NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks first baseman Nick Thibodeau jumps to celebrate his first inning, two-run home run with designated hitter Michael Quck in the Mavs' 14-7 win Thursday at Athletic Park over the Regina Red Sox.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks inched a little closer to the East division lead.
The Mavs scored in seven of eight innings Thursday night, beating the East division-leading Regina Red Sox 14-7 at Athletic Park. Thursday’s win marks the fifth in a row for the Mavs.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell liked his team’s effort in the win that kicked off a stretch he described as playoff baseball.
“We talked before the game, that the playoffs start today, that’s how we need to treat it these last five–now four games of the regular season,” Mitchell said. “We’ve talked about this a bunch, we have to be playing our our best baseball going into the playoffs. We’re in a good position to do that.
“So tonight to come out and put on a display really, offensively and just keep the pressure on throughout the game. So score in all but one inning was huge.”
The Mavs kicked the night off with a five-run first inning.
Centre fielder Brody Gardner kicked things off with an RBI double that was followed up with a run on an error off the bat of third baseman Tyler Vanneste. They blew the inning open with a three-run home run from first baseman Nick Thibodeau, his 11th long ball of the season. The Burlington, Ont. product finished the ninth with five RBIs.
The Mavs kept the offence working, with three runs in the bottom of the second. Gardner had his second RBI double of the night and Vanneste knocked in another run with a sacrifice groundout. They rounded things out with an RBI single from left fielder Micah Dvorak to lead 8-0.
Regina got on the board in the top of the third with a two-run home run from outfielder Danny Gonzalez.
Medicine Hat responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and fourth inning. Right fielder Jordan Phillips plated a run in the third with an RBI on a double play ground out. Designated hitter Michael Quick scored a run in the fourth with a sac fly to left field for the 10-2 advantage.
Quick says the win Thursday adds more confidence as the playoff race continues.
“Going into the playoffs these are going to be guys that we’re going to have to beat,” Quick said. “These last four games, including tonight, are huge confidence games for the playoff atmosphere.”
Medicine Hat starter Adam Golby was lifted after four innings of work. He allowed the two runs on the home run in the third, surrendering just one hit and two walks besides that while striking out two batter. Braedon Davis took over and worked three innings, allowing a lone run on three hits, with a walk and three punch-outs.
Regina plated a run in the top of the fifth on a wild pitch. Medicine Hat responded with a pair of scores on a Regina blunder in the bottom of the frame.
With two outs, Thibodeau sent a deep fly ball to centre field that Regina’s Silas Butler was long camped under. The ball bounced off his glove and two runs scored, for a 12-3 Mavs lead. Quick scored on a wild pitch in the sixth for the 13-3 lead.
Brett Getz took over on the mound in the eighth, allowing two base runners on a walk and hit by pitch, striking out a batter. Medicine Hat didn’t score in the seventh but tallied a run in the eighth with a sac fly from Vanneste for 14 runs on the night.
Wyatt Thompson took over on the mound in the ninth. Regina put together three hits, scoring four runs to close the gap before the Mavs worked out of the frame to hold on for the 14-7 win.
The Mavs (32-20) are 2.5 games back of the Red Sox with a chance to close the gap even more with a rematch Friday night at Athletic Park.
