The past week will be one the Yorkton Cardinals will wish they could forget.
The Western Major Baseball League team went into a losing spiral which saw the team lose six straight games.
鈥淭his week was a tough one,鈥� said Cardinal coach Kameron Mizzell. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play that good of baseball. Overall, it was just a bad week.鈥�
Mizzell said the problems started on offence.
鈥淭he hitting definitely wasn鈥檛 there.鈥� he said, adding you can鈥檛 win scoring only one or two runs most nights.
While other teams racked up some high scores, Mizzell said generally his starting pitchers 鈥渒ept us close鈥� most nights.
The losing streak leaves the Cardinals with a record of 7-11 and drops them into a third place tie with Moose Jaw in the League鈥檚 Saskatchewan Division 7.5 games back of front-running Weyburn. The Beavers are themselves on a five-game winning streak. Regina remains in second spot in the division five-back, while Swift Current is 8.5 off the pace with Melville last and 9.5 back.
The last loss in the streak came Sunday at Jubilee Park with Weyburn in town.
The game would be a wild one with three rain delays, a bench-clearing brouhaha, and 10 runs scored.
Yorkton would strike first with a run in the third, only to give the Beavers the run back in the top of the fourth.
The Cardinals reclaimed the lead though with a lone run in the bottom of the fourth.
It was a short-lived lead as the Beavers added two in the fifth and another in the sixth for a 4-2 lead.
Weyburn would be back to add lone runs in both the eighth and ninth to extend the lead to 6-2, before the Cardinals tried to comeback with two in the home half of the final stanza to round out the 6-4 contest.
Rodney McKay was the losing pitcher for Yorkton after going five innings as the starter, giving up three runs, all of them earned. He allowed four hits, struck out three and walked a quartet.
鈥淭he rain delays definitely hurt us,鈥� said Mizzell, who added they got in the way of momentum for the team.
As for the bench-clearing incident, Mizzell said 鈥渙ne of our players retaliated at what another player did,鈥� and then the benches cleared.
While stating he does not condone fighting, Mizzell said it does happen on occasion in the game, and the response showed 鈥渢he team had each other鈥檚 backs.鈥�
After the game Mizzell said he told the Cardinals they showed some fight as a team, but it comes down to what they do next.
鈥淚t鈥檚 how you bounce back, what positives you take from it,鈥� he said.
The incident, again while not condoned could be one of 鈥渢eam bonding鈥� which can fire a turn around after the six losses.
鈥淚 do believe it could be good experience for the guys coming together as a team,鈥� he said.
聽Loss in Queen City
The Cardinals were in Regina Saturday to face the Red Sox.
The teams played through five scoreless innings before the home team plated two in the sixth, then added one in the seventh and another in the eighth after Yorkton had managed a run in the top half of the frame. That would be it for scoring as the Sox took a 4-1 win.
Codie Scanlon took the loss as the Cardinal starter throwing seven innings, scattering eight hits, and three runs, all of them earned, while striking out five.
聽Dealt losses by the Mavericks
The Cardinals headed to Alberta to play Medicine Hat Thursday and Friday, but it was not a pleasant visit.
The Mavericks scored single runs in the first and second, but the Cardinals would get those back in the fourth.
The teams then traded runs in the fifth.
But the home team would score four unanswered runs in the eighth for a 7-3 win.
Carter Hanford led the Cardinal offence with a home run and two 鈥榬ibbies鈥�.
Camran Bonnema started the game for Yorkton going 7.1 innings, scattering nine hits, and allowing five runs, all of those earned to be tagged with the loss.
A night later the Mavericks would pound out 17 hits, three of those home runs, and 18 runs on their way to an 18-1 win.
Eric Nerl took the loss as the Cardinal starter, going five, allowing 11 of the hits, and eight runs, seven of those earned.
聽Gored by Bulls
Lethbridge roared into the city for a couple of games, and ended up outscoring the local Cards by a total of 17-6.
Tuesday the Cards did manage to keep it close. The Bulls scored two in the second, then added one in the third and one in the fourth, before Yorkton fought back with a pair in the fifth. But that was as close as Yorkton would get, while the Bulls would add a run in the seventh to round out a 5-2 win.
Luke Wurzelbacher led the Cardinal offence with both RBIs.
Kody Rock was the Cardinal starter going five innings, scattering eight hits, four runs, three earned, and two strikeouts.
A night later the Cards kept it close for a while, but the Bulls offence would break out in the eighth.
The teams traded lone runs in the first, then the Bulls scored one in the fifth, but the Cards took the lead with three in the bottom of the frame.
Then the Bulls plated eight in the sixth, adding another in the seventh, and another in the eighth for a 12-4 win.
Aaron Dick took the loss as the Cardinal starter. He went 5.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, eight runs, five of those earned, while walking one and striking out one.
聽Up next
The Cardinals were scheduled to host Moose Jaw tonight (Wednesday), but results were not available at press time.
Thursday Yorkton heads to Weyburn, before returning to Jubilee Park in the city to face Swift Current Friday and Saturday.
Next Tuesday the Cards are in Melville, then host the Millionaires on Canada Day.
The string of games will be big for the struggling Cardinals.
鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to get back at it,鈥� said Mizzell, who added there is no time to lament losses. 鈥溾�� You can鈥檛 dwell on losing six in a row. You鈥檝e just got to play for the next one.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e got to respond mentally, and physically, on the field.鈥�
