The Yorkton Cardinal Western Major Baseball (WMBL) regular season many have ended with a win Saturday, but they will still miss the playoffs.

Yorkton finished the season with a 14-32 record, 20 games off the league leading pace of the Regina Red Sox who had a .739 winning percentage this year going 34-12.

Melville finished second in the division 10 back of Regina, while Weyburn was third, 14 back.

The Cardinals’ final game saw the WMBL’s best team over the regular season, Regina, roll into Jubilee Park.

The Red Sox started fast plating one run in the top of the first inning, and for most of the game that run held up.

It wasn’t until the eighth inning the Cardinals finally managed to score, getting three runs, one coming on an error and another on a wild pitch.

But the three runs would prove enough as the Cardinals hung on for the 3-1 win.

Jamie Whitehead started for Yorkton throwing six innings allowing only the one run on three hits before giving way to Corey Thompson who held the Sox to one hit over the final three innings for the win.

Cardinal manager Bill Sobkow said the final game of the season was typical of what the team faced all season, and proved an old adage regarding the sport too.

“Baseball … if your team can score some runs and the other team is forced to make some errors like they did, then you can win some ball games,” he said.

Sobkow added “tonight was very typical for this season. For seven innings we weren’t getting any hits, we weren’t getting any walks. Their pitchers were basically dominating us. That happened all year long.”

Last Thursday, the Cardinals had a strong pitching performance from Logan Hershenow and Gabe Cook, who combined to give up only three runs.

Hershenow started and went six innings giving up only two earned runs, with Cook finishing the game.

But it was a wasted effort as Yorkton was held scoreless by Moose Jaw starter Drew Evans, who went the distance allowing only five hits.

If there is a silver-lining to the season for Yorkton it is that the majority of players were college freshmen, and that means they could come back next season with a year of development, and help provide a core to the team, said Sobkow.

As it was catcher Troy Bell told Sobkow he would be back in the midst of the Yorkton This Week interview.

“I’m feeling there’s going to be a lot more,” said the Cardinal manager.

Playoffs

Regina now meets Weyburn in a Divisional playoff best-of-five.

Locally the Melville Millionaires, by virtue of their second place finish in the East Devision, are in the playoffs. The Mills face the Moose Jaw Miller Express, who crossover from the Central Division.

The first playoff round schedule for Melville is;

Game 1: Tuesday, July 31 @ MEL (7:05PM)

Game 2: Wednesday, August 1 @ MEL (7:05PM)

Game 3: Thursday, August 2 @ MJ (7:05PM)

Game 4: Friday, August 3 @ MJ (7:05PM) *

Game 5: Saturday, August 4 @ MEL (7:05PM) *