NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks outfielder Yusei Uzawa swings at a pitch in the Mavs' 3-0 win Friday over the Regina Red Sox in the first game of a double header at Athletic Park.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The penultimate week of the WCBL regular season was one of ultimate success for the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
They clinched their spot in the WCBL playoffs Monday ahead of their lone loss of the week, a 12-6 defeat to the last-place Swift Current 57’s. After that, they rattled off five straight wins, outscoring their opponents 73-35 across the six games.
A pair of bloated wins on the road over the Moose Jaw Miller Express was followed up with a double-header sweep of the Regina Red Sox on Friday. The final stamp came on Saturday, a 24-4 routing of the 57’s.
“The guys come in, work hard, play baseball, enjoy and have a good time,” head coach Jonathon Thornhill said after Saturday’s win. “It’s been very fun to watch from day one of being here to where we are now and going into the final week of the regular season. We’re playing some good baseball, taking care of things and playing clean, clean baseball. So it’s all good stuff. We’ve got one more week to do it before it really counts.”
In Saturday’s win, the Mavs had 18 hits, drew 14 walks and were led by infielder Carter Roth who had five hits and nine RBIs, with a fourth inning grand slam leading his tallies.
“Nine RBIs – just speaks for itself,” Roth said. “That was one of the best games that I’ve played on this field.”
The Mavs enter Tuesday just one win or one Regina loss from clinching second place in the East division, which guarantees them home field advantage in the first round of the WCBL playoffs scheduled to start Aug. 6.
The Saskatoon Berries have already secured first place in the East and are challenging for three league records. They enter Monday with a 40-7 record and .851 win percentage. The Berries, in their second year, sit four back for the most regular season wins (44) held by the 2024 Sylvan Lake Gulls. The 2022 Okotoks Dawgs hold the record for most combined wins between regular season and playoffs with 49. The 2013 Mavs (39-7) hold the winning percentage record of .848.
For the Mavs, before they can officially turn the page to playoffs, they hosted the 57’s on Monday in their final home game of the regular season. They’ll head on the road for six road games to end the season, facing Swift Current tonight and Thursday and they have two games against the Weyburn Beavers on Friday and Saturday. They’ll face the Saskatoon Berries on Sunday and Monday before an off day Tuesday sets up the playoffs.
The Mavs also have a game against the Berries hanging in the air, a postponed game from Athletic Park will be made up in Saskatoon at a date/time to be determined.
Heading into the final week and their playoff positioning all but wrapped up, Thornhill says they’re looking to set their routines before records reset and the season’s on the line.
“Especially with it being on the road most of those last games of the year, it’s just getting a routine on the road because we’re going to have to go on the road at some point in the aspect of postseason,” Thornhill said. “We have to make sure we don’t flounder or underperform (on the road). So just find that routine on the road, because we seem to do a good job at home, it’s just finding that on the road.”
After Monday’s action, the Mavericks’ next home game will likely be Game 1 of the first round on Aug. 6, against either the Red Sox or the Miller Express. It will be a welcomed return, one Roth says he’s excited to experience.
“The fans are amazing, the atmosphere is great, I haven’t played ever in a baseball park where you can feel the roar of the crowd after you get the crack of the wood bat,’ Roth said. “It has been so much fun. Come Game 1 of the playoffs, we’re hungry, we’re ready and we’re going to carry this one out.”
