NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks right fielder Brady Bean slides into third base well ahead of the throw in Medicine Hat's 7-5 win Thursday night at Athletic Park against the Swift Current 57's.
It took a little time but the Medicine Hat Mavericks came out on top Thursday night.
The Mavericks overcame a four-run deficit in front of 1,653 faithful to beat the Swift Current 57’s 7-5 at Athletic Park. Medicine Hat entered the contest off a 7-5 10th inning win in Swift Current on Tuesday.
” It’s great to win here at home, especially a comeback it gets a little excitement for the fans,” Goodman said. “Wins are always great but wins at home are always a little bit better.”
Thursday’s contest started in a wild way with a second inning that heavily featured the umpire crew. In the top of the inning with the bases loaded in Swift Current’s favour, the 57’s put a ball in play that appeared to hit the runner making his way from first to second base, ricocheting in a different direction and into right field. The first base umpire Tyler Murphy ruled it a hit ball and after questions from Goodman and a discussion between the three officials, the call stood and the 57’s grabbed a 1-0 lead.
“The umpires explanation was that the first baseman made an attempt at the play, so therefore there was no interference,” Goodman said. “But as soon as a player gets hit with the ball like that he’s out anyways, so the explanation didn’t really work with the rule. But it’s not really something I can fight when I know I’m going to lose the battle in the end and it worked out in our favour in the end.”
Still in the top of the second, the next Swift Current batter hit a ball towards second base and as Mavericks defender Johnny Vulcano reached down for the ball the 57’s runner ran right into him. Again the umpires stopped play and ruled runners interference, calling the batter out and moving all of the runners back to their original base, keeping the game at 1-0.
The 57’s did find their way to the plate again, scoring in the fourth before plating two more runs in the top of the fifth inning on a home run for a 4-0 lead. After that, the Mavericks bats woke up.
Medicine Hat chipped away at Swift Current’s lead with two runs in the fifth inning as first baseman Tory Nelson scored on a 57’s error before right fielder Brady Bean knocked in a run with a RBI single. The Mavericks kept the offence flowing with a RBI single in the bottom of the sixth off the bat of Nelson, who was one of three Mavericks to finish his night with two hits and a RBI. The Medicine Hat product says it was a team effort offensively to secure the win.
“Everyone was getting on base and you know doing their part, we didn’t have too big of swings,” Nelson said. “Everybody was just passing the torch along and doing their part and our pitchers were picking each other up and doing what they needed to do to help us get the win.”
Dylan Esquival started the game for Medicine Hat and worked into the fifth inning with six strikeouts while only allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and surrendering five walks. Tim Carlson came into the game as relief and pitched an inning with a strikeout, allowing a run on one hit. Casey Henderson was credited the win with his two innings of work, limiting Swift Current to one run on three hits and a walk. Kyle Calzadiaz recorded the two-inning save, striking out one without allowing a base runner. Goodman says their pitchers had some ups and downs with walked batters continuing to be a factor.
“We obviously walked too many guys, and we’ve been talking about that,” Goodman said. “Casey does a great job bridging us to Cap and he comes in and closes it like the guy he can be and he did a great job. We have guys like that in the bullpen and we’re unstoppable but we have to cut down on the walks.”
Swift Current scored in the top of the seventh inning for a 5-3 lead before the Mavericks made a splash and took control of the game. Two lead off walks from Medicine Hat were followed by a Bean single before shortstop Tyler Vanneste picked up a RBI with a fielders choice play. Two batters later, third baseman Nathan Tarver drove in Bean from third base and five pitches later the Mavericks took the lead on a bases loaded walk from Dousett.
Medicine Hat picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning with catcher Andrew Savage scoring on a wild pitch for the eventual final score of 7-5.
The Mavericks’ (8-8) next action is Friday as they host the first place, 2022 WCBL champion Okotoks Dawgs for a 7:05 p.m. contest at Athletic Park.
“I’m excited to face them, to me it’s just another team, it’s good competition,” Goodman said. “Let’s see where we’re at, if we can hang with them and beat the best of the best. I’m not intimidated or nervous by them, it’s an exciting game and Friday night in Medicine Hat, who can ask for anything better than that?”
