BY TRUMAN BARTMAN ON JULY 10TH, 2024. THE MAVERICKS.CA
The Mavericks put together another miniature comeback at home last night, taking down the Swift Current 57s 8–5.
The Mavericks got off to a slow start after Evan Gant gave up three runs in the first inning. Marcus Graham hit a rocket over the head of Jordan Phillips in right field, giving the 57s that lead.
Adam Korte was also dealing on the flip side for Swift Current, as he carried an early no-hit bid in this one by going three up and three down in back-to-back innings.
The third was where the Mavericks got a bit lucky after the 57s displayed some lackluster defense that led to the Mavs scoring. They evened the game at 3-3 after Brody Gardner came into the game off of a wild pitch.
Swift Current put forth two more runs once the 4th inning began and reclaimed the lead, similar to how Sylvan Lake did in the last Mavericks home game.
After a scoreless 5th inning, the Mavericks again proved their resilience by putting together a two-run 6th. Brady Bean kicked off the party with a single, followed by a walk from Nick Thibodeau. Landon Mokris, who has been on a tear recently and has pushed his batting average up by 200 points, slapped a single to load up the bases.
The 57s would make their first pitching change of the day by bringing in Matthew Chandler to face Johnny Vulcano.
Vulcano would send a heat-seeking missile off of the hands of shortstop Demterio Archuleta, which sent Brady Bean into scoring.
With no outs, the Mavericks looked to be positioned to not only tie the game but also run away with it.
For just the second time in this game, the 57s allowed the Mavs to score via a wild pitch. Matthew Chandler miss-fired and threw one wide which allowed Nick Thibodeau to creep into score. But after a miscue on the basepath, Johnny Vulcano would find himself out of position and would get tagged out, heading to third, a base in which Landon Morkis was already on.
A Marshall Burke grounder to second would close out the inning and fill the Medicine Hat air with plenty of questions.
The one thing that kept the Mavericks from getting past a rough end to the 6th was Jacob Petersheim’s takeover, as he forced the 57th offence into hibernation. JP would allow just two hits in his time on the mound after he entered Madison Bumgarner style as a starter turned reliever in the 5th.
With Petersheim pitching a routine gem and strengthening his WCBL Pitcher of the Year case, the Mavericks were given a chance to finish off their comeback in the 8th.
They did exactly that, as Brady Bean barrelled a base hit into left field, putting himself on with no outs. One batter later, Nick Thibodeau pulled the cover off of the baseball and sent a double down the left field line, scoring Bean and giving Med Hat their first lead of the game.
Landon Mokris returned the favour to Thibodeau one batter later and sent a single into right field, upping the lead to 2. Marshall Burke then passed a single into center as the Mavericks kept the ball rolling and took a three-run lead into the 9th.
The 57s did not go down without a fight, as both Luis Ayala and Gabriel Moldonado would reach base and eventually move into scoring position with one out.
After a short chat on the mound with Petersheim, he managed to hold the Mavericks fort together, forcing back-to-back outs and securing the 8-5 win for Med Hat.
The Mavericks have now won three straight games heading into their off day as they prepare for a four-game home stand. Swift Current will head to Regina to face the Red Sox on Thursday, needing to get back into the win column as they push for a playoff spot.