Following a week without a win the Yorkton Cardinals are once again on the precipice of missing the Western Major Baseball League playoffs, which would be their fourth straight season left watching once the playoffs start.
The near final nail in the Cardinal coffin came Monday night when Yorkton lost a 5-3 contest to Weyburn.
Ben Moore was the winning pitcher for the Beavers, while Anthony Martinez took the loss for the Cards. Both starters went seven innings.
Moore gave up five hits and one earned run in notching the win, while Martinez gave up nine hits and three earned runs.
The loss left the Cardinals with a 12-29 record (2-8 over their last 10) to sit 12 games off the pace behind the WMBL East Division-leading Melville Millionaires, and more importantly 3.5 games back of Weyburn for the final playoff spot. The Cards have five games remaining, and the Beavers four.
Regina sits second in the East two games back of the Millionaires.
Road woes
Friday in Medicine Hat the host Mavericks, the team with the best record in the WMBL doubled up on Yorkton 6-3, including a home run shot by Zach Zdanowicz, his first on the season.
Shaniel Rivera started for Yorkton, going six innings, and giving up 11 hits and four runs.
Ryan Castadio had the win on the hill for the Mavericks tossing seven innings and allowing three runs, two of those earned.
Things only got worse Saturday in the 'The Hat', as the Mavericks put up crooked numbers in five different innings, while six-hitting the Cardinals on their way to a 12-1 shellacking of the visitors.
Joel Lutz had his seventh round-tripper of the season for the host team, to go along with three runs batted in.
The Cardinals managed their one run in the fifth on a night they would strike out 11-times. Nine of the Ks came against David Hatt who would go eight innings for the win.
Swift Current losses
Thursday in Swift Current the Indians struck for three runs in the home half of the first inning and that would prove to be enough as they went on the defeat the Cardinals 9-2.
Jake Gonzalez would pound his 10th home run of the season for Swift Current and raise his RBI total to 29.
Fernando Pena had the win on the mound for the Indians. Pena struck out five over six innings of work, while allowing six hits and two earned runs.
Jeff Pool started for Yorkton, and was tagged with the loss based on five innings work in which he allowed eight hits and eight runs, all of them earned.
The score was closer Sunday as the Cardinals again stopped in Swift Current, but the result was ultimately the same, a 3-0 loss to the Indians.
Chris Haddeland weaved a two-hit, complete game shutout over Yorkton, striking out nine and walking only one.
Matt Bowles took the loss, going seven innings for the Cardinals, scattering eight hits, while allowing all three runs, two of those earned.
Up next
Yorkton will host Saskatoon at Jubilee Field Thursday.
Friday Yorkton plays in Weyburn.
Sunday the Regina Red Sox pay their last visit of the season to Jubilee Field, with Melville here Monday to wrap up the Cardinal season.
