The Western Major Baseball League season is over for the Yorkton Cardinals.
The local franchise struggled throughout the 2018 season finishing with a winning percentage of .298, based on 14–wins and 33–losses, finishing fifth in the loop’s East Division, a whopping 22.5-games back of front-running Weyburn with a 37-11 record. Yorkton was 8.5-games out of a playoff spot, behind fourth place Moose Jaw, and up 2.5 games on basement dwelling Melville.
The Cardinals actually improved on their 2017 record of 10-38, for a .208 winning percentage when they were last in the WMBL East.
Final home stand
Last Wednesday Yorkton hosted Moose Jaw, taking a one-run lead over the visiting Miller Express in the first inning thanks to a lead-off home run by second baseman Colin Kellington.
Yorkton would plate three runs in the fourth to lead 4-0 before Moose Jaw hit the board plating a single run in the seventh.
Yorkton matched the Miller Express with a run of their own in the seventh, and then added another run in the eighth to go up 6-1.
In the ninth the Miller Express made a little noise in trying to get back into it plating two runs, but fell short losing the contest 6-3.
Owen Steele took the win on the mound for Yorkton as the starter. He went seven innings, scattering nine hits and allowing only one earned run, while striking out five. It was Steele’s second win of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.14 over 49 innings.
Thursday Yorkton hosted Regina for a doubleheader.
Game one was a stellar pitching duel with Brian Raymond starting on the mound for Regina against Parker Hubbard for the Cardinals.
In the WMBL doubleheader games are scheduled for only seven innings, but after seven neither team had scored, and both starting pitchers were still dealing.
The two starters would go through nine innings of scoreless ball, with Raymond getting the win after the Red Sox plated three in the 10th inning to win 3-0. He had allowed eight hits, struck out nine and walked only one.
Hubbard would take the loss dropping his record to 2-2 on the season, but lowered his ERA to an even 3.00 over 37.1 innings. He had gave up only four hits, one walk and had four strikeouts.
In game two, the wheels fell off for Regina early, giving up eight first inning runs, aided by four hot batters by Red Sox starter Pat Machibroda, who lasted only two-thirds of an inning giving up four hits, walking three and allowing eight runs, all of them earned.
Yorkton would score two more for an eventual 10-1 win.
Andrew Cisneros earned his first win of the season for the Cardinals, going the seven-inning distance, allowing four hits, and giving up one unearned run.
Final road swing
Friday the Cardinals were in Swift Current to face the 57s, getting off to a good start scoring five runs in the second inning for an early lead, thanks to Colin Kellington who hit his fourth home run of the season, a grand slam effort.
The 57s got four of those runs back in the third, than pulled ahead with five runs in the fourth on their way to an 11-5 victory.
Logan MacDougall, started the game on the mound for Yorkton, lasting only 3.2 innings, giving up two hits, two walks and eight runs, four of those earned, to be tagged with the loss.
The teams met again Saturday, trading two-run efforts in the third inning.
Yorkton added three in the sixth, and one in the seventh to go up 6-2, only to see the 57s score three in the eighth and one in the ninth to knot the score, sending the game to extra innings.
The Cardinals would put up a four spot in the 11th inning, and then hold the host team scoreless for a 10-6 road win.
Ryne Niemi would lead the Cardinal offence with a home run, and three runs-batted-in.
Wryland McKnight was the winning pitcher based on one inning of relief work.
The Cardinals would use five pitchers in relief of starter Chris Cook who went 6.1 innings, allowing 10 hits, but only two runs.
The same teams tangled Sunday in the regular season finale, a game where the offences exploded with the 57s winning 22-9.
The game was one where the last place Cardinals made sure players got into some action, as the team used nine pitchers who combined to allow 18 hits, and walk 13.
Among the pitching crew was Ryne Niemi who tossed two-thirds of an inning.
Niemi would play the role of Swiss army knife in the game also spending time at first, second, third, shortstop and catcher in the infield, and out in left field as well.
It would be a memorable day for Jared McDonald as well, as he hit his first home run of the season.
