The Western Major Baseball League season has gotten off to a rocky start for the Yorkton Cardinals, with a pair of games already postponed due to rain, and zero wins in three outings the team did manage to get played.
The Cardinals kicked off the season last Thursday in Moose Jaw losing 9-3 to the Miller Express at Ross Wells Park.
Austin Skelhorn was the losing pitcher for Yorkton, with Moose Jaw鈥檚 Mitchell Robinson taking the win.
At the plate Yorkton鈥檚 Ryne Niemi went three-for-four with three runs batted in.
Cardinal head coach John Farrington said the rather one-sided loss was not the start they were looking for but take away the three runs the Beavers scored in the eighth inning and they were in the game.
Farrington said the team was barely together before that first game 鈥渟o we鈥檙e getting to know each other,鈥� and that included knowing just what role each player will be most suited to this season.
Sunday the Cardinals renewed their Highway 10 rivalry with a visit to Pirie Field in Melville to take on the Millionaires.
The host Mills jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back adding four runs in the fourth and one in the eighth in a 7-2 win.
Ryan Thrasher was tagged with the loss for Yorkton, while Alex DeBell recorded the win on the mound for Melville.
鈥淥bviously we wanted to come out on top,鈥� said Farrington, but again the difference was one big inning, this time the four-run fourth.
It hasn鈥檛 helped early on that the Cardinals are waiting on the arrival of some of their pitchers.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a little bit short on pitching right now,鈥� said Farrington, adding 鈥溾�� right now we don鈥檛 have a lot of options.鈥�
The Cardinals finally kicked off their home season at Jubilee Park Monday hosting Weyburn.
The Beavers scored one in the top of the first inning, with the Cardinals managing to tie the score with a run in the home half of the second.
The teams traded single runs in the fifth.
But then the Beavers edged ahead getting two in the sixth, while Yorkton managed only one run in their half of the frame.
Weyburn would add three on a home run in the eighth after a rain delay in the seventh for a 7-3 win.
The rain delay was hard on the Cardinals as the tarps came out when they had runners on second and third and only one out. When play resumed they couldn鈥檛 get the hit they needed, said Farrington, adding in the eighth they gave up the three-run homer that sealed their fate.
The Cardinals will look to get on the winning track with four home games this week. Melville was scheduled to visit this morning, (Wednesday), for an 11 a.m. game with 700 students expected to be in the stands.
Thursday and Friday the perennially tough team from Swift Current is in Yorkton, with Regina here Saturday.
