Mavericks pick up first win of season

By James Tubb on May 30, 2023.

Get rid of the goose egg, the Medicine Hat Mavericks have their first victory of 2023.

The Mavericks got themselves in the win column Tuesday with a 13-8 victory in Weyburn against the Beavers to kick off their three-game Saskatchewan road trip. Medicine Hat hit the road coming off the heels of a winless opening weekend, dropping their first three contests.

Zac Robinson started and picked up the win on the mound for the Mavericks, registering two strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched with five runs against. Tim Carlson took over in the sixth inning and struck out two more batter while only allowing two runs.

After Weyburn opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff home run the Mavericks struck in the top of the third. With runners on second and third, third baseman Nathan Tarver put a charge into a ball and picked up a two-RBI double before scoring on a wild pitch for a 3-1 Medicine Hat lead.

Weyburn scored four times in the bottom of the third to regain the lead before Medicine Hat tied it up in the top of the fourth. Designated hitter Brady Bean opened the frame with a triple and scored easily on a sacrifice fly from shortstop Johnny Vulcano.

The Mavericks jumped ahead with six runs scored across three innings for a 10-5 lead.

In the top of the sixth frame catcher Dominic VanDoorne, who got on base after being hit by a pitch and was on second after a Bean groundout, scored on an error from the Weyburn third baseman on a Vulcano hit. Two batters later, Vulcano advanced to third and scored on a RBI single from second baseman Tyler Vanneste.

The Mavericks scored twice in the seventh inning after left fielder Brent Cota singled, right fielder Brody Gardner walked and Bean drew a two out walk for the bases loaded. With the bases loaded, two out and the count full at 3-2 Vulcano knocked a hit into the outfield to drive in two runs and give the shortstop three RBI’s on the night.

Medicine Hat’s offence in the eighth inning came off an error by the Weyburn shortstop and a RBI double from Tarver, his third run brought in during the contest. Weyburn didn’t give in lightly as they scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to bring the Mavericks lead to 10-8 heading into the final inning.

But the Mavericks padded their lead in the ninth inning with three more runs for the eventual 13-8 score. Vulcano scored on a bases loaded, fielders choice hit off the bat of centre fielder Jackson Woolwine before Gardner drove in two runs with a two-RBI single.

The Mavericks(1-3) look to string together wins on Wednesday as they remain in Weyburn for a rematch with the Beavers before they head to Regina on Thursday to face the Red Sox for the first time since beating them 2-0 in their 2022 WCBL quarterfinals series.

The club returns to Medicine Hat on Firday to open a two-game homestand, facing the Swift Current 57’s on Friday before facing the Moose Jaw Miller Express on Saturday for the first time since dropping Game 3 of thier semi-finals series in early August.

13
-12