One win in six games left the Yorkton Cardinals barely holding onto a Western Major Baseball League playoff spot.
The slide left the Cardinals with an 18-27 record with one game left to play in the regular season, sitting 10.5 games back of Regina and third in the WMBL East Division. Weyburn sits second 8.5 back of the Red Sox.
Melville is fourth 13 games back.
With the Cardinals destined to finish third in the East, they are likely to face Regina, who currently top the East Division in the opening round of the playoffs.
The six-game road swing west started well for the Cardinals as they registered a 10-3 win in Swift Current last Wednesday (July 23).
Cole Roark started the game for the Cardinals going eight innings and allowing only five hits and three runs, one of those earned, while striking out six for the win.
Zach Mihic and Cameron Duncan both slugged their third home runs of the season in the win.
Once into Alberta, the Cardinals would struggle.
Thursday in Lethbridge Yorkton actually held a 4-1 lead until the bottom of the eighth when the host Bulls gored Cardinal pitchers for eight runs.
Lethbridge would also plate eight in the sixth inning on their way to a 21-8 win.
The Cardinals would use five pitchers on the night. The quintet would allow only 12 hits, but would also walk 18, on a night the Cardinals also committed three errors.
Things were not much better Friday in Okotoks where the host Dawgs were up 8-0 before the Cardinals plated three in the eighth.
Okotoks responded with four in the home-half of the eighth to finish a 12-3 win.
Yorkton would again use five pitchers who gave up a combined 16 hits and six walks in the contest.
The Cardinals finally made an Alberta game close Saturday against the same Dawgs.
Okotoks took a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Cardinals would grab two runs in the third to edge ahead. The Dawgs would grab back the lead with two in the fifth to secure a 3-2 lead which would hold through the rest of the game.
Clay Rideout started on the hill for Yorkton and went seven innings, allowing eight hits and three runs, all of them earned in being tagged with the loss.
The Cardinal woes continued Sunday as they limped back into Lethbridge to again face the Bulls.
Yorkton again gave the home team a run in the first inning, but did rebound for a pair in the top of the second to take a short-lived 2-1 lead.
The Bulls would roar back to get two in their half of the second inning, then add four in the third, taking a 7-2 lead, which would grow to a 14-4 final.
Four Yorkton pitchers would toe the rubber giving up 16 hits in the losing effort.
Things did not turn out better when the Cardinals stopped in Swift Current on the return trip Monday.
Yorkton had a nice start scoring three in the first inning, but after that the wheels fell off as the Indians scored two in the second inning and added seven in the seventh on their way to a 9-3 win.
Cole Roark started on the hill for Yorkton, throwing into the seventh inning, scattering six hits and allowing three runs, two of those earned and taking the loss.
Up next
The Cardinals have only one regular season game remaining on the schedule. Tonight (Wednesday) Melville winds up the home regular season visiting Jubilee Park.
