Medicine Hat Mavericks take on Regina on Monday, after splitting weekend games

Medicine Hat is coming off what would have been a five-game homestand, where Sunday’s game against the Sylvan Lake Gulls was postponed due to rain.

On Saturday, the Mavs fell short in their ninth-inning comeback attempt against the Gulls.

Sylvan Lake had jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Eliijha Hammill hit a solo home run off starter Julian Pokorny.

The next run would not come until the sixth inning, when Johnboy Rittenhouse would hit a double to score a pair of Gulls runners to make it 3-0.

In the seventh inning, the Gulls would add another pair of runs to make it 5-0, Dominic Giusti would come in off a Joey Marino sacrifice fly to the field, and Hammill would score off a Cooper Ciesielski double.

Heading into the ninth inning, the Mavs were unable to get more than four batters to the plate in any of the first eight innings.

Their offense would come alive in the bottom of the ninth, starting with a solo home run from Frankie Giacalone.

A Carter Roth walk was followed by an Eric Calder single. Then a Johnny Vulcano double would drive in Roth, with Calder moving to third base.

Carson Chan would continue the trend with a double of his own, driving in both Calder and Vulcano to narrow the deficit to 5-4, which is as close as the Mavs would get, as a pair of flyouts would end the inning.

Pokorny would take the loss for the Mavs after throwing five innings, with the first-inning homer his only blemish.

Reese Hemmerling got the win for the Gulls, pitching eight scoreless innings with only three hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts.

On Friday, the Mavs had another dominant performance against the Swift Current 57s with an 11-0 win.

The game was called at the end of the sixth inning due to rain.

Starting the scoring off in the first inning was Giacalone, who hit a double, then was driven home by a Roth single.

In the second inning, Jamel Chabot hit a solo homer, and Takeo Cervantez would come home after Evan Morrison reached on a fielder’s choice when Adam Vulcano was thrown out at second. That extended the Mavs’ lead to 3-0.

A two-run Johnny Vulcano home run in the third inning would make it 5-0.

Giacalone would hit another double in the fourth inning to drive in Adam Vulcano. Roth would then single to drive in Giacalone, making it 7-0.

A scoreless fifth was followed by a four-run outburst from the Mavs in the sixth inning.

Blake Dale would hit a double that was followed by Blake Dale and Giacalone being hit by pitches to load the bases. Calder would then drive in both Dale and Giacalone, with Roth moving to second.

Johnny Vulcano would walk to load the bases again. Chabot would then also walk to bring Roth across home plate.

A single from Cervantez would drive in Calder to make it 11-0. The 57s would get the next few outs to end the inning.

The Mavs are now 4-1 against the 57s this season.

Diego Centella got the win for the Mavs, pitching all six innings, giving up four hits and one walk, with six strikeouts. Tanner DeLarosa took the loss for the 57s.

The Mavs return to Athletic Park on Saturday when they host the Weyburn Beavers. Prior to that are four road games.

After Monday’s game in Regina, the Mavs have a pair in Moose Jaw against the Miller Express on Tuesday and Wednesday, before a Friday game in Lethbridge against the Bulls.

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat Mavericks take on Regina on Monday, after splitting weekend games

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