Fans at Tom Laing Park got a little bit of everything Thursday night: a pitchers’ duel, home runs, and a thrilling finish. Halen Otte would hit an RBI double to left field in the 11th inning as the Weyburn Beavers walked off the Medicine Hat Mavericks 4-3.
“It feels really good,” Beavers head coach Cam Williams said after the game. “I think the guys battled the first half of the game. They pitched us tough, and we stuck with it and had some really big at-bats late. Our pitchers did a fantastic job. (Jared) Eifler, Tanner (Coddington) coming out of the pen was awesome. Joe (Hart) was awesome for us. It was an overall, really big team win.”
Eifler would go seven innings in the start, and after a couple of hiccups in the first inning, would proceed to strike out seven, while allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits. Those three hits would be the only hit the Mavericks would muster until the 11th inning, with the Weyburn defence shutting down the Mavericks from the 7th inning onwards.
Joe Hart would pitch the 8th and 9th innings of the game, striking out two, with Coddington coming on for the 10th and 11th innings. Coddington would pick up the win after he allowed just one hit, a single in the 11th while helping keep the Mavericks off the board.
Medicine Hat’s starting pitcher, Dylan Runge, would also have a great game on the mound. He went eight innings, striking out eight and giving up seven hits. He would be tagged with two runs, both earned.
“A good pace of play, if you’re a fan of pitchers’ duels,” chuckled Williams. “Both guys were throwing really well, keeping guys off balance and making it tough on the hitters. Sometimes, all it takes is one good swing, one good at-bat, and things start to roll.”
At the plate, Ian Heck had another big game. He would go 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a home run. Meanwhile, Otte, who came in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 9th as the Beavers tried to rally back, would collect two hits, both of which drove in runs.
The rally would come in the 9th as the Beavers were down 3-1. Heck started the inning with a double, ending the night for Runge. Joshua Landry came in to take his place, and he proceeded to walk Ryan Webster, then gave up the RBI double to Otte. Robert Gurney, who came in to pinch hit as well, would end up striking out, but not before letting two wild pitches go past him, one of which allowed Webster to score to make it a 3-3 game, forcing the extra innings.
In the 11th, The Mavericks opted to walk Webster to put runners on first and second, making a force out or a double play possible. The next batter, Otte, sent a double off the wall in left field that brought home Carter Schellsmidt, giving Weyburn the win.
The Beavers and Mavericks will meet again tonight at Tom Laing Park, with the first pitch just after 7 p.m.