Despite jumping out to a two-run lead in the first inning with a feverish Lethbridge crowd behind them, the Lethbridge Bulls couldn’t handle the Medicine Hat Mavericks Tuesday night. Medicine Hat exploded for six runs in the fourth en route to a 9-5 win in Game 3, sweeping the Bulls three games to none.
“I thought coming back to Lethbridge, we’d have our hometown fans ready to go and us ready to go,” said Bulls pitcher Dylan Theroux. “I thought we could win the game for them and for us, and it just didn’t go our way this time.”
After a championship season in 2015, the Bulls never hit their stride this year. Two extra-inning losses to start the series against the Mavericks sealed their fate.
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“You leave Medicine Hat and you think you could just as easily be up 2-0 in the series as opposed to down 2-0 with close ball games like that. So it was tough,” said Lethbridge Bulls first baseman Mitch Dornblut.
Will the Bulls get another crack at a post-season run soon? History says yes. With 18 straight playoff appearances, the Bulls have proven they can sustain success.
One player who won’t be along for the ride next season is veteran first baseman Mitch Dornblut. The Surrey, B.C. native is hanging up his bat after four years with the Bulls.
“I remember standing out there a couple times on defence there and I’m looking around and I’m like, ‘wow,’” Dornblut said. “Four years man, that goes by fast.”
Western Major League Baseball represents a chance for young ball players to develop and sometimes get noticed at the higher levels.
Dornblut leaves the WMBL with memories, friendships and a place to call home.
“Just great memories here, I’ll probably end up living the rest of my life out here, I’ve got a girlfriend out here now,” he said. “I’ll remember all the guys that came, I got friends all over North America because of playing here.”
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