NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks second baseman Carter Roth celebrates his third inning home run in the Mavs' 9-5 win Tuesday at Athletic Park over the Lethbridge Bulls.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Baby Spreys were soaring and flying Tuesday night, there wasn’t a star they couldn’t reach.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks donned their alternate identity, the Gas City Baby ‘Spreys, for the first time, winning 9-5 Tuesday at Athletic Park over the Lethbridge Bulls. The identity pays homage to the franchise’s history with the Toronto Baby Blue Jays and the Ospreys that live at Athletic Park.
Tuesday’s game was one of three nights they will don the baby blue jerseys, wearing them again on Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Miller Express and again on July 25, also at home, against the Regina Red Sox.
“I can’t wait to purchase one of my own,” infielder Carter Roth said. “I hope we bring that back and maybe include some more because I think everybody loved it. The Fans loved it and our whole team just went crazy for it.”
Fans can purchase their own Baby Spreys jersey either off the rack or player-worn jerseys, if still available.
Tuesday’s game started the week for the Mavs with a rained out game on Monday against the Saskatoon Berries, a game that was already a makeup for a June 20 rainout. That game is not yet rescheduled.
The Mavs entered the week off a 3-2 stretch, with both losses a pair of tough pills to swallow, falling 19-5 to Moose Jaw on July 10 and 6-4 to the same Millers on July 12. Head coach Jonathon Thornhill says the win gives them a bump to the step with a buys slate ahead.
“They’re number two in the West, we’re number two in the East… so it’s a nice little playoff type atmosphere,” Thornhill said. “It’s a different outing for them, the first time they came here, it was a 10-run difference. Then this one is a two-run game going to the bottom of the eighth. So it’s a confidence builder but at the same time, these guys, whether we’re down five, up five, they’ve done a good job of maintaining that approach in the battle here.”
Starter Xander Roberts worked seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks, stirring out five. He’s tied for the WCBL lead in wins with five and has the fifth-best ERA (3.05).
“It was great, the defence bailed me out a lot today, Johnny (Vulcano) made some great plays, (Jeremy) Freeman Jr. tracked down a few balls and Aaron (Vulcano) had some nice place out there too,” Roberts said. “It was nice to see my defence go out there and work for me.”
Aaron Vulcano hit his sixth home run, a solo shot in the first inning and Roth blasted his third, a solo home run in the third inning of Tuesday’s win. For Roth, who committed the error that put Moose Jaw ahead 6-4 in Saturday’s loss and was the final out of that game, it was a positive to get bat on ball. The Stratford, Ont. product says he was able to lean on his team through those blunders, staying in the moment while knowing mistakes happen.
There’s no turbulence, my strategy is just moving on, things happen. We lean on each other, we have a good environment where boys are running just pick to you up,” Roth said. “We play a lot of baseball, things are going to happen, balls are gonna bounce and it’s just about how you pick yourself up at the end of the day. That’s just what I did.”
The Mavs will look to pick themselves up with three games this week, starting tonight, against the Millers. They were at Moose Jaw on Wednesday and will face the Millers again on the road tonight before hosting them Friday, the final game before the WCBL all-star game.
Thornhill says they’re looking forward to the stint against Moose Jaw, looking to distance themselves from the Millers who are 8.5 games back of them in the standings entering play Wednesday. The Mavs are also looking to get some space from Regina, who trail them by just three wins for second in the East division.
The series this week, a three-game set against the same team, is a preview of the WCBL playoffs set to start Aug. 6. Thornhill says they’re not thinking about matchups yet.
“Bottom line is, it’s another opponent on the calendar, we gotta go to work and attack it day-by-day,’ Thornhill said. “Those guys, when it comes postseason play, we’ll worry about it then. But nonetheless, it’s one game at a time right now and we have a job to do on the road.”
Vanneste to swing in home run derby
Infielder Tyler Vanneste will showcase his power Saturday at the WCBL all-star game. The third-year product of Warman, Sask. has been chosen as the Mavs’ representative for the 2025 WCBL home run derby.
He’s hit six home runs this season, a new career-high in the WCBL, passing his previous high of four last summer.
