(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com)
Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca
In the middle of their hottest run of the season, the Medicine Hat Mavericks look to make it two in a row against their rival, the Regina Red Sox. The Mavs have been on a tear as of late with wins in 4 of their last 5 games. This stretch has created plenty of separation in the East Division with the Red Sox sitting 3.5 games back of the Mavs.
Last night, it was Derek Archer who took the mound for the Mavericks, pitching into the 8th inning, putting himself in line for the win. Both JJ Harnett and Levi Tibbetts helped the Mavs hold their lead after Archer departed, taking game 1 of the series 10-6.
Tonight, the Mavericks will turn to former All-Star Julian Pokorny in hopes of securing a sweep over Regina. Pokorny has seen just 19.1 innings of action for the Mavs so far, carrying a 3.72 earned run average into Saturday. There’s been an uptick in deep starts from the Mavs staff over the last few weeks, with Derek Archer, Cody Myers and Diego Centella all going deep into games.
Being in the Western division for a majority of his WCBL career, it’s unclear how many opportunities the Red Sox have had to face Pokorny. The uncertainty that comes when facing a newer arm could play into Pokorny’s hand.
There’s no shortage of experience throughout the Red Sox pitching staff, with veterans like Danny Crabtree, Zander Oudie-Senger, and Colton Bank all returning for 2026.
Bank saw the field a night ago, making a relief appearance in which he gave up 3 runs over 3 innings. Oudie-Senger last saw action at Athletic Park back in May, propelling the Red Sox’s comeback with a three-strikeout showing.
As for Crabtree, he has already pitched against Medicine Hat in one of the pair’s earlier matchups at Currie Field. Despite an overall decline in his numbers since he was named an All-Star in 2024, Crabtree is considered to be one of the Red Sox’s top gunslingers. Sitting outside the playoff bubble, Regina can only hope that Crabtree has a resurgence in the back half of 2026.
Regina continues to fall further and further away from the postseason, and as of now, the defending champs may not be in the running come August. Although the 2025 Red Sox had their ups and downs, it was the back half of the season where they seemed to regain their stride. It wouldn’t be uncommon for the Sox to repeat that trend this year; the question is how soon they will return to their previous form.
On Superhero night at Athletic Park, the Medicine Hat Mavericks will debut a new set of superhero hats in support of Dominic Strong and the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The Mavericks hope that with superhero hats come supernatural results as they close out the weekend against the Regina Red Sox.