BY TRUMAN BARTMAN ON JUNE 8TH, 2024. THE MAVERICKS.CA

After what was a dramatic game in Brooks just a night ago, the Mavericks head back home to face the Weyburn Beavers for the first time this season. 

The Mavericks were pushed to the brink yesterday by the Brooks Bombers, but Jordan Phillips hammered a solo shot through in the 9th to tie the game and send it to extras. From there, the Mavs survived until finally bringing home the win on a wild pitch in the 13th inning. The Mavericks have now won three straight games and are sitting first in the East Division again.

The Beavers are coming off a 4-2 loss against the Saskatoon Berries in a game that only lasted 2 hours and 34 minutes. 

Keys for Medicine Hat

The Mavs are heating up again and have embraced the ups and downs within the first 10 games of this season. Weyburn is a team that has had a tough go of it the last few seasons. They are still on the hunt for their first-ever WCBL title. 

The biggest news for Medicine Hat is the arrival of superstar infielder Brady Bean. 

He dominated during his rookie season in 2023, leading the team in home runs, and was a dangerous speed threat on the base path. Inserting him into a lineup that is already cooking could make for a long weekend for the Beavers. 

The time factor could be the only thing stopping Med Hat from being able to perform at its best. 

With having to play extra baseball last night and finishing a game that was just under 4 hours, the Mavs may have to deal with some fatigue out of the gate.

Keys for Weyburn

Weyburn is below .500 to start the season, a place they have gotten familiar with over the past few seasons. As of today, they sit 4th in the East at 3-5, but both Swift Current and Saskatoon are catching up with wins on Friday.

The Beavers have had an above-average rotation compared to the rest of the league. They don’t strike out a whole lot of batters, but they also have given up the least number of walks with 17. 

Pitcher Ryan Meyer has not walked a batter since last season and only has six career walks to his name. But the bottom line is that he has a 0-3 record this season. If your ace has yet to win a game, that probably indicates that your offence isn’t doing enough.

The bats, well, they have been underwhelming. Ryan Muizelaar is the only qualified hitter on the Beavers to be hitting over .300. So pretty much, if your name is Ryan and you are wearing navy blue, you are probably doing your job. 

Bottom Line

Weyburn has a chance to define who they are as a club in this two-game series in Medicine Hat. 

The Mavericks will look to extend their winning streak through the weekend and surpass their longest streak of the year, which sat at 4 games. 

It will be a 7:05 pm kickoff for tonight’s game and a 2:05 pm start on Sunday.