(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com)
Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca
Doubleheaders in the WCBL are not uncommon. Over the course of this summer, where rain has been at an all-time high, it’s become more common to see doubleheaders take place as opposed to previous years. Playing against two different teams in a doubleheader—that’s where things take a weirder turn. Tuesday is going to be a long day for the Medicine Hat Mavericks, who will see both the Sylvan Lake Gulls and the Weyburn Beavers.
Beginning with the Sylvan Lake Gulls at 1:05 PM, the Mavericks will look to even the season series after dropping a game to the Gulls in June. It was Reece Hemmerling who pitched an 8-inning gem in the pair’s first match with Sylvan Lake, hanging on to defeat the Mavericks by 1 after a late comeback push from Medicine Hat.
The Gulls are not to be taken lightly, and from what they showed during their last game at Athletic Park, if their pitching is on, they’re nearly impossible to beat. With a bullpen that features 2025 All-Star Matt Mackenzie and 2026 All-Star Brayden Stewart, Sylvan Lake has one of the deepest reliever groups in the entire league, a luxury that most cannot afford.
On the topic of bullpens, Medicine Hat exhausted most of its relief arms last night in a losing effort against Swift Current. Using five relievers over the course of five innings, the Mavs will be banking on a long start out of Danny Retzlaff in Game 1 to help their bullpen recover after a tiresome night.
Once the Mavericks conclude their first bout with the Gulls, they will await the arrival of the Weyburn Beavers, who make just their second appearance at Athletic Park this summer. Taking a strong hold on the season series, Medicine Hat looks to widen its lead over the Beavers in the East Division standings.
Weyburn has remained active in the East’s playoff push, sitting in a tie for fourth with the Regina Red Sox. After a loss to the Lethbridge Bulls on Monday, the Beavers, who sit 2.5 games back of the Mavericks, look to make up ground.
Starter Logan Lynch has seen the mound twice when playing the Mavericks in 2026 and could potentially be used for a third go-around this evening.
Headlining the Beavers staff, Lynch was recently named an All-Star alongside teammate and fellow arm, Logan Kinter. Weyburn’s pitching crew is a ruthless bunch; outside of Lynch and Kinter, both Zach Raichel and Josh Pritchard have logged over 40 innings of work this summer, helping to keep the Beavers’ bullpen fresh. As the end of the year nears, the Beavers will be relying on their starters to keep them in the running for the postseason.
There’s plenty of baseball to be played at Athletic Park as the Mavericks prepare for a rare doubleheader against the Sylvan Lake Gulls and Weyburn Beavers. It’s a perfect day to be a baseball fan as the Mavericks embark on a marathon day that begins at 1:05 PM on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.