NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks outfielder Micah Dvorak fouls off a pitch in the Mavs' 6-4 loss Wednesday at Athletic Park to the Saskatoon Berries in Game 1 of the East division semifinals matchup.
The Saskatoon Berries left a sour taste in the mouths of Medicine Hat Mavericks fans Wednesday.
The Mavs dropped Game 1 of their East division semifinals series to the Berries, falling 6-4 at Athletic Park. With the loss, the Mavs trail the expansion Berries 1-0 in the best-of-three series with Game 2 at Saskatoon on Thursday.
“The guys played hard, effort was good,” head coach Kevin Mitchell said. “We just got beat tonight. They did a couple things a little bit better than we did, and in playoff games, everything, all the little, finer points are magnified…”
Saskatoon opened the scoring in the second inning. After starter Jacob Petersheim worked a quick two outs, the Berries loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. They scored on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
The Mavs answered in the bottom of the frame, with a solo home run from Micah Dvorak, making it a 1-1 game.
The Berries regained a lead in the third. With a runner on first, Berries’ right fielder Jalen Freeman knocked a ball into right field and the runner on first, Bailyn Sorenson, rounded for third. Right fielder Jordan Phillips threw the ball into third base where Tyler Vanneste couldn’t corral it, sending the ball bouncing behind him. Sorenson ran into Vanneste, knocking him over, before scampering home for the run.
Saskatoon added two more runs to their tally with a two-run home run from centre fielder Carter Beck, putting them ahead 4-1.
Petersheim was lifted after four innings, allowing seven hits with four runs (three earned) with two walks and two strikeouts. Braedon Davis took over on the mound and worked the rest of the game. He allowed two runs on five hits, with two walk and six punch-outs.
The Mavs grabbed a pair of runs in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Dvorak scored on a sacrifice fly from second baseman Marshall Burke. They scored a second run on an RBI single from Phillips, making it a 4-3 game.
Saskatoon added to their lead with a towering, solo home run from Sorenson in the seventh inning.
The Mavs looked to make a big push in the bottom of the seventh, with runners on first and second. Catcher Jaden Babiuk put a charge into a pitch that was caught on a line drive at first base, where the Mavs’ runner was tagged out for quick two outs. They managed to grab a lone run, with an RBI single from Burke, making it a 5-4 Berries lead.
Saskatoon tacked on another run to their advantage, scoring on a double to centre field for the 6-4 final score. The Mavs got two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth with one out but couldn’t capitalize, dropping the opening game of the series.
The Berries outhit Medicine Hat 12-6 Wednesday night. The Mavs look to even up the best-of-three series on Thursday when they head to Saskatoon.
