Tribe Suffer 2nd Straight Loss

One rough inning was all it took to send the Swift Current Indians to their second straight loss last night at Mitchell Field.

A 6-run 4th inning propelled the Medicine Hat Mavericks to an 8-6 win over the Tribe, as the two teams met for the first time since the Mavericks defeated the Indians in the WMBL final last season.

Tied 1-1 heading into the top of the 4th inning, Swift Current's Starting Pitcher David Stagg ran into some trouble.

After retiring 2 of the first 3 batters, Stagg hit a batter, before giving up back-to-back singles, which was followed by 3 straight walks, forcing Manager Joe Carnahan to put an end to the Iowa native's night. Coming on in relief, Justin Kehler also initially struggled to find his command. Kehler hit the first batter he faced and walked the following hitter, before finally bringing an end to the inning.

When all the dust settled, Stagg's final line was an unimpressive 7 earned runs on 4 hits and 4 walks over 3-2/3 innings.

Despite the early deficit though, Swift Current's entire line-up made contributions offensively, as they tried to claw their way back into the game.

The Tribe scored 1-run in the bottom of the 4th, as a Reid Fritzke groundout cashed in Nate Ackerman from 3rd.

In the 5th, the Indians once again tacked on a single run, this time with a Nick Day groundout, that scored Darren Kolk.

The 6th inning saw Swift Current get 2-runs home. RBI singles from both Drew Brooks and Darren Kolk cut the Mavericks lead to 8-5.

The Tribe inched even closer in the 7th, when a Fritzke single brought home Ackerman, trimming the lead to 8-6, however, that was as close as the Indians would get.

Next up for Swift Current will be a trip to Yorkton tomorrow to take on the Cardinals.