NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher and local product Brett Getz is mid-stride with a pitch in the Mavs' 16-4 loss Sunday at Athletic Park to the Fort McMurray Giants.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks got blown out Sunday in their first loss at Athletic Park this season.
The Mavs surrendered 12 runs in the seventh inning, falling 16-5 to the Fort McMurray Giants. Medicine Hat came into the contest with a four-game winning streak capped off with a 4-0 win Friday at AP over the Swift Current 57’s.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell says they’ll do what they can do flush that loss and move on.
“I told the players, this should just really be a blip on the radar and a lot of that’s determined by how they come out tomorrow,” Mitchell said. “The energy they bring in and we have to get at of them early. We got a bunch of new guys just got here and I want them to see how we do things and that wasn’t it.
“This game, it is what it is, sometimes doesn’t go your way. This obviously was not our best our best effort, best result. But we’re just trying to put it behind us and go play good baseball tomorrow.”
The Mavs host Fort McMurray for a 7:05 p.m. game Monday.
The Giants jumped out early, scoring three runs in the first inning off five hits and added another run in the second for an early 4-0 lead.
Medicine Hat chipped away with a solo home run in the fourth from catcher Nick Thibodeau, his fourth of the season. They added another three runs in the sixth with a three-run home run from designated hitter Blake Dale, his second homer of the season.
Jack Novak started the game for Medicine Hat and worked into the fourth inning, recording two strikeouts while allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks. Medicine Hat product Brett Getz took over and pitched three innings, striking out three batters with two runs against on two hits and two walks.
The Giants pounced in the seventh for their 12-run inning with 17 batters stepping up to the plate. They recorded seven hits and capitalized on two Medicine Hat errors.
Lane McEachern, Cesar Rodriguez and Daylan Runge each pitched in the seventh. Rodriguez and Runge recorded strikeouts, one and two respectively.
Medicine Hat grabbed a run in the eighth inning with second baseman Marshall Burke bringing a run across after a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.
Wyatt Thompson worked a clean ninth inning on the mound for Medicine Hat, with a strikeout and a lone hit against.
The Mavs (4-2) left a total of 13 runners on base in the loss.
