(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com)
BY TRUMAN BARTMAN. THEMAVERICKS.CA
It’s a berry good day to be a baseball fan, as the Saskatoon Berries return to the Gas City to face the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
Medicine Hat enters this matchup with plenty of confidence after winning a game for ages in comeback fashion, stunning the Regina Red Sox.
The evening began with the Mavericks trailing 7-0 after the Red Sox bashed 3 home runs past Tyler Spruiell and Zack Hlinsky. It wasn’t until Diego Centella came into the game that the Mavericks found their rhythm. Centella went 4.2 innings, allowing 0 runs and keeping the Mavs’ slim hopes alive.
The offence would soon follow with Adam Vulcano smoking a deep 2-run homer to centre field. From there, the Mavs continued to pluck away at the Red Sox’s lead and eventually found themselves in the driver’s seat.
Luke Barrientos entered the game and earned the save for the Mavericks, pushing their home record to 12-1.
Meeting up with this fearless Mavericks group are the Saskatoon Berries. They have also proved to be quite the courageous bunch. Saskatoon has gotten the better of Medicine Hat through 3 games, boasting a 2-1 record. The Berries have had the upper hand versus just about everyone in the WCBL, holding a 19-3 record.
Head Coach and WCBL veteran Joe Carnahan deserves plenty of credit for his role in helping the Berries reach new heights.
A year ago, the Berries organization made their WCBL debut with lower expectations than most. That quickly changed in the back half of 2024 as the Berries qualified for the playoffs. Carnahan and company even picked up their first postseason series victory, beating the Mavs in 3 games.
Their core has done a great job of building off of last year’s achievements as they look to claim their first championship in franchise history this season.
In what may be a preview of things to come in August, the Berries and Mavericks are back at it for the 4th time in 2025. Things are looking a little cloudy outside leading up to first pitch, but the good news is that Medicine Hat isn’t projected to see any rain during today’s contest.