Medicine Hat Mavericks centre fielder Brody Gardner celebrates his leadoff home run in the Mavs' 14-7 Game 3 victory Sunday to win the East finals at Moose Jaw against the Miller Express.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Mavericks are in the final dance of the 2023 WCBL season.
The Mavs open their WCBL finals series tonight as they face off at Okotoks against the Dawgs in Game 1 of their best-of-three series. Game 2 of the finals is Wednesday at Athletic Park and if needed, Game 3 is Thursday at Okotoks’ Seaman Stadium.
Medicine Hat punched their ticket to the finals after a gruelling marathon of a Game 3 victory Sunday, winning 14-7 at Moose Jaw against the Miller Express. The Mavs won Game 1 of that series 5-4 on Friday before falling 7-5 Saturday at Medicine Hat.
Sunday’s deciding contest lasted 3:40, had 21 runs, 24 hits and eight pitching changes. At the end of the night with darkness hanging on Ross Wells Stadium, it was the Mavs who came out on top.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell was emotional after the win and says he was at a loss for words with how proud he was of his team to hold on for the win.
“There was a level of maturity from our guys that was really impressive as it was punch, counter punch, the whole way through and we were able to settle the game down first,” Mitchell said. “That was a big thing. We put up five in the first and they come right back with three and then before you know it, we’re tied 6-6. We just kept pushing and that’s the mark of a championship team. So I’m really proud of them and it was beautiful to see them continue to fight like that.”
The Mavs opened the scoring in a big way in the first inning, putting up five runs for the early lead. Centre fielder Brody Gardner started the game off with a solo home run, his first long ball of the season.
First baseman Andrew Savage knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice play that was followed up with an RBI single from catcher Dominic VanDoorne. Right fielder Tory Nelson beat out a double play to score a run, and designated hitter Thomas Richards plated a run with an RBI single to round out the frame.
Moose Jaw didn’t wait to answer back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Medicine Hat added a run in the top of the second on a solo home run from second baseman Brady Bean.
Moose Jaw kept their offence running, tying the game up at 6-6 after three innings.
The Mavs retook the lead in the fourth with a three-run home run from Savage for a 9-6 advantage. Moose Jaw scored in the bottom of the fifth inning but that was all they could muster for a comeback.
Medicine Hat kept pouring on the runs, with an RBI single from third baseman Nathan Tarver and an RBI double from shortstop Tyler Vanneste to put them ahead 11-7. The coffin was officially nailed shut in the seventh inning when Vanneste walked with the bases loaded for an RBI before Nelson notched a two-RBI single for the final 14-7 lead.
For a Mavs team that averaged 5.7 runs per game in the regular season and had a total of 20 home runs across 56 games, the 14-run, three home run evening was a continuation of their playoffs’ offensive surge.
In five postseason games, the Mavs are averaging 8.8 runs per game and have a total of six home runs. Beyond the offence, Medicine Hat is riding a streak of 18-5 heading into the finals. Mitchell says this is the team he knew they could be when they were struggling before the all-star break.
“This game is so hard and it takes everybody, it takes the top to bottom on the roster, there’s so much that goes into it,” Mitchell said. “It’s not just balls and strikes, three outs, three up, three down, it’s how you carry yourself, how you pick up your teammates. It’s working through the mental struggle that is a baseball game and a baseball season. To get to this point, it’s taken everyone.”
Medicine Hat enters the finals as the underdog, at least by record. The Dawgs finished atop the WCBL regular season standings with a record of 40-16 and have swept their way through the playoffs, beating the Lethbridge Bulls and the Sylvan Lake Gulls.
The Mavs finished their campaign 30-26 and look to prevent the Dawgs from winning back-to-back championships and becoming the WCBL’s winningest club.
Okotoks won the season series 3-1, with the Mavs winning the most recent matchup 4-2.
Looking at their matchup with Okotoks, Mitchell says it will be a battle he can’t wait for.
“Each round gets tougher, they’re in the final for a reason, they’re a great ball club,” Mitchell said. “We played them pretty well, especially the last few times we played them this year and we’re hot. We’ve got something going that you can’t really make sense of and you don’t have to try to make sense. I like where we’re at, I like what we’ve got on the mound, I like the way our lineup is structured, guys are working together.
“I’m ready for another war.”
