The Alexander Mens Wear Junior Cardinals went into the Victoria Day long weekend on the upside following a 18-3 victory over the Parkland Padres on home field last Thursday night. That game followed a come-from-behind win at Canora two nights earlier.
In a game that saw everybody on the roster sheet make five at-bats except for the pitchers, Logan Calanchie and Kent Larsen, Yorkton cranked out a total of 10 hits.
Their offence exploded like a bomb in their half of the third inning, scoring nine unanswered runs and then adding two more in the fourth.
Parkland responded with one in the fifth inning and added two more in the sixth.
Newcomer to the Yorkton Cardinals Craig Kinvig, and veteran Scott Sharp, contributed with three runs each and the team's offensive appetite could hardly be contained as seven players combined for eight stolen bases.
While Justin Stupak hit six RBIs and Ross Stilborn hit for three.
Brian Trollope, head coach of the Cardinals, said score was mainly due to the visiting Padres not having their top pitchers available that night and also because it is still early in the season, most teams don't have their full rosters available.
"This was their first game of the year. Their main pitchers weren't available."
Meanwhile the Cardinals bullpen saw Calanchie and Larsen pitch three innings each, facing a combined total of 24 batters and throwing 13 strikeouts.
Of his own team's performance, things are looking up as the team has played very well in their three contests so far, says Trollope.
Yorkton led for the duration of the game which went six innings, Trollope said.
"Our batting is coming around and the sportsmanship is good, too," he said.
Yorkton won the game using two pitchers, Calanchie and Larsen.
They finished the game with two errors to the Padres four. Two days earlier, Yorkton trekked north to Canora to take on the Supers, who had quite the inning in the second, where they scored each of their seven runs, however, the visiting Cardinals clawed their way back to tie the game in the seventh.
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Yorkton would end up winning by a score of 9-7. Stilborn led the scoring with a pair, while Calanchie, Stupak, Scott Sharp, Dalane Lamb, Jayden Shwaga and Travis Nesbitt all had single runs scored.
Stupak started the game, pitched two innings and gave up seven runs on seven hits, all were earned. Colby Parachoniak came out in relief, pitched five innings, allowed two hits and no runs.
Canora totalled five errors in the game, Yorkton committed one, but were out-hit 9-8.
The Cardinals are next in action for two games this week, both will be played on home diamond.
Last night they were scheduled to host Willowbrook and tomorrow night against the Melville Bison; both games are South East Senior Baseball League action (SESBL). Results of the Tuesday meeting were not available in time for press. Tomorrow's games is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m., start.
Trollope said that the Cardinals will once again play in two different leagues this spring/summer. The Regina Junior Optimist League will continue this year with three Regina-based clubs: the Athletics, Dodgers and Red Sox. Out of town clubs will include Raymore, Southey, Weyburn, Yorkton and this year will mark the return of the Moose Jaw Eagles to the league following a year off, explains Trollope.
Standings for the Regina Optimist League can be found at http://ballcharts.com/teams/standings.php?team=MooseJawEagles.
Yorkton's team will also include a SESBL schedule which will have them play games in and around the Parkland area and will take them on road trips to Manitoba as well. The SESBL will include Swan River, Canora, Willowbrook, Melville and the Parkland Padres.
Also announced earlier in the spring, the Saskatchewan Baseball Association has awarded Yorkton with the 2011 Junior AAA Provincial Championship, July 29- August 1.
