The Yorkton Cardinals are one win away from advancing to the East Division final in the Western Major Baseball League after a 6-1 win at Jubilee Park last night.
The six runs was solid from the Cardinal offence, but the story of the game was pitcher Justin Johnson.
Johnson would go the distance, allowing only three hits over nine innings, and the one earned run which plated in the eighth. He walked five, and struck out four.
“I had a good fastball. It was moving,” said Johnson, who was all smiles after the complete game performance.
The Cardinal defence played its role too.
“Defence is part of my game,” said Johnson. “If I didn’t have a good defence I wouldn’t be effective at all.”
Johnson said that is one advantage of pitching at Jubilee Park, the field is expansive keeping all but the deepest fly balls in the park where the defence can track them down.
Johnson said early on he walked a couple, but as the game wore on he got in a groove. The couple of times he did look a bit off Cardinal coach Bryn Biancalana was quick to pop out of the dugout for a word with his pitcher.
“It was just to calm me down, to settle me down a bit,” said Johnson, adding “he’s been helping me all season long with the mental part of the game.”
The Cardinals had 10 hits at the plate, and took eight walks. They took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the second, added another run in the fourth, then tacked on four in the fifth on their way to the win.
Third baseman Dylan Borman led the way with three runs batted in, with catcher Hunter Hisky adding two ribbies.
Game three of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Regina tonight, with game four, if necessary, Thursday in the Queen City.
