The Bulls evened their divisional semi-final Saturday night at Spitz Stadium with a 7-5 win over the Medicine Hat Mavericks. The best-of-five now moves to Medicine Hat for games three and four, with the series tied 1-1.

Medicine Hat led 4-0 after four innings, while Mavericks starter Ashton Florko didn't allow a hit through the first four frames. Elliot Burrow scored the Mavs first run in the second on a throwing error. John McNeil led off the fifth with a walk and Lee Fruson reached on an attempted sacrifice. Bulls starter Adam Reynolds fielded the grounder but pulled Josh Lowden off first base. A single by Jamie Ayala loaded the bases. McNeil scored on a base hit by Alex Chavez, and Erik Church drove in Fruson and Chavez with another base hit.
 
The Bulls cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Lowden led off with a single and Scott Hornstra walked. Two wild pitches moved the runners into scoring position. Lowden came home on a sacrifice fly by Jamie Mitchell, and Hornstra scored on a ground out by Stephen Hobbins.
 
The Bulls got three runs in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead, with the first three batters reaching base and scoring.  Joel Blake led off with a single, Eric Dorton walked, and Zach Rhodes was hit by a pitch.
 
It was a scary moment for the Bulls, their fans, and the rookie outfielder from Champion. The pitch from Florko came in high and appeared to hit Rhodes square in the face. Luckily his helmet absorbed most of the impact and he only sustained a slight cut to his nose and lip area.
 
Jesse Sawyer and Lowden struck out and it looked like the Bulls weren't going score after loading the bases with nobody out. But Hornstra stroked a clutch single to left field to score Blake and Dorton. Then Mitchell followed with a base hit to drive in Rhodes and give the Bulls the lead.
 
Eric Dorton hammered a one out triple in the seventh to score Ryan MacDonald, who had led off with a walk. Mitchell reached on a fielders choice in the eighth inning and came home on a two out double by Hobbins.
 
Medicine Hat got a run off Richard Pharr, who replaced Reynolds in the eighth. An RBI single by McNeil drove in Church, after the Mavs centerfielder led off the inning with a base hit.
 
Steve Hogue came in for the ninth to earn the save. But the Mavericks made it interesting. Ayala walked with one out and Church reached on a two out bases on balls. Clean up hitter John Mathews was the batter with the tying runs on base. He hit a bounding ball into short right field. Hornstra, playing second base, flagged it down and threw to Lowden at first for the final out.
 
Reynolds went seven innings to record the win. He gave up four runs on five hits, walked two, and had six strike outs. He finished strong, striking out the side in the seventh.
 
Medicine Hat out hit the Bulls 8-6. Nobody had more than one hit. Dorton was 1 for 2 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored. Hobbins' double in the eighth was the only other extra base hit.
 
Games three and four of the series are in Medicine Hat Sunday and Monday nights. If a fifth game is necessary it'll be played at Spitz Stadium next Tuesday night. (August 4).