(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com)
BY TRUMAN BARTMAN. THEMAVERICKS.CA
Tensions were high last night as the Mavericks and Red Sox went the distance in game one of their two-game mini-series. It took ten innings, but Regina found a way to hand the Mavericks their first home loss of the season.
Jackson Syring sent a base hit into centre field, allowing Rafael Jackson to score. Despite Luis Diaz carrying the Mavericks out of the top of the tenth down one run, the Mavs couldn’t capitalize with a man on third in the bottom half.
Medicine Hat now finds itself in uncharted territory heading into Friday night’s game, where they will play the Red Sox once more. There is a different feel to tonight’s game, as the Mavericks are yet to lose 3 straight this season and are watching the Sox gain ground on them in the East division standings. There may be some nervous energy flowing around Athletic Park throughout the game.
Tyler Spruiell will get his second taste of Regina’s lineup, having previously faced them on the road. In that outing, Spruiell surrendered 5 earned runs over 4 innings of work. It’s fair to assume that the Mavericks’ lefty will be motivated to provide his group with a new outcome this time around.
For his second matchup against Spruiell, the Red Sox will have Blake Johnson on the mound. Johnson has taken the WCBL by storm with an impressive 1.66 ERA and 28 strikeouts on the year. In his first battle with the Mavericks, he threw 5 innings, allowing no runs in the process. Johnson is a frontrunner for Pitcher of the Year in 2025, which would see him become the 2nd Red Sox in a row to win the award.
Year in and year out, the Red Sox field one of the WCBL’s strongest starting rotations. Kai Langford, Blake Johnson, and Colton Anderson are all having all-star-worthy seasons, with each having an ERA under 3.00. Regina has become a hitter’s worst nightmare in 2025, and it will be an uphill battle, even for the league’s best hitters.
The Red Sox will look to close the gap between them and the Mavericks in game two of their weekday clash. On another windy day in Medicine Hat, Athletic Park will play host to part 2 of last evening’s thriller.