The Yorkton Cardinal鈥檚 Western Major Baseball League season came to an end last Thursday.
The Cards were eliminated from the playoffs by the Regina Red Sox in game four of their best-of-five set.
Yorkton lost games one and two in Regina, but extended the series Tuesday night with a win at Jubilee Field.
After dropping the first two games of the series in Regina, the Cardinals took advantage of a great pitching performance by Codi Scanlon to push the series to a Game Four.
Scanlon went the distance weaving a four-hitter to shut-out the Sox. He also struck out five, and walked a quartet.
The Cardinals would wait until the eighth inning to score a pair of runs off Regina starter Jessie Pratt who also went the distance (eight innings) and allowed only four hits, while also striking out five.
John Whaley picked up both runs batted in.
The teams were to play Game Four last Wednesday, but was it was postponed until Thursday due to rain.
Regina scored one in the fourth for an early lead, but Michael Scofield got that back for Yorkton with a solo home run in the seventh.
But the Cardinals, with only 13 players, would not force a Game Five as the Red Sox plated four unanswered runs in the eighth for a 5-1 win.
Camran Bonnema went seven as the Cardinal starter allowing five hits, one earned run and having five strikeouts.
Derek Marshall would be tagged with the loss. He started on the hill in the eighth, but last only two-thirds on an innings, allowing two hits, walking one, and giving up the four runs, none of those earned.
The Cardinals were plagued in the series by a short bench, missing a number of players who simply left the team before the playoff series was over.
Those missing in action included coach Kameron Mizzell.
鈥淗e was unable to stay for the rest of the series. It was unfortunate he had some flight problems,鈥� offered long-time Cardinal manager Bill Sobkow.
As for players, the roster was depleted by four injuries shortening seasons, then two players left for their own reasons earlier in the season, and four more as the regular season drew to a close.
Asked what can be done about early departures, Sobkow said in the documentation between team and players before the season starts is a contract the player signs which lays out they are expected to be with the Cardinals through the regular season and any playoff games the team plays.
As for Mizzell leaving Sobkow said it was disappointing from a former player, who was looking to start his coaching career.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we offered him, a start to his coaching career,鈥� he said, adding that door is certainly closed with the Cards now.
As for the players who left, Sobkow said it was a case of them 鈥渁ll speaking with fork tongues.鈥�
That all said, Sobkow said he was proud of the 13 players who stayed and battled the Red Sox so hard.
In the case of Scanlon鈥檚 big win, it was just what the team needed to stay alive.
鈥淲e had to have a good pitching performance,鈥� said Sobkow.
In terms of the overall season Sobkow said the Cardinals showed a lot of positive signs, even if the team finished with a 20-28 record for a .417 winning percentage. He pointed to team defence where the Cardinals went from 85 errors in 2014, to 65 this season.
