Medicine Hat, AB- The Okotoks Dawgs relied on clutch defence and lights-out late-inning pitching to
close out a close 4-3 decision over the 2018 WCBL champions Medicine Hat Mavericks Wednesday
night.

Dating back to last season, the Dawgs were 1-4 against the Mavericks but began their first meeting on
the right note.

Lewis-Clarke State pitcher Justin Hammergren picked up his second win in his second start to his
year, pitching six shutout inning out of seven, allowing two runs on six hits and fanning four batters.

After an early sacrifice-fly from the Dawgs opened the scoring, a second Okotoks player leaped to the
league-tie in home runs.

Chandler-Gilbert outfielder Tristan Peters joins Texas State teammate Will Hollis for the WCBL home
run race with his solo shot that sailed over the right-field wall during the second inning.

The Mavs trimmed an early 3-0 Okotoks lead after stringing together back-to-back base hits and
breaking Hammergren’s early perfect game bid.

After surrendering his first hit of the game, Hammergren found himself in a jam after giving up two
more consecutive base-hits that saw the Mavs tally two runs in the bottom of the fourth before slowing
the offence down.

“I wanted to get up there and throw zeros and send everyone back in the dugout, get the offence back
on the field,” he says after the game.

His mindset was to get cheap outs and getting back to working the Mavs' offence.
“Just throw strikes and trust the defence behind me and they did just that. We had no errors and that
helps.”

The Dawgs threatened heavily in the sixth inning, loading the bases with one out. Mavericks pitcher
Brandon Ponticelli drilled Dawgs second baseman Shay Shanaman to walk home the fourth Okotoks
run of the game.

Medicine Hat put threw together a late-game, eighth-inning rally when the Mavs loaded the bases with
no outs.

Dawgs relief pitcher Brendan Logan forced a double-play that brought a Mavs run across home-plate
before getting replaced by Andrew Yates who fanned his only batter to end a game-saving inning.

With a 4-3 lead heading into the final inning, third-year Dustin Schorie threw scorching heat

The Dawgs travel back to Seaman Stadium and host a Thursday night meeting against rival Edmonton
Prospects with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m