The Yorkton Cardinals are in a log jam in the Saskatchewan Division of the Western Major Baseball League.
The Cardinals have a 9-14 record to sit in fourth spot, one game up on Swift Current and 2.5 games behind third place Moose Jaw.
Overall Weyburn leads the Division by four games over Regina, 6.5 on Moose Jaw, 7.5 on the Cardinals, 9.5 over Swift Current and 10.5 on cellar dwelling Melville.
The Cardinals have struggled of late going two-and-eight in their last 10, but one of their wins came in the opener of a double-header at Jubilee Park Saturday. The twin-bill was scheduled after a rain-out of the teams Friday eve.
In the opener Codi Scanlon tossed a seven-inning complete game win allowing only four hits, walking one and striking out eight.
The offence had given Scanlon a one-run lead in the first, then padded that lead with a quintet of runs in the fourth for a 6-0 win.
Cardinal coach Kameron Mizzell said Scanlon had a great game.
鈥淗e finished hot out for us. He kept the hitters off balance,鈥� he said.
In the second game it appeared Rodney McKay was going to repeat Scanlon鈥檚 shut-out performance.
The Cardinals gave McKay a 1-0 lead in the fourth and that looked like it might be enough.
But in the sixth Nick Day took McKay deep for a solo home run to knot the score.
The long ball would then prove the difference as Kevin Czarnecki blasted a three-run shot in the seventh for the Indians to give the visitors a 4-1 lead. The Cardinals could not manage to respond in their half of the seventh to leave the game at 4-1.
McKay would go 6.2 innings in the loss, giving up seven hits, four earned runs, and striking out nine.
Mizzell said the team has played well at times, but has not found the consistency to get on a roll.
鈥淭oday we played good baseball,鈥� he said following the doubleheader, then added they still found runs hard to find in game two.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 win a game with only one run.鈥�
As for McKay Mizzell said he put in a good effort, adding 鈥淚 think I left him in too long. That鈥檚 on me.鈥�
The Weyburn Beavers chewed up the Cardinal bats Thursday, shutting out the visitors.
Meanwhile the host Beavers would score five in the first, add three in the second and coast to a 10-0 win.
Eric Nerl was the Yorkton starter, throwing six innings. He allowed 10 hits, eight runs, only three of those earned with four strikeouts.
Loss at home
The Cardinals started with a run in the home half of the first inning last Wednesday in Yorkton, but the visiting Moose Jaw Miller Express knotted the score with one of their own in the third.
Moose Jaw would add-on two in the seventh and one in the eighth for a 4-1 road win.
Camran Bonnema was tagged with the loss as the Cardinal starter. He went seven innings, scattering nine hits, and three runs, all of those earned, with five strikeouts.
It was a slug fest in Weyburn last Tuesday (June 23).
The Beavers struck for one in the home half of the first inning, then added a six-pack in the third, and a pair in the fourth to take a 9-0 lead.
The Cardinals fought back with five in the fifth, fourth in the sixth, and one in the seventh to take a 10-9 lead.
But the Beavers fought back with four in the home half of the seventh to take back the lead 13-10.
The Cardinals weren鈥檛 finished striking for three more runs in the eighth, and one in the ninth for a 14-13 win.
Luke Wurzelbacher had a four RBI night, while Nick Gotta and Carter Hanford had a pair each.
Aaron Dick started the game for Yorkton, but lasted only four innings allowing 11 hits, nine runs, eight of those earned, with a quartet of strikeouts.
Garrett Osterode would be around to earn the win, based on 2.2 innings of scoreless work.
Up next
The Cardinals were scheduled to play in Melville Tuesday, then host the same Millionaires Canada Day, but with an early deadlines results were not available for either game for this edition.
The two teams will then hook-up for a third straight encounter in Melville Thursday.
Friday the Cards head to Moose Jaw, then return to Jubilee Park to face Melville again Saturday and Sunday.
Mizzell said the string of games with the Millionaires are huge ones for the Cardinals.
鈥淭hose games are very big for us,鈥� he said, adding winning the near series would go a long way toward solidifying the Cardinals playoff hopes.
鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 look ahead. We鈥檝e got to play them one game at a time, one pitch at a time,鈥� he said.
