The Mavericks weren’t able to crack the scoreboard in the late innings as Regina held on for the 7-0 win.
With Nathan pitching, Josh in left field and Zach Stark behind the plate, the eighth and ninth inning was a Stark family reunion on the field. The left fielding Stark said it was a special night for his family and the 1,112 Mavericks fans in attendance.
It was also a special night for the Mavericks as all five of their Medicine Hat born players were on the field, with the Stark brothers, Tory Nelson at second base and Suhai pitching.
Jeske said he had a conversation with Mavericks owner/GM Greg Morrison before the game and the two talked about how the consistently good WCBL teams all have home grown talent. He said that’s something he hopes the Mavericks can stride towards and it starts with night’s like this.
“We had mini Mavs camp earlier today and you look at that, this is how you start, building the game, growing the game. To me, having a core that’s from here, this means something to it,” Jeske said. “They’re playing in front of their hometown. They’ve probably grown up in this ballpark, attending games, attending mini Mavs camps, playing high school games here. That doesn’t necessarily impact this year as much but it impacts the growth of the game on the long term scale and promoting the game of baseball in Medicine Hat.”
The Mavericks are back in action Thursday for the final game of their homestead against the Red Sox. That contest gets underway at 7:05 p.m.
