NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks right fielder Brady Bean squares up a pitch in the second inning of the Mavs' 5-1 loss Sunday to the Weyburn Beavers at Athletic Park.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks explosive offence was limited Sunday at Athletic Park.
The Mavs’ were held to one run by the Weyburn Beavers, falling 5-1. Sunday’s loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Mavs who pick up four wins in a five-game set. Medicine Hat beat the Beavers 5-1 on Saturday night.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell says they played a good week of baseball and he was disappointed this was how they ended the stretch.
“That’s the way it goes sometimes,” Mitchell said. “I told the guys, there’s three phases to the game, there’s pitching, defence, and hitting, and you have to win two out of those three, usually to win the game. We didn’t do that today, so disappointing. We’re better than that team, but again, the best team doesn’t always win. There’s no panic, we’ll be fine. But just would have liked to finish a really good week in a better way.”
Weyburn opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second inning. A pair of singles scored on a sacrifice hit in the infield and a sacrifice fly to left field for an early 2-0 lead.
Medicine Hat answered back in the bottom of the frame with the lone tally of the afternoon. Third baseman Tyler Vanneste got on base with a single, moving to second on a groundout by left fielder Michael Quick. Six pitches later, first baseman Evan Morrison hit a single to right field for the RBI and a 2-1 score.
Aidan Lenzen started the game for the Mavs, working four innings with two strikeouts while allowing two runs on two walks and five hits. Brett Getz took over and worked 2.1 innings, recording two strikeouts while allowing two unearned runs, three hits and two walks.
Weyburn added a pair of runs in the fifth on an error by Getz, a missed throw to first base, allowing two runners to score.
Cesar Rodriguez took over on the mound in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and only one out. He struck out two batters to keep Medicine Hat’s deficit at 4-1.
“That was a huge momentum shift,” Mitchell said on Rodriguez’s seventh inning. “If we come in and put up a couple of runs there, maybe it’s a different result. Obviously, we weren’t able to do that.”
Rodriguez finished his afternoon with four strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched, allowing a run on four hits.
The Beavers added to their lead with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. Medicine Hat pushed in the final frame, with a pair of runners on base and the 1,111 in attendance cheering them on, but couldn’t chip back to ultimately fall 5-1.
The Mavs left 12 runners on base, the same amount as Weyburn who outhit Medicine Hat 12-9. The Mavs were charged with four errors on the afternoon.
Medicine Hat has off days Monday and Tuesday before they head to Saskatoon on Wednesday for the first of two games against the Berries. They face the Regina Red Sox on Friday, for the first matchup this season. The Mavs return to Athletic Park on Saturday and Sunday for a two-game set against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.
