The Bulls hosted game one of a play off series for the time since 2007 Friday, and the Medicine Hat Mavericks were making their first appearance in the post season since 2006.
 

The Mavericks beat the Bulls 8-5 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Medicine Hat led 4-0 after four and-a-half innings, scoring three runs off Bulls starter Taylor Reid, who left the game in the third inning.
 
Mavs shortstop Jeff Hughes opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second. Jamie Ayala and Erik Church both reached on walks in the third. Starting pitcher John Mathews drove in Ayala with a base hit and Church came home on an RBI single by Hughes. Medicine Hat scored a fourth run in the fifth, when Hughes walked with the based loaded.
 
The Bulls narrowed the lead to 4-3 with three runs in their half of the fifth. The first two batters, Scott Hornstra and
Stephen Hobbins, got on with base hits. Eric Dorton was a safe on a throwing error that scored Hornstra with the Bulls first run. Ryan MacDonald walked to load the bases. And after Joel Blake flyed out to right field, Josh Lowden hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Hogan Barnes. He couldn't handle it, and Hobbins and Dorton scored on the play.
 
Medicine Hat led 5-3 after six innings. Catcher Elliot Burrow doubled to lead off the sixth and came home on a two out base hit by Church.
 
The Bulls tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Blake got a lead off base hit and Lowden followed with a walk. Zach Rhodes stroked a base hit to bring in Blake. Jesse Sawyer was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Brenden Miller hit into a double play. But Lowden scored on the play to tie the game.
 
Medicine Hat got three runs in the eighth off Jimmy Munnil. Lee Fruson walked with one out and Alex Chavez was hit by a pitch with two out. Church followed with a base hit to drive in Fruson. Coach Greg Morrison entered the game as a pinch hitter and delivered a base hit to bring home Chavez. The Mavericks added a third run when Hornstra mishandled an infield pop fly.
 
Cam Rittinger, the third pitcher in the game for the Mavericks, was the winner. Brian Greene earned the save with a scoreless eighth and ninth.
 
The game ended on a controversial play. Miller was the batter in the bottom of the ninth with two out and Sawyer the runner on first base. He hit a ground ball to first that Barnes bobbled. Greene stumbled coming over from the mound to cover and Miller was called safe. But after a brief discussion between the three umpires the call was reversed, and the game ended with the Bulls coaching staff having a few choice words for the umpring crew.
 
The Bulls used six pitchers in the game. Reid was replaced by Jared Mortenson, who got the last out of the third inning and pitched the fourth. Ariel Perez pitched the fifth and sixth. Richard Pharr came in for the seventh. Jimmy Munnil entered in the eighth inning and was the losing pitcher. Steve Hogue pitched a scoreless ninth.
 
Both teams had 12 hits. Rhodes was 3 for 5 with an RBI. Hornstra was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
 
Adam Reynolds gets the start for the Bulls in game two of the series Saturday night at Spitz Stadium. The first pitch goes out at 7:05. The series moves to Medicine Hat for game three Sunday, and game four Monday, if necessary. If there's a fifth game, it'll be back at Spitz Stadium next Tuesday (August 4).