NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks outfielder Josh Stark keeps his eye on the ball during an at bat Wednesday night at Athletic Park against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
There’s a reason the Moose Jaw Miller Express are first place in the WCBL’s East division.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks hosted the Miller Express Wednesday night and fell 6-3 at Athletic Park for their third loss in a row against Moose Jaw. Medicine Hat came into the contest on the heels of being swept during their double header in Moose Jaw, losing 6-2 in Game 1 and 10-5 in the second game.
Mavericks head coach Tyler Jeske said despite the loss he was happy with how his club kept up their energy throughout the loss.
“Our energy, our focus, the intensity we were playing with was outstanding, even from the guys not in the game, I thought one of our better games from an energy focus standpoint,” Jeske said. “The guys were really into the game and really cheering hard for each other. To me, that’s what is gonna serve us well down the stretch. Obviously Moose Jaw is very talented, they have a high powered offence. We contained it enough to put us in a position to have a chance to win a ballgame and they scored to beat us.”
Moose Jaw opened the scoring in the third inning to take an early 1-0 lead. The Mavericks didn’t wait long to answer back as they scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to jump ahead. A bases loaded walk from right fielder Kellen Williamson got them on the board and was followed up with a sacrifice hit from catcher Andrew Savage to put the Mavericks ahead.
The Miller Express took a big lead in the fourth inning as a bases loaded double put the visiting club ahead 4-2. The Mavericks received help on the defensive side of the ball in the fifth inning when left fielder Josh Stark threw out a Moose Jaw runner at home to keep the Mavericks within two runs.
Medicine Hat clawed back in the seventh inning on a solo home run from designated hitter Christian Rush. The newest Maverick was all smiles when talking about the solo shot.
“It was awesome. It really felt good and it was nice to round third with fans cheering me on,” Rush said. “It was a cool experience but definitely would’ve wanted to get the ‘W’ there.” The outfielder/pitcher joined the Mavericks from Lackawanna College where Jeske coaches.
Jeske said he was standing beside Bromley when Rush stepped up to the plate and had a feeling about the at bat.
“I go, man, this guy seems like the kind of guy that Christian Rush might catch a barrel on and show off the power,” Jeske said. “Literally next pitch was like crack, called it. He’s a talented player.”
Mavericks starter Gerrit Erickson’s day was done after the fourth inning as he picked up one strikeout in the contest. Ethan Bromley took over on the mound and worked three innings with one strikeout.
Isaiah Bartels took over on the mound in the eighth and worked the ninth inning with two strikeouts of his own.
Moose Jaw padded their lead in the top of the ninth, scoring two runs to jump ahead 6-3. Third basemen Tory Nelson ended the inning with a sliding catch towards the Mavericks dugout that landed on his chest before he closed his hand on the ball for the final out.
The Miller Express held onto their lead as the Mavericks went three up, three down to pick up the loss. The World Series trophy was on display at Athletic Park on Wednesday as Mike Frostad, from Medicine Hat, was an assistant athletic trainer for the Atlanta Braves, winners of the 2021 World Series. He brought his replica trophy to the stadium in an effort to give back to the community that helped start his career. Jeske said he checked out the trophy and was happy fans had the chance to as well.
“I took a picture with the commissioner’s trophy, really cool, very special and very appreciative of all the fans who came out,” Jeske said. “The fans in Medicine Hat make a huge difference, it’s something to feed off of. It’s the support, there’s nothing like when we score a run and everyone’s clapping and the run scored song starts going. I think that’s what makes summer nights and in Medicine Hat at Athletic Park special.”
The Mavericks(15-27) are off Thursday before getting back to action Friday when they host the Weyburn Beavers at Athletic Park for a 7:05 p.m. contest.
