NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks second baseman Marshall Burke celebrates after hitting a triple in the seventh inning of the Mavs' 12-10 comeback win Sunday at Athletic Park over the Edmonton Prospects.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
What a difference a week makes.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks won two of their three games this weekend, splitting a two-game set with the WCBL’s best Okotoks Dawgs with a 9-8 win Friday and a 6-5, 12th-inning loss Sunday. They finished the weekend with a 12-10, comeback win Sunday at Athletic Park over the Edmonton Prospects.
A week prior, the Mavs had lost two straight games, falling 10-2 at Lethbridge to the Bulls on June 22 and 10-3 to the Sylvan Lake Gulls on June 23. They had a 10-8 loss June 26 at Swift Current to the 57’s that brought the losing streak to three games before this weekend.
Coming off the close series against the Dawgs and Sunday’s win, head coach Kevin Mitchell says the success they had against Okotoks was a boost for the team.
“That’s the baseball team we are and that’s a good club up there,” Mitchell said. “So to come out and take the first one and the emotional battle that was Saturday, it’s huge from a confidence standpoint and a morale boost as well.
“Things are going in the direction they need to be right now. If we play the way we have the last couple days, the results will be in our favour more often than not.”
Last weekend the Mavs were plagued by the big inning, falling in blowout fashion three times. That was evident in their loss to Swift Current on June 26, where a six-run inning against kept them from completing the comeback.
It’s also a pattern the Mavs shook this weekend, with a four-run inning from the Prospects on Sunday being the largest deficit they surrendered. When they did give up the runs, the Mavs bounced back.
On Sunday, after the Mavs made it a close game with three runs in the fifth to make it 6-4, Edmonton scored four times for the 10-4 advantage. Once the inning flipped to the bottom, Medicine Hat scored five times, led by a two-run home run from Brady Bean. They added another three runs in the bottom of the eighth, led by a two-run double from Johnny Vulcano for the 12-10 final.
Their opportunity wasn’t possible without 3.1 shutout innings from Cesar Rodriguez out of the bullpen. It’s those individual performances leading the way that Mitchell says they’ll continue to need up and down the lineup and throughout the pitching staff.
“As much as it’s a team sport, there are so many individual battles in a baseball game and you need guys to have moments, you need individual success that we’re getting right now,” Mitchell said.
“When things are really going well, they’re coming from everywhere. Brady’s home run today, Johnny’s big hit, Cesar coming in and shutting the door, that’s what it’s going to take.
“Our thing is, just get it to the next step. Get it to the next guy because you never know who’ it is gonna be to come through, and the more guys we get to the plate, the better chance we have of somebody coming up in a big spot.”
That ability to rely on one another is something Bean says they’re continuing to grow as they get to know one another as players, teammates and people. He says it comes from staying positive and staying up during down moments in the game.
“Trust the bullpen that they’re gonna do their job and fight for us and then trust that the whole nine guys hitting the ball or going to piece together some good at bats,” Bean said.
The Mavs hosted the Weyburn Beavers for Canada Day action at Athletic Park and face the Sylvan Lake Gulls tonight before a day off Wednesday where they’re hosting the first All-star training camp.
Heading into the week, starting off against those teams they’ve lost to recently, Mitchell says they’re focused more on finding a stretch of sound baseball than trying to right old wrongs.
“It’s more about finishing a really good week of baseball than it is the team you’re playing. Results oftentimes are out of your control,” Mitchell said. “There are other factors at play. What we can worry about is playing the baseball. Playing the defence, putting the ball in play, all that stuff. That’s what I’d like to see.
“I’d like to see us finish this stretch the way that it started. To play a really solid week of baseball, regardless of who we’re playing, that’s the best thing for us moving forward.”
Monday’s game against Weyburn was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
