NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks right fielder Jordan Phillips admires his two-run, fourth inning home run in the Mavs' 20-7 win Thursday at Athletic Park over the Saskatoon Berries.
A rainy day in Medicine Hat Thursday was supplemented with a shower of Mavericks runs.
The Mavs put up 20 runs in a 20-7 win over the Saskatoon Berries at Athletic Park. An increase of runs from a 13-8 win Wednesday over the same Berries. Second baseman Marshall blew the game open with a two-run home run in the fourth and says the Mavs have caught the hitting bug.
“I told the boys we’re going to get rowdy and that’s exactly what we did, we got a little rowdy,” Burke said. “And that’s huge, just have to keep the momentum going, keep it rolling. Hits are contagious and that’s what’s happening, so we’re going to keep on going.”
Medicine Hat opened the offence with a run in the first off a deep sacrifice fly-ball to centre off the bat of right fielder Jordan Phillips. They supplemented that in the third inning, with a fielders choice RBI from designated hitter Landon Mokris and an RBI single from third baseman Tyler Vanneste.
The offence continued in the fourth with Burke’s two-run blast. The Kingwood, Tex. product says he was sitting off-speed in the at bat and made the Berries’ pitcher pay when he got it.
“My first two first two at bats I got first pitch fastball and was swinging at both those pitches,” Burke said. “So my third at bat, I was trying to see some off-speed there. So that’s what I was sitting and that’s what I got.”
His home run was followed up with another blast, a two-run dinger from Phillips’. His third home run of the season and second of the two-game set against Saskatoon.
The runs kept flowing in the fifth.
Left fielder Micah Dvorak started it off with an RBI single. A few batters later with the bases loaded, first baseman Evan Morrison scored on a wild pitch. Phillips then drew a bases loaded walk and catcher Nick Thibodeau hit a three-run triple for a 13-0 Medicine Hat lead.
They kept the foot on the gas, scoring three times in the sixth. Morrison scored on another wild pitch, centre fielder Brody Gardner had a fielders choice RBI and Phillips had an RBI double.
While the Medicine Hat offence was rolling, they had equal success on the mound with starter John Walsh holding Saskatoon at bay. The Eagle, Col. product worked six shutout innings only allowing one hit. He started the Mavs season opener at Moose Jaw on May 25, a 14-8 loss to the Miller Express. Walsh was happy for the bounce back effort and to pick up the win.
“I didn’t have the best start last week, locked in this week and came out here ready to attack guys,” Walsh said. “Got ahead and they get themselves out and we played unbelievable defence too.”
Tegan Melanson took over on the mound to start the seventh inning and the Berries bats awoke, putting four runs across including a two-run home run.
Medicine Hat answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Burke had an RBI single and Gardner had a sacrifice hit to make it an 18-4 game.
Ryan Dexter took over on the mound and the Berries scratched across two more runs in the eighth. As did the Mavs, who plated two runs on a two-RBI double from Johnny Vulcano.
Medicine Hat product Cade Harrison took over in the ninth and worked a clean inning, keeping the final score at 20-7.
The Mavs (3-1) are back in action Friday when they host the Swift Current 57’s. Mitchell says he’s looking for the continued pressure and aggression he’s seen so far.
“Keep the good times rolling, they played us really tough last year, they’ve got some returning guys and obviously some new ones as well but we’ve got to worry about us,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to take, it’s the next pitch, it’s the next it’s the next pitch, it’s always just the next pitch. So not getting too far ahead of ourselves with the way things are going is what’s on my mind with these guys. Just keeping the main thing, the main thing and that’s playing good baseball.”
Editors note: No individual stats were available postgame
