The Yorkton Cardinals have completed the 2016 Western Major Baseball League season with the best record in franchise history, with a 28-19 record.
The record left the Cardinals in second spot in the WMBL East four back of front-running Swift Current, and 1.5 games up on third place Regina.
Weyburn rounds out the top four, which are headed to the playoffs.
Missing the cut is Moose Jaw which finished fifth, 13-games back of Swift Current, and sixth place Melville 21.5 games back.
Season-ending loss
Yorkton headed down Highway #10 to face rival Melville for the Cardinals final regularly scheduled game of the WMBL regular season.
Yorkton scored a run in the first inning to take an early lead, only to have Meville knot the score with one of their own in the bottom of the same frame.
The Millionaires jumped to the lead with a four-spot in the fourth inning, including back-to-back homes runs from Braeden Allemann and Harrison Hull to take a 5-1 lead.
The Cardinals drew within one scoring three in the fifth, but that was it for scoring as the Mills prevailed 5-4.
Luke Lucas was the Cardinals starter, going the distance, scattering six hits over eight innings, giving up five runs, all of them earned. He struck out four.
Michael Harrison was the winning pitcher as the Melville starter going seven innings, allowing eight hits, four runs, all of them earned, while striking out six.
Jayden Murray picked up the save for the Millionaires striking out the side in a scoreless ninth.
Record breaking
Regina was at Jubilee Park Thursday for a game with playoff implications.
The Cardinals started with a pair in the first, but the Red Sox cut the lead in half with one in the third, tying the game with another in the fourth.
The tie was short-lived as Yorkton added one of their own in the home-half of the fourth to regain the lead 3-2.
But it was the seventh inning that was the difference, as the Cardinals plated five runs.
Regina would add one run late in the 8-3 Yorkton win.
Luke Wilkinson hit a rare grand slam in the seventh, giving the Cardinals a healthy lead, and etching his name in the Cardinal record book twice. The round tripper was his eighth of the season setting a new club mark eclipsing the old Cardinal record of seven, a mark shared by Zack Anderson (2008), Andrew Haake (2009, Ken Merrill (2004) and Ray Bearden (2004).
The four runs batted-in gave Wilkinson 43 on the season, which also set a new team mark, passing the all-time record of 40 set by Ken Merrill in 2004.
“It was a huge accomplishment to me,” said Wilkinson, who noted in his second at-bat at college he has a season ending injury.
“I had to relearn hitting before coming up here,” he said, adding “I struggled the first half of the season.”
But Wilkinson said he had “one goal” from the outset with the Cardinals, to set the records.
“I am very, very proud doing that,” he said.
Going into the final games of the season Wilkinson said he was aware he was on the verge of setting new marks.
“It was something at the back of my mind when I was at seven (home runs),” he said, adding he knew he was also only one RBI away as well.
When he came up with the bases-loaded Wilkinson noted, “It was my first RBI situation in 15 at-bats, so I had to make it count.”
The pitch Wilkinson sent deep was a fastball.
“I didn’t know it was out right away. The ball doesn’t carry that well here,” he said, but added by the time he rounded first he was aware the records were his.
Max Biedrzycki was the Cardinal starter, going seven innings, striking out six, while allowing three hits, and two runs, both unearned.
The win secured home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Wednesday split
Weyburn were at Jubilee Park in Yorkton last Wednesday for doubleheader action.
The first game was a make-up game for a rained out affair July 23.
It would prove to be the Cole Feazell game as the Weyburn starter went the distance in the seven inning contest, allowing only one hit and walking no one, while striking out four as the Beavers won 6-0.
Justin Johnston was the Cardinal starter, lasting six innings. He scattered five hits, and five runs, but only one of this earned as Yorkton committed three errors in the game.
The second contest of the evening was the regularly scheduled contest.
The Beavers scored one in the first and another in the third before the Cardinals got on track at the plate with four in the fourth, which would prove the difference in the 4-2 win.
Jamie Whitehead would start and go four for Yorkton, but would be gone in favour of Spencer Jackson by the time of the Cardinal rally. Jackson would not allow a hit, walking one and striking out three for the win.
Dylan Borman would have a bases loaded double in the fourth, earning two runs-batted-on, with Garrett Fort also scoring on an error by the Beaver third baseman.
Borman would eventually score on a put out to first in the frame.
