BY TRUMAN BARTMAN ON JUNE 9TH, 2024. THE MAVERICKS.CA

Well, the Mavericks are officially back after they took down the Weyburn Beavers in a 5-1 effort that was tightly knit for most of the game.

The Beavers played the Mavs as close as they could have, but driving in runs, which has been their Achilles heal, continued to be. 

The Maverick’s offence wasn’t awake until pitcher Aiden Maas left the game. They started to produce hits, which, as many of you could have guessed, led to runs. 

Keys for Medicine Hat

The boys in red and black camo found a way to pick up their 4th consecutive win last night and did it without their usual #2 hitter, Brody Gardner. 

We will see if he is back in the lineup this afternoon, but if he isn’t, the Mavs will have to be ready off the hop. Sometimes Sunday games can be a bit of a hangover fest for both teams. Not for the reason you may think; however, the turnaround time for both teams is limited, with the first pitch coming at 2:05 instead of the usual 7:05 pm start. 

Medicine Hat has been good at starting fast, but last Sunday they fell behind early to the Fort McMurray Giants, with an off day on Saturday. 

Aidan Lenzen will get the start for the Mavericks; it will be his second start this year. In his last outing, he earned player of the game honours but claimed the loss after allowing five runs (only one was earned).

Lenzen looked in command as he was firing the ball. He will look to put that same effort forth today, but this time with a win attached. 

Keys for Weyburn

The Beavers have lost back-to-back games and continue to struggle primarily on offence. I’m not sure there are any bright spots to point out or keys that suggest they will break out of this batting slump, but that’s what makes this great game so much fun; you just never know.

Weyburn should feel good about their pitching situation once again. They have not named a starter at this point (you’ll probably know who it is when you’re reading this), but most of their pitchers had it going yesterday, including Ethan Webster, who, despite getting hit with the loss, only allowed one run and displayed his cannon of an arm. 

This game seems to favour the Beavers, despite there being no numbers to back that up. This one has the feeling of a trap game for Weyburn. They will have the chance to make some noise, especially if they can get to Aidan Lenzen first and force him off his game.

Bottom Line

There’s nothing better than a Sunday afternoon at Athletic Park, and with no Florida Panthers game on today, fans should be ready to pack the stands. 

The sky is blue, and the wind is at bay. Temperatures are supposed to float around 20 degrees, potentially making for the nicest weather that Medicine Hat has seen in a while.