Medicine Hat Mavericks’ playoff run ends as Saskatoon Berries come alive in 9th inning

“They just came up against a tougher team in Saskatoon, their pitching has really come on in the last month of the season,” Diemert said from the stands.

“Our guys; they played the best they could,” he added as the players filed off the field.

Diemart has been coming to games for a dozen years and plans to come back next season, too.

Assistant coach and former Mavs player Tory Nelson acknowledged it wasn’t an ideal ending to the season.

“We battled and everyone’s hearts were in it,” Nelson told CHAT News.

But, “sometimes that’s not the way it goes,” he added.

The Mavericks ended the regular season second in the East Division standings, ahead of the Berries in third.

Despite the loss, Nelson said the 2024 roster was enthusiastic group that looked forward to coming to the field.

“They’re all amazing individuals, every individual in this group has a bright future,” Nelson said.

“They learned a lot this summer, they had a blast and that’s something they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives.”

Truman Bartman, who did play-by-play commentary for the Mavericks for the entire season, said the loss on Friday is just part of the game.

“Baseball is so great because there’s so many twists and turns and storylines that can happen with it and this time around, it just wasn’t for the Mavs,” Bartman said.

He described it as a special moment for the young Berries franchise.

“What a great story that is; first year in the league and they get a playoff series win,” he said.

“Although it is sad as a Mavericks staff member to see this come to an end, it’s easier to think about it when you think about how fortunate Saskatoon is to get the ride that they’re about to go on.”

Ninth inning seals the game

The Mavs looked strong early in the contest, taking a 1-0 lead after the first inning, thanks to a Tyler Vanneste single to centre field, which drove in lead off hitter Marshall Burke.

But the Berries wasted no time rallying back with a Nolan Sparks home run in the top of the second to tie the game at one a piece.

In the second, a Jaden Babiuk single drove in Micah Dvorak from third base to pull the Mavs ahead 2-1.

The Mavs held that lead until the sixth inning when Sparks hit his second home run of the game for the Berries, tying the game at two.

The game remained a deadlock a 2-2 until the top of the ninth inning when the Berries exploded for four runs in an inning that saw a pair of pitching changes for the Mavs.

Looking to battle back from a 6-2 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mavs got off to a good start.

Jaden Babiuk drew a walk and Marshall Burke hit a single, to put a pair of base runners on, getting to the heart of the Mavs batting order with number two hitter Jordan Phillips taking the plate, he went down swinging.

Number three hitter Brody Gardner followed suit, and Tyler Vanneste also struck out, bringing the Mavs’ season to a halt.

Mavs starting pitcher Jack Novak threw six innings before being replaced by Leo Woods at the start of the seventh, after running into trouble in the ninth Woods was tagged with the loss for the Mavs, while Jacob Hadden was credited with the win for the Berries.

Official attendance numbers for the game had 1,441 fans in attendance, up from the 1,060 two nights prior for Game 1 of the series, but still well short of the 2,200 capacity at Athletic Park.

Game 3 preparations

Head coach Kevin Mitchell told CHAT News earlier on Friday the team will be fielding the same starting roster it has most of the season.

“We’ve got Jack Novak on the mound tonight, right-hand pitcher from Colorado State University at Pueblo,” Mitchell said.

“Novak’s been great for us all year. He started for us, he’s come out of the bullpen, in the playoffs, it’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing. The fact that he’s starting today, came down to a numbers thing, but I have a lot of trust in him and I’m excited for him,” he added.

“Lineup-wise, I think we’re gonna roll the same nine back out there. Those are our guys and they have been all year and, you know, it’s up to them to get the job done.”

The Mavericks started off the semi-final series on the back foot.

A close 6-4 loss to the Berries at home Wednesday forced the Mavericks into a must-win situation at Cairns Park in Saskatoon, Sask.

The Mavericks won Thursday’s game 3-0, keeping the series alive for the final battle in Medicine Hat tonight.

Mitchell said the pitching was solid on Thursday, which included eight innings from the starter.

“Josh Landry was dominant last night and he really picked it up for us,” Mitchell said.

“Aside from that, we played sound defense and we did just enough with the bats to come out on top, but anytime you can shut a team out through nine innings to give yourselves, about as good a chance to win as you can.”

There are still a few things coach Mitchell said the team can improve on for Game 3.

“We need to swing it a little better, but our recipe for success all season has been throwing strikes, putting the ball in play, and playing strong defense,” Mitchell said.

“If we can do those three things, that’s what we can control and that’ll give us the best chance to be successful.”

Mitchell is excited for the chance to get past the Berries and having home field advantage against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

But the team remains focused on the task in hand.

“We’re trying to take care of what’s in front of us for sure. We have to win this game tonight,” Mitchell said.

Medicine Hat Mavericks player Tyler Vanneste prepares to run to second base during a playoff game on Aug. 9, 2024. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

“We have kind of had a heated rivalry with Moose Jaw over the last two summers, so it would really be awesome to get to that spot and be able to host them for the East Finals. So we’ll see.”

Mitchell is hoping to see a full house at Athletic Park backing the team in this important game.

“It’s going to be huge, and I do expect a big crowd tonight,” Mitchell said.

“When this place is full, it is a great place to play a baseball game and it gives us an awesome home field advantage. So, I hope the seats are full and the fans are ready to go.”

This is a developing story. Refresh for the latest.

by Eli J. Ridder, Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat Mavericks’ playoff run ends as Saskatoon Berries come alive in 9th inning

Ninth inning seals the game

Game 3 preparations

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