NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks' pitcher Jack Suhai delivers a pitch in the Mavs' 8-0 win Saturday at Athletic Park against the Regina Red Sox.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks rounded out their regular season in winning fashion Saturday.
The Mavs’ shutout the Regina Red Sox 8-0 at Athletic Park ahead of their semifinals series which gets underway Monday against the Red Sox. Medicine Hat came into Saturday’s contest off a 7-6 loss against Regina on Friday.
Saturday’s win gives the Mavs a 2023 record of 30-26 and completes a 14-4 hot streak ahead of the playoffs. Head coach Kevin Mitchell says the win was the response he wanted from his team after Friday’s loss and heading into the playoffs against the same team.
“This was exactly the kind of ending we needed and the guys responded really well,” Mitchell said. “Going into play playoffs, coming off a win and the way we handled it tonight, guys can feel great about that and they do. The fact we have Regina for the first round is a good thing. We have familiarity there, we know what we need to do. Our goals are in front of us and we’re happy to be in the position that we’re in,”
Saturday’s win was led by the performance of Medicine Hat product Jack Suhai on the mound. The 24-year-old made his first WCBL start and worked six, shutout innings with five strikeouts while only allowing three walks and five hits to earn the win and a quality start.
Suhai was all smiles after the game and says it was a moment he’s been looking for in Mavs’ red.
“I’ve been looking for something like that for two years now, so to finally do it in front of the home crowd, to do so well and have the support of my teammates behind me, there’s no better feeling,” Suhai said.
“I would have never guessed that I could have went out and did that. Every inning I was just thinking, it starts over, let’s do it again.”
Mitchell was complimentary of his starter and was happy to see him find the success he did both for the team and for himself.
“Jack was incredible, he had multiple pitches working in the zone and his composure was great,” Mitchell said. “The fact we had Jack throwing to Zach Stark, that Medicine Hat battery, it was really cool. I think it was special for the fans, I know it was special for those guys. The fact that it went so well was just the icing on the cake.”
Suhai held Regina hitless through 2.2 innings before surrendering two in the third inning. He induced two double plays and was able to preserve the shutout with help from his defence.
“I couldn’t have done what I did without Johnny (Vulcano) and Brady (Bean) up the middle who made some spectacular plays,” Suhai said. “Brody (Gardner) had a hose piece home to cut a guy down for me, so I couldn’t have done it without those guys.”
The Mavs’ scored in all but three of the innings they had at bats, first getting on the board in the second frame.A single from designated hitter Tyler Vanneste forced an error and scored first baseman Andrew Savage from first base. Then catcher Zach Stark drove in a run with a check swing hit that forced an error from Regina’s catcher.
They added two more runs in the third inning on an RBI double from third baseman Nathan Tarver and an RBI single from Savage for the 4-0 lead. Medicine Hat kept the offence flowing into the fourth inning, with an RBI double from Bean and another RBI from Tarver, this one coming on a single to centre field.
The Mavs’ rounded out their scoring with solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to build their final lead of 8-0. Vanneste scored on a sacrifice hit from Stark in the fifth and right fielder Tory Nelson drove in a run with a double to left field.
Nicholas Spidel took the mound to start the seventh inning and worked the final three frames for the Mavs, striking out two while allowing one hit.
The Mavs are set to have a short practice Sunday ahead of the first game of their semifinals series which gets underway Monday at 7:05 p.m. against Regina at Athletic Park. Game 2 is set for Tuesday at Regina and Game 3, if necessary, will be Wednesday back at Athletic Park.
As the Mavs head into the playoffs, Suhai has one message for the fans in red and white,
“Get up Med Hat, it’s playoff time.”
