Medicine Hat Mavericks catcher Dominic VanDoorne dives to make a play at the plate on Okotoks Dawgs baserunner Aidan Rose during Game 2 of the WCBL championship series on Wednesday night at Athletic Park.--NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
mccracken@medicinehatnews.com
The Western Canadian Baseball League champion will be crowned tonight at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks kept their season alive with a 12-9 victory over the reigning champion Okotoks Dawgs on Wednesday night at Athletic Park – sending the Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy back down the Trans-Canada Highway for a winner-take-all Game 3.
Mavericks starting pitcher Dylan Esquival saved his best for last on Wednesday, striking out nine and holding the Dawgs to just four runs – three earned – on six hits and two walks over 7 and 2/3 innings to secure the season-extending victory.
After falling 8-0 to open the best-of-three final on Tuesday in Okotoks, the Mavs wasted little time snapping their championship series scoring drought, converting their first two outs into runs on a sac fly from Nathan Tarver and an RBI groundout from Tyler Vanneste.
Okotoks appeared to escape the first inning when Dominic VanDoorne popped one up in front of home plate, but Dawgs catcher Caleb Lumbard fumbled the ball and the Mavs capitalized for two more runs on the play.
The Dawgs crept back into the game with a pair of runs in the top of the third, but the Mavericks responded in kind with a two-run blast off the bat of VanDoorne.
Medicine Hat piled on in the fourth. Brady Bean cashed in a run on an RBI error, then Andrew Savage singled and Vanneste doubled to bring in two more. Hatter Tory Nelson then stepped to the dish and slapped one into centre to drive in Savage and Vanneste, putting the Mavericks up 11-2.
Dawgs infielder Eric Machej cut into the lead with an RBI single in the seventh, but again the Mavs responded with one of their own on an RBI single from Gardner in the home half of the inning.
Aidan Ross punched in Okotoks’ fourth run of the night on an eighth-inning RBI single. The Dawgs exploded for five runs in the ninth on an RBI double from Trent Lenihan, a fielder’s choice from Connor Crowson and a three-run shot from Eric Hartman, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit.
Okotoks starter Ryan McFarland was handed the loss after allowing six runs – two earned – on three hits and two walks over three innings.
The Mavericks will seek the title in Okotoks tonight at 7:05 p.m.
