The Weyburn Beavers found themselves down early in Monday night’s game against the Medicine Hat Mavericks, and while they were able to stop the bats of the visitors eventually, it would be too late, as the Mavericks went on to an 11-2 victory.
“I think, especially the first half of the game, we had a lot of really good swings, a lot of barrels, that resulted in outs,” said Beavers head coach Cam Williams after the game. “Nothing was dropping for us, and seemed like everything was dropping for them, which has kind of been the stretch we’ve been going on.”
The loss extended the current losing streak for the Beavers to 17 games, despite the team having some strong individual performances. An RBI double from Niko Kekatos extended his hitting streak to six games, the second time this season he has had a streak that long. Ryan Dauphinee also added a double.
On the mound, starting pitcher Brett Paterson had a rough outing, as he tried to adjust to the shifting strike zone in the early innings. He would only go for 2 1/3 innings, striking out two, while giving up seven earned runs on seven hits.
Weyburn’s Sutter Balog would come on in relief, finishing the third inning, and then pitching three more. He struck out three while allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits in his first appearance with the Beavers this season. Balog was one of two affiliate players to make an appearance in the game, with Keaton Husband getting an at-bat when he pinch-hit for Nick Teng in the ninth.
“It’s always good to see your local guys come in,” Williams said. “Sutter threw really well, and Keaton Husband came in, had a really good at-bat.”
Williams added that having the players from Weyburn itself in the lineup is a great thing for the franchise, as they help to create engagement with the community, while also showcasing the ballplayers in town.
After Balog, Mathieu Rocheleau would take over, allowing one run on one hit and striking out two. Devin Costa in his first appearance this season struck out two in one inning, and Jordan Bauer finished the game, striking out one.
The Beavers will now get ready to host the Regina Red Sox tonight at Tom Laing Park. The first pitch is just after 7:00 p.m.