NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks right fielder Brady Bean slides into home plate in the second inning of the Mavs 12-2 loss Saturday at Athletic Park against the Regina Red Sox.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Mavericks have hit the dog days of summer.
The Mavs entered play Monday on a two-game slide after losing 12-2 Saturday and 8-5 Sunday, both games at Athletic Park against the Regina Red Sox. They came into the weekend off a three-game road winning streak that put them above the .500 level for the first time this season.
The Mavs, who sat in third place of the WCBL’s East Division with a record of 15-16 entering Monday’s game against the Okotoks Dawgs They’re in Regina today for the first of two against the Red Sox before an off-day Thursday. Head coach Kevin Mitchell says this is a stretch the Mavs simply have to push through.
“Guys are beat up, guys are tired but we have to grind through it,” Mitchell said. “We have to push through it and understand there is a finish line in sight. I asked the guys right after (Sunday’s) game to empty the tank these last 25 games. This is where you find out what we’re made of and how much these guys love the game.”
Both of the team’s losses this weekend featured bloated innings of the Red Sox tying the game up and putting themselves ahead in a big way.
Regina scored six runs in the third inning Saturday before plating another five in the eighth.
On Sunday, after the Mavs led 5-1 on a three-run home run from third baseman Nathan Tarver, the Red Sox scored seven runs across three innings for the lead. Two of Regina’s runs Sunday came off errors, a statistic the Mavs continue to lead the league in. having committed 56 in 31 games.
When asked about those bloated innings, Mitchell said it can be like Luke Combs’ hit song, ‘When it Rains it Pours.’
“Sometimes it does feel like, where’s our break? We need a little break,” Mitchell said. “We’ve talked a lot as a pitching staff and as a team about minimizing those innings. They scored four runs with two outs, it happened quick. We had a chance to answer back quickly and when we didn’t, they expanded a little bit and it got tough for us.”
Monday’s game against the Dawgs was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
Thursday’s off-day gives the Mavs a glimmer of positive things to come for a team who will have played 14 games in 15 days heading into the 24-hour break. Mitchell says a more regular off day can be helpful for players looking at a busy schedule.
“Guys can look at the schedule and see three more days and we get a break, that’s a lot different than 10 games in nine days,” Mitchell said. “That will allow them to perhaps focus on the day ahead as opposed to the nine days ahead. Knowing that it’s a shorter time until we get a little break again. It’s a good thing this time of year.”
