By Mitch Bach

Mavericks win Western Division Championship, will play Regina in WMBL Finals

Aug 10, 2018 | 10:46 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Colton Wright knew it the moment he heard the crack of the bat.

As did the nearly 1,200 fans packed into Athletic Park, and, to their disappointment, the members of the Edmonton Prospects.

The veteran designated hitter rocked a three-run shot over the centre field wall, part of a scoring onslaught in the second inning as the Medicine Hat Mavericks booked their ticket to the WMBL Championship Series with a 11-4 Game 5 victory Friday night.

The Mavericks are Western Division Champions for the first time since 2014. That same year, they went on to win the WMBL Championship over the Swift Current Indians.

Their next test comes against the Regina Red Sox, who upset the East-leading Weyburn Beavers with a Game 5 victory of their own on Friday.

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Game 1 of the WMBL Championship Final goes Sunday from Athletic Park at 7:05 p.m. with Game 2 on Monday at 7:05 p.m.

Wright’s three-run dinger was part of a seven-spot by the home team in an inning which saw two separate pitching changes by the Prospects.

Jaxson Hooge also rang in a two-run double two batters before Wright let it fly. Hooge finished the game going 1-for-4 with four RBI. Wright’s stomp on the dish after clearing the wall gave Medicine Hat a commanding 6-1 lead and they never looked back.

It’s sweet redemption for nine returning members of the Boys of Summer, who were handed second round exits to the Prospects in each of the last two years. The Mavericks had a chance to eliminate Edmonton the previous night on the road, but the Prospects snuck out a 3-2 win in extra innings.

Jaymon Cervantes was shaky to start on the Mavericks mound, but his reliever took over seamlessly. The Tuscon, Arizona product walked five batters, and allowed Edmonton to open the scoring before Ryan Czanskowski took the ball in the third.

It didn’t take long for the Mavericks to get in Rich Walker’s head. The Prospects starter slipped as he grabbed a lead-off bunt by David Salgueiro. Salgueiro got on base, while Walker was left wincing, grasping his right calf muscle, but stayed in the game. He was eventually relieved by Chase Morris after 1.1 innings, but Morris struggled from the start. He walked two batters and allowed one hit without securing a single out before Jordan Smith took the ball.

Smith ended a nightmare second inning for the Prospects with a pair of strikeouts, and went on to last another four innings before Brenden Wiun closed out the game.

Czanskowski’s command on the mound played a critical factor in preserving the Mavericks early lead. The Mountain Home, Arkansas native pitched four scoreless innings, and allowed just two hits to earn the victory. Sean Cruz and Tyler Shumpert finished off the final three innings, sending the Prospects into the off-season.

Medicine Hat added another three in the fourth, increasing their lead to 10-1, and picked up their final run of the contest in the sixth. The Mavs scored at least 10 runs in three of the five games this series.

Shumpert closed out the contest with back-to-back strike-outs, and the Red and White stormed the mound in a well-deserved celebration that’s sure to continue well into the night.