The Yorkton Cardinals ran into a Beaver barrage on the weekend, dropping a pair of Western Major Baseball League games to Weyburn.
Saturday the teams hooked up in Weyburn.
The teams played through five scoreless innings before the Cardinals managed a run in the sixth, only to have the Beavers respond with a pair in the home half of the frame.
Yorkton plated three in the seventh to take a 4-2 lead.
But the lead would slowly erode away as Weyburn scored one in the eighth, added one in the ninth to tie the score and force extra innings, where they plated one in the 10th to take the 鈥榃鈥�.
Yorkton out hit the Beavers 9-6 in the game but committed three errors.
Camran Bonnema started the game on the hill for Yorkton, tossing seven innings over which he allowed five hits, three runs, all earned, while walking a pair and striking out six.
The loss would be tagged on extra-inning relief pitcher Aidan Goodall who gave up the unearned winning run, in an inning where a wild pitch, and two errors by the shortstop helped the Beavers manufacture a one-out walk into a win.
On offence Carter Hanford swiped a pair of bases on a night the Cardinals left 15 runners stranded.
Weyburn would travel to Jubilee Park in Yorkton for action Sunday afternoon to play a game where they scored more runs - 12 - than hits nine. They were aided by eight walks issued by five different Cardinal pitchers and three hit-by-pitch situations.
Codi Scanlon started for the Cardinals lasting 5.1 innings and giving up four runs, all of them earned, while striking out seven. He would take the loss.
Offensively the Cardinals had men on second or third in seven innings but left a total of 15 men on base on an afternoon they could not get a hit with a man in scoring position.
鈥淲e left too many men on base,鈥� summed up Cardinal coach Kameron Mizzell. 鈥溾�� You can鈥檛 do that and win a baseball game.鈥�
Mizzell said hitting with men in scoring position, hitting behind runners, would be the focus of practice for the team Monday.
鈥淲e have to fix that for Tuesday (the team鈥檚 next scheduled action),鈥� he said.
Asked if the 12-0 loss was the result of a letdown after giving up a lead and the eventual win to the same Beavers the night earlier, Mizzell said that shouldn鈥檛 have been a factor Sunday.
鈥淚 would hope not. That was a tough loss, but you鈥檝e got to be mentally tougher than that,鈥� he said.
Mizzell said scores don鈥檛 matter when you lose.
鈥淎 loss is a loss to me whether it鈥檚 one-run, or 12-runs,鈥� he said.
Friday night blow-out
Moose Jaw was at Jubilee Park Friday and actually took the early lead with a single run in the first inning.
But the Miller Express lead evaporated quickly as the Cardinals sent 11 to the plate in the home half of the first inning, plating six.
Yorkton would add one in the second, a leadoff home run by Hector Quinones, then two in the third, to secure a 9-1 win.
Eric Nerl went seven as the Cardinal starter, allowing only four hits, and the single earned run for the win.
Quinones, Landon Briscoe and Carter Handford would all have two RBI nights in the lopsided win.
Road split
Last Tuesday (June 2) the Cardinals were in Swift Current where the host Indians took a 2-0 lead in the home half of the second, then added two in the sixth and one in the eighth on their way to a 5-1 win over Yorkton.
Cardinal starter Aaron Dick was tagged with the loss going six complete, allowing nine hits, four runs, three of those earned while striking out four.
Griff Goyer had the lone RBI for Yorkton.
A night later it was the Cards who took a 2-0 lead, this time scoring the runs in the third in Moose Jaw. The runs came on a two-run homer by Tristin Rizek.
The Miller Express would chop the lead in half with a run in the third, but that would be all the host team could manage, while the Cards added a ninth inning run for a 3-1 win.
Max Chadsey would start and earn the win for the Cardinals tossing five innings, allowing only three hits and the lone earned run, while walking three and striking out one.
Michael Schofield pitched the ninth for a save.
Up next
The Cardinals were scheduled to host Okotoks last night (Tuesday), but results were not available at press time. The same teams hook-up at Jubilee Park tonight (Wednesday).
With the losses to Weyburn Mizzell was asked if the Cardinals were in a 鈥榤ust earn a split鈥� against the perennially tough Dawgs?
鈥淚鈥檓 looking for a sweep,鈥� said the Cardinal coach. 鈥淚 believe this is one of the best teams in the WMBL. Now the guys have got to come out and prove it.鈥�
Thursday Swift Current rolls into Yorkton, and Saturday the Regina Red Sox visit.
The Cardinals travel to Moose Jaw Sunday, then return to host Lethbridge next Tuesday and Wednesday (June 16 and 17).
