NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Luis Diaz throws a pitch in the Mavs' 2-1, 10th inning win Monday at Athletic Park over the Swift Current 57s.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It wasn’t the most meaningful game of the Medicine Hat Mavericks season but Monday night gave them an appetizer of what they hope to expect come the postseason.
The Mavs battled with the last-place Swift Current 57’s in a pitcher’s duel, with all-star starter Luis Diaz going toe-to-toe with Swift Current ace Adam Korte. The pair held the game to one run apiece through eight innings, Korte pitching into the ninth. Diaz finished with nine strikeouts.
A night of just two runs through nine innings still provided excitement for the Mavs at Athletic Park, their final home game of the regular season. A walk-off 10th inning single from centre fielder Jeremy Freeman Jr. lit up the crowd of 1,823, the third-largest attendance this season at AP.
“It was amazing, it was a lot of fans,” Freeman Jr. said, still smiling after his game winning knock. “It was just fun to see a lot of emotions from us, but we stayed calm and we pulled through.”
The energy received Monday from the stands has been cultivated all season, head coach Jonathon Thornhill says, from being in the community to playing exciting baseball.
“All the stuff those guys do off the field, mini camp way back in May and build up everything they’ve done up to this point this season, is kudos to the players,” Thornhill said. “Bringing that energy from the fans, they feed off each other. Those guys in the locker room are really excited to play some home games come playoff time. They really want to see this place packed and as loud as possible, and we don’t expect it to be anything other than that. It’s an exciting time for sure.
“There’s a reason why Medicine Hat has the label of the ‘city of champions’ and we want to be a big part of that.”
The Mavs remain one win or one Regina Red Sox loss away from clinching second in the East division, all but a formality with seven games left on the calendar for the Mavericks entering play Tuesday in Swift Current. Second in the East gives them home field advantage through the first round of the playoffs and the opportunity to open the post season at home, and if needed, move on to the second round if the series requires a decisive Game 3.
Looking at the week ahead, Thornhill says they’ll start working players out of the lineup for time off, starting with older players like Tyler Vanneste and Johnny Vulcano or those who are every day lineup names like Carter Roth, ensuring both batters and pitchers get enough reps to be where they need to be when the playoffs get underway Aug. 6.
“Johnny’s been playing banged up and you can’t tell, the guy’s a gamer, all those guys are in there and it’s been some fun to watch,” Thornhill said. “But they all know that they want to be the best version of themselves come playoff time.”
The Mavs are off Wednesday before they hit the road, facing Swift Current again Thursday before two games at Weyburn on Friday and Saturday against the Beavers. They face Saskatoon on Sunday and Monday for a pair of 1 p.m. games with a to-be made up game in Saskatoon to be scheduled.
