By Scott Roblin

Prospects snap Mavericks’ 13-game win streak Saturday

Jul 7, 2018 | 11:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The win streak ends at 13 games for the Medicine Hat Mavericks, losing their first game in almost three weeks 13-10 to the Edmonton Prospects.

Despite an early lead, the Mavericks struggled over the first half of Saturday’s meeting against Edmonton and had to try and play catch up late.

Medicine Hat seemed poised to continue their winning ways in the first inning, rattling off back-to-back RBI doubles from Carson Johnson and Colton Wright to take a 2-0 lead.

That was quickly erased in the second inning with an Anthony Cusati home run that tied the game at 2-2, before Edmonton scored three more runs off Jumpei Akanuma.

Leading Medicine Hat 5-2, the Prospects jumped back on offence in the third inning with an RBI single from Beaux Guilbeau and a two-run homer courtesy of AJ Nitzschke.

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That home run signalled the end of Akanuma’s evening, getting the yank after giving up eight earned runs over just two and one-third innings.

Medicine Hat momentarily stopped the bleeding in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly from Zack Gray to make it 8-3, but the Prospects answered right back in the fourth.

A ground out and an RBI single from Edmonton boosted their lead to 11-3, with the Prospects finishing the night with 15 hits on the Mavericks pitching staff.

Gray helped bring the score within six runs in the bottom of the fifth with his third home run of the season, helping to bring Wright around the bases as well.

Edmonton added two more runs in the seventh, but Medicine Hat wasn’t ready to go down quietly as they exploded in the bottom half of the inning.

Louie Canjura started things off with a sacrifice fly to the outfield to score Johnson, before Julien Ly came through with an RBI single to bring home Wright and pull Medicine Hat to a 13-7 score.

The next batter was David Vilches, who made things interesting with a three-run shot but it would be a case of too little, too late for the Mavericks in a 13-10 loss.

Saturday’s game was split between Akanuma, Junior Pimentel, Sean Cruz and Connor Green, while Pimentel was credited with the loss.

Most of Medicine Hat’s offence came off the bats of Gray and Vilches, who combined to score six of the Mavericks’ 10 runs.

Losing their first game since an 8-5 defeat also at the hands of Edmonton on June 18, the Mavericks drop their record to 23-4 on the season, but still hold a wide lead for first in the West Division.

Splitting their two-game series against the Prospects, the Mavericks will welcome the Swift Current 57’s to Athletic Park on Sunday afternoon.

Medicine Hat previously beat Swift Current 4-3 on Canada Day, first pitch in Sunday’s matinee gets going at 2:05 pm.