The Alexander's Menswear Yorkton Junior Cardinals picked up their season at home over the weekend in a place they hadn't been too familiar with since their last home date back on June 3 when they hosted the Yorkton Yankees.
With nine cancelled or postponed games, the Junior Cardinals were finally able to play one out on home turf when the Regina Athletics came to Yorkton Sunday for a matinee doubleheader at Jubilee Park.
Even better news was that they were able to bounce back in formidable fashion to win game two convincingly 14-0.
They were handed a 5-1 setback in the opener.
In both games, Yorkton loaded the bases.
In game one, they stranded all three runners.
In game two, they drove in five runs.
That was the difference in the two meetings, insists Garry Lamb, Cardinals co-coach.He added that he wasn't worried about any setbacks due to games being not played and said when this team brings its 'A' game, they are going to be tough to stop regardless of who the opponent happens to be.
Lamb also talked about how when things go wrong, even for a few minutes in any particular inning, it can make a world of difference in the ball game.
"In the first game we had two bad innings. We've been struggling to get the guys to show up (too)," he noted.
Over the course of the season schedule, Yorkton's Juniors started off on May 13 and had played seven games, three at home.
Since then, Lamb said there have been almost 10 others get cancelled.
"Today was just one of those things," he suggested, referring to the score of game one.Things did not get much better for Yorkton in that game.
Starting pitcher Colby Parachoniak had to be taken from the game only two innings in, due to a shoulder injury.
Despite the slow start and the injury, Lamb isn't worried.
"No," he replied. "We have a good ball team here. When we click, we click."
That was a good explanation of what went down when the two teams met for the last half of their weekend date, a 14-0 pounding of the big city team.
He said it was a good challenge for his team but they still made a few mistakes in the opener that he said they will have to start working on, namely stranding nine base runners.That helped shape the final score, Lamb said.
Yorkton didn't spend much time worrying about the mistakes or the final score or anything else negative from game one because when the second game rolled around, the redbirds rebounded like it was game seven of the World Series and it wasn't even close.
There were no solo efforts in this one, either he said.
"Actually everybody (played well)," Lamb told the paper. "Everybody hit the ball well."
He went on to explain that the mistakes made in the first game seemed to correct themselves in the rematch.
In the first inning of game one, Yorkton loaded the bases and stranded all three, in game two, they capitalized and scored five runs.
Yorkton is in for a busy week this week when they are scheduled to play four games. Three games are on the road and they play at home this Saturday.
Tuesday has them hosting the Melville Bison however results were not available in time for press. On Thursday (June 24), they play Willowbrook at home on Jubilee Park diamond two, slated for a 6:15 p.m., start.
On Saturday they play the Swan River Reds on Jubilee diamond two as action gets underway at 2 p.m., and they do not stop there as their pinstriped rivals, the Yankees will meet up with them, 6:15 p.m., on the same diamond.
Following the Yankees/Cardinals matchup, the redbirds head out on the road to take on the Regina Red Sox at Optimist Park park in a Regina-based doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
