CLARKWATCH: Follow news and updates regarding sanctions on Mayor Clark.

Mavericks fall to Giants 7-3 to open Saturday double-header

Jul 14, 2018 | 6:01 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – An early deficit proved to be too much for the Medicine Hat Mavericks on Saturday afternoon, dropping the opener of their double-header against the Fort McMurray Giants.

A make-up game from a June 22 rain-out, the Giants were able to hop on Medicine Hat early to pick up a 7-3 victory in a shortened seven inning match.

Fort McMurray’s Drew Dickerson cashed in the game’s first run on a beautiful day at Athletic Park, driving in a run off Medicine Hat starter Connor Green in the first inning.

The Giants tripled their lead to 3-0 in the third inning after a Jonathan Lindau single brought in a pair of runs, before Joshua Iannetti added his own RBI single to make it a 4-0 game.

Green’s afternoon came to a close after just three innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits against while striking out five Giants hitters.

The Mavericks cut the deficit in half during the fourth inning, as Sal Rodriguez took a Nick Cardinal offering deep for his third home run of the season to bring the score to 4-2.

Medicine Hat ran into some problems in the bottom half of the inning however, as the Giants loaded the bases and extended their lead to 5-2 thanks to an RBI single from Liam Rihela.

An error by the Giants allowed David Vilches to score in the top of the fifth to give Medicine Hat some life again, but an error from Mavericks relief pitcher Junior Pimentel gave Fort McMurray two more runs.

The Mavericks were able to get Jaxson Hooge on second base in the top of the seventh inning, but the Giants were able to get three quick outs and pick up a 7-3 win over Medicine Hat.

Offence was hard to come by for the Mavericks, only picking up six hits and RBIs from just Rodriguez and David Salgueiro.

It’s the first loss of the season for Medicine Hat against the Giants, as they previously were 5-0 versus Fort McMurray this summer.

The loss also ended the Mavericks three-game win streak and have seen their lead in the West Division drop to four and a half games.

After a few hours of rest, the Mavericks and Giants will hit the diamond again to finish up their double-header at Athletic Park on Saturday night.

Serving as the Superhero Night fundraiser for the Alberta Children’s Hospital and #DominicStrong, opening pitch for the second meeting on Saturday is planned for 7:05 pm.