The Yorkton Cardinals may be 4-6 over their last 10 Western Major Baseball League, but with only three games left in the season will miss the playoffs for a third straight season.
"When I set up this team here in March and April I thought we were going to be strong enough to win a (playoff) spot," said Cardinal manager Bill Sobkow.
However, as the season wore on Sobkow said carrying 13 college freshmen proved to give the Cardinals too little experience compare to other clubs who carried only four, or five. He said that may change how he recruits next season.
Regardless of the reasons, Sobkow said missing the playoffs again is not very palatable.
"It's equally frustrating as the other two (seasons). I'm disappointed that we can't get into the playoffs," he said.
The Cardinals sit with a record of 13-30, 19-games behind East Division-leading Regina who sport a 30-9 record, best in the WMBL.
Melville is second in the East 9-games back of the lead, with Weyburn third 12.5-games back.
The Cardinals were in action at Jubilee Park Monday night, hosting Saskatoon.
The Yellowjackets took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but a trio of runs in the fourth gave Yorkton a 4-3 lead.
Saskatoon tied it with a single run in the fifth, only to have Yorkton retaking the lead with two in the home half of the same inning.
A pair of runs by Saskatoon tied the game 6-6, with the Yellowjackets scoring the eventual game-winner with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
"We're playing excellent baseball. We're fielding well, and scoring some runs," said Sobkow.
Sobkow points to Monday's game where the Cardinals scored six, but couldn't defence the final run.
"They ended up getting the sac fly," he said, adding it was still a game where the Cardinals played well, and could have come out with a win.
Saturday and Sunday the Medicine Hat Mavericks were at Jubilee Park in the city taking both games from the host Cardinals.
Saturday Brayon Colley and Tory Bell each had solo Cardinal home runs in the 7-2 loss.
Corey Thompson took the loss for Yorkton based on an eight inning performance where he allowed all seven runs on nine hits.
Sunday afternoon the Mavericks would win 9-5, with Gabe Cook taking the loss based in a six-inning start allowing 12 hits and seven runs -- four of those earned.
Yorkton was back in action Sunday evening hosting Melville in a make-up game.
The Cardinals scored five runs in the third and three in the fourth on the way to an 8-3 win.
Francis Rodriquez and Andrew Tindell both had three RBI efforts for the Cardinals.
Jamie Whitehead went the distance on the mound for Yorkton. He scattered seven hits, and the three runs, only two of them earned, while striking out two for the win.
Last Wednesday (July 18), the Cardinals were in Saskatoon, where Yorkton starter Logan Hershenow would go seven strong innings scattering seven hits and allowing only two earned runs for an eventual 4-2 win, with save help from Corey Thompson.
A night later the teams matched up in Saskatoon again.
It looked like Yorkton was on its way to another win, holding a 4-1 lead into the eighth inning, but a five-run outburst by the Yellowjackets gave the home team a two-run lead.
The Cardinals would score one in the ninth, but lose 6-5.
Michael McCue took the loss based on only two-thirds of an inning of relief work, where he gave up six hits and a walk, while allowing five earned runs.
Up next
The Cardinals were scheduled to play in Regina last night (Tuesday), but results were not available at presstime.
Yorkton will wrap up its 2012 season hosting Moose Jaw Thursday, and Regina Saturday.
