The Yorkton Cardinals found a visit by Lethbridge for a pair of Western Major Baseball League games just what they needed to get back to winning.
It was a day for the pitcher鈥檚 under near perfect baseball weather at Jubilee Park Sunday as the Bulls and Cards took to the field.
Hunter Sanford would be masterful on the hill for the Cardinals allowing only two hits, while walking two and striking out nine, going the distance in shutting out the visitors.
Yorkton would find runs scarce as well, leaving 10 on base, but managing to plate two runs in the seventh for the eventual 2-0 win.
For his part Hunter said his stuff was working and he was able to spot it to both sides of the plate effectively.
鈥淚 was able to get competitive strikes,鈥� he said.
Hunter said he isn鈥檛 always a strikeout pitcher, but Sunday the strikeouts just piled up.
鈥淚t depends on my stuff for the day,鈥� he said, adding 鈥淚 had good two-strike pitches that got batters out.鈥�
Monday the offences of both teams came to the fore as the teams squared off again at Jubilee Park.
Yorkton scored one in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead, but the Bulls scored three in the third to take the lead.
But in the bottom of the third the Cardinals scored four to regain the lead, thanks to a three-run homer that left the field just to the right of the 400-foot marker in centrefield by first baseman Riley Jepson.
鈥淚 had a good count two-and-o, and got a fastball up that I got enough of to drive it out,鈥� said Jepson after the game.
It was Jepson鈥檚 second homer of the season, although he said he likes to think home runs are a part of his game. He said he is starting to find the groove at the plate, much the same way the team is starting to get better.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 start the season the way we wanted to,鈥� he said, but added they are becoming more competitive as the season wears on.
Lethbridge drew within one in the top of the fourth, then evened the score 5-5 with a run in the eighth.
In the ninth Thirus Jones drew a one out walk for Yorkton, then scored the game winner all the way from first on a double to the centrefield wall by Griffey Halle.
Tyson Black started for Yorkton on the mound going five innings. Matt Zanutto earned the win with two innings of relief.
The two wins leaves the Cardinals with an 8-20 record, worst in the WMBL leaving the team 14-games back of front-running Weyburn, and 4.5 games back of fourth place Swift Current.
Head coach John Farrington said the Cardinals are starting to play better baseball.
鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to come together,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he atmosphere is great.鈥�
Farrington said the team is starting to get solid pitching, like Hunter鈥檚 performance Sunday, and timely hits, like in Monday鈥檚 win.
In the case of Hunter鈥檚 complete game Farrington said, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 the kind of thing that can really jumpstart a team.鈥�
Bandits visit
After a postponement July 4, Yorkton took to the field to host the Brooks Bandits Thursday in a doubleheader.
The teams traded single runs in the second inning, Yorkton鈥檚 run coming courtesy of a Riley Jepson home run.
Yorkton went ahead with a run in the fourth, then added one in the sixth, a home run by Griffey Halle, before the Bombers added one in the seventh to round out a 3-2 score in favour of the Cardinals.
Parker Hubbard was the winning pitcher on five innings of work with six strikeouts.
Austin Skelhorn picked up the save.
In the second game Yorkton took a one-run lead in the third, but could muster no more offence.
That was not the case for the Bombers who scored three in the fifth, and added a pair in the seventh for a 5-1 win.
Wryland McKnight took the loss for Yorkton, based on six innings of work where he scattered seven hits, and gave up three runs, but only one of those earned. He struck out five.
Up next
The Cardinals head out on their annual Alberta swing this week.
They were scheduled to visit Edmonton Tuesday, but results were not available at press time. The Prospects sit third in the west.
On Jul. 11 and 12 the Cardinals will be in Fort McMurray, last in the west, before stopping Friday to play Edmonton again.
Saturday and Sunday Yorkton visits Okotoks, second in the Western Division, then hit Swift Current Monday.
