It鈥檚 only a week into the Western Major Baseball League season, but the Yorkton Cardinals are currently sitting in second spot in the Eastern Conference.
Yorkton has 4-3 record, 1.5 games back of Swift Current, and half-a-game up on Melville, Weyburn and Regina, while Moose Jaw remains winless.
Spilt with Beavers
Friday night the Cardinals scored two in the top of the first inning against the Beavers, and that would prove enough as Cardinal pitcher Justin Johnston would go the distance scattering 10 hits, allowing only one run, it was earned, while walking three and striking out four.
Meanwhile on offence the Cardinals would add one in the fourth, and four more in the sixth for a 7-1 win.
Garret Kizer would lead the Yorkton offence with two hits and two runs-batted-in.
A night later the host Beavers would score two in the second and add three in the third to jump out on top of Yorkton 5-0.
The Cardinals would get on the scoreboard in the fourth with a single run, than add three in the eighth to get within one, but they could not find the tieing run, losing the contest 5-4.
Richard England would be tagged with the loss as the Cardinal starter lasting only 2.2 innings, giving up four hits, walking four, striking out four and giving up five runs, all of them earned.
At-the-plate Cory Cantebury had two hits, one of those a solo home run, and scored two runs to lead the offence.
Swift Current visits
The Cardinals hosted the Indians at Jubilee Park Wednesday and Thursday with the teams splitting the pair.
Wednesday night the Indians put up seven in the second, and never looked back.
Yorkton got a pair back in the third, but Swift Current added four in the sixth and two in the ninth to lead 13-2, before the Cardinals added a three in their half of the ninth to make it 13-5.
Trevor Wallace got the start for Yorkton but lasted only 1.1 innings allowing two hits, walking three and allowing seven runs three of those earned, and taking the loss.
Billy Clapperton had a pair of doubles for the Cardinals, and two runs batted in.
Garrett Fort had a stolen base, his seventh of the young season.
The teams would hook-up Thursday for a rare 11:30 a.m. start, and a Jubilee Field packed with hundreds of school students from around the Parkland Region for a special promotion to have youth attend a WMBL contest.
The visiting Indians tried to dampen the energy of the crowd early scoring a single run in the top half of the first inning, but the Cardinals matched it with a run to tie in the home half of the inning.
Yorkton would add a run in the third and another in the fifth to round out a 3-1 win.
Kody Rock would stand out in front of the large local crowd. The Canora-born pitcher would start on the mound and go the distance for the Cardinals, scattering five hits, allowing only the one run, and it was unearned, while walking two and striking out 10.
鈥淧retty well everything was working well,鈥� said Rock, adding his slider, often his out pitch, was definitely getting past the hitters throughout the game.
Getting a complete game though is unusual in the WMBL.
鈥淚 felt good. They kind of just kept going with me,鈥� said Rock. 鈥淲e were having quick innings and that makes it easier on a guy.鈥�
Rock, a three-year veteran of the Cardinals, says he is hoping for his best season with the team.
鈥淟ast year I was kind of coming off an injury. I feel a lot stronger now,鈥� he said.
Cardinals head coach Bryn Biancalana said coming off a lop-sided loss to the Indians a day earlier, a win in front of all the student spectators was just what they needed.
鈥淚t was very important,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e expected these guys to bounce back. We鈥檝e got a good ball club and that鈥檚 what good teams do.鈥�
That included Rock鈥檚 performance.
鈥淲e knew he was going to be good,鈥� offered Biancala, adding 鈥溾�� It was a big time effort.鈥�
As for sending him out for the entire game, the Cardinal coach said he let his pitcher dictate things in a sense.
鈥淲e kind of left it up to Cody,鈥� he said, noting Rock said he felt fine to complete the task. 鈥淗e lived up to his word.鈥�
Biancalana said while 鈥減itch count is important鈥� as a way to track how a pitcher is king, and when they should be lifted, if a pitcher is in a grove, not labouring, and being effective, it can play less of a role, at least until they near the 120-pitch realm, where you need to think about longer term effect in terms of arm recovery.
On offence Biancalana said the Cardinals are trying to use good team speed to move runners along.
鈥淲e preach that, running the bases well,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to steal runs when we can.鈥�
Last Tuesday
The Cardinals were in the Queen City May 31, to face the Red Sox for the first time this season.
Yorkton broke the scoreless tie with a trio of runs in the fourth inning, but the Sox took one of those back with a run in home half of the inning.
Yorkton added a pair in the sixth, and looked in control 5-1, but the lead would not hold.
Regina rallied with four runs in their half of the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.
It was a short-lived as the Cardinals replied with three in the 10th, although the Red Sox would have two on before going out in their half of frame.
Gavin Collins started the game on the mound for Yorkton, pitching into the ninth, before being relieved by Trevor Wallace. Collins scattered seven hits, giving up only a single unearned run with striking out 11 and walking only two.
Wallace would go two-thirds on an inning giving up two unearned runs.
Richard England would pitch 1.1 innings to complete the game. He gave up two unearned runs, and earned the win.
Offensively Dylan Borman and Hunter Hisky both hit home runs for Yorkton, with Hisky have four runs batted in and Borman a trio.
Garrett Fort had two stolen bases.
Up next
The Cardinals are scheduled to be in Moose Jaw tonight (Wednesday), the host Lethbridge Friday and Melville Saturday, before heading back to Moose Jaw Sunday.
Then next Tuesday and Wednesday Yorkton will visit Swift Current.
