NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks third baseman celebrates his two-run double in the Mavs' 4-2 win Monday at Athletic Park against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It took the 2022 Medicine Hat Mavericks until the last game of the season to reach win 18 on the summer. A year later, the Mavs have surpassed that total and are looking for more.
The Mavs beat the Moose Jaw Miller Express 4-2 Monday night at Athletic Park in their first action since the all-star break over the weekend. The win puts their record at 19-22 entering play Tuesday, already topping their 18-38 record last summer that had them in fourth place of the East Division.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell says it feels good to be playing strong baseball as they head toward the playoffs.
“I’ve told these guys throughout the season that the only team we should be comparing ourselves to is the team we were yesterday,” Mitchell said. “Day by day, if we keep getting better from here to the end of the season, we’re going to be really tough to hang with come playoffs.”
The Mavs entered their rematch with the Miller Express on Tuesday sitting in second place, trailing Moose Jaw in first of the East by eight and a half games. They have two more games against the Miller Express this season, as they head to Moose Jaw for a two-game set on August 1 and 2.
Not including Tuesday’s contest, the Mavs have 14 games left on the docket before the WCBL playoffs are set to begin on August 7. The message in the Mavs locker room heading into that stretch, make the time and games ahead count.
“This is the last time that this group – these last two weeks and whatever we do in the playoffs – that this group will be together,” Mitchell said.
“We have to really appreciate that and just to take it one day at a time, then you shrink that down to one pitch at a time, one inning at a time. If we can do that, and they can because I’ve been there and when you’re in the moment at their age, it’s hard to really appreciate how special this is. So I want them to absorb every last bit of it they can these last 15 games and then the playoffs.
“It just so happens if they’re able to do that, I think we’re a much better baseball team because they’re locked into what’s going on right now and not worried about anything else.”
Tuesday’s game was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
The Mavs are off today before heading to Brooks on Thursday to face the Bombers.
