Following their 3-30 win over the Saskatoon Yellowjackets, WMBL Yorkton Cardinals fortunes slipped once again as they recorded three losses in their next three contests at home.
The Lethbridge Bulls, in town for a two game series Tuesday and Wednesday evenings set the Cardinals back on their heels with a pair of wins.
Two runs in each of the first three innings and a four run seventh handed the bulls an 11-2 win in the first of two.
Cardinals starter Trevor Daggon, tagged with the loss, gave up six earned runs on seven hits.
Yorkton's runs were scored by James Green and Landon Briscoe.
In game two of the series, the Cardinals and Bulls were tied at three runs apiece after nine innings. Lethbridge managed to score one run in each of the first, fourth and sixth innings. Yorkton scored three runs in the home half of the second frame. It would take extra innings to break the deadlock with the Cardinals putting up a solid defensive effort giving them a shot at a win.
Unfortunately it didn't happen as the Bulls knocked out four runs in the 10th to claim a 7-3 win.
Yorkton starter Ben Sollows worked three innings, giving up five hits for two earned runs.
Yesniel Henriquez pitched five innings giving up one earned run on four hits and struck out two batters.
Reliever Brock Werdel, tagged with the loss, gave up three earned runs in four hits in one inning on the mound.
Closer Robert Rivers gave up one run.
Cardinals' Jon Mihic had a hit, scored a run and drove in an RBI. First baseman Ryan Meek had a hit and scored a run as did Kevin McLeod for Yorkton's three runs.
Thursday evening the Cardinals saw a first inning one run lead evaporate as the hometown Regina Red Sox scored three runs in the third inning and a pair in the seventh to steal a 5-2 win over Yorkton in the first game of a two game series.
Luis Sanchez and Richard Seaton each crossed the plate to score a run for Yorkton, while Meek drove in a run for an RBI.
Yorkton's Sean Gavin, who worked six and a third innings and gave up five runs, three of them earned runs on ten hits, was tagged with the loss.
Once again the Cardinals snapped what appears to be a three game slump with a come-from-behind 6-5 squeaker of a win on the strength of a four run ninth inning.
The Red Sox scored two runs in the third, two in the fifth and added a run in the eighth to lead 5-2 at the top of the ninth.
Cardinal's runs were scored by Green, Mihic, Meek, Seaton, McLeod and Henry Cartagena who each came home once.
Green, Meek, Elfry Abad, Jake Bailey each earned an RBI by driving in a run.
Cardinals' starter Luis Lora worked the mound for six and a third innings, giving up five hits for four runs, one of them an earned run, three bases on balls and struck out three Red Sox batters.
Reliever Rivers who threw for one and two thirds innings, giving up a single earned run on two hits, earned the win.
N.D. Gonzlez closed the final inning for Yorkton holding the opposing Red Sox hitless.
Sunday night the Melville Millionaires claimed a 7-1 win over the Cardinals in Melville in the first game of the home and home series with Yorkton.
The Mils jumped into a one run lead after the opening frame, scored four runs in the home half of the third and added a pair of runs in the sixth while holding Yorkton to a single run in the third inning.
Green who had one hit scored the Cardinal's only run while Cartagena was credited with an RBI.
Yorkton starter Gonzalez, tagged with the loss, gave up five runs, four of them earned runs on five hits and struck out five batters in five innings on the mound.
The Yorkton Cardinals, while remaining in the East Division basement, have improved their record to four wins and 13 losses.
In the second game of the series at Jubilee Park Monday evening, the Millionaires' bats were hot as they pounded out hit after hit on the way to an 11-5 win over Yorkton.
The Mils jumped into the lead with a pair of first inning runs and never looked back, scoring twice in the third and seventh innings, rolling up a four run fourth and adding a single in the sixth.
Yorkton scored a run in the first and seventh and rallying for three runs in the bottom of the ninth for five runs but never really threatened in the game.
Jake Bailey led the offense for Yorkton with two runs off two hits and a base on ball in three trips to the plate.
Green Sanchez and McLeod each added a run while Green Mihic and Briscoe picked up an RBI apiece.
Cardinals' starter Trevor Daggon, who was tagged with the loss, worked six innings giving up nine runs, six earned runs a base on balls and threw five strikeouts.
Ghazaleh Sailors closed the last three innings giving up a pair of unearned runs and a walk.
Yorkton Cardinals head coach Bill Sobkow, understandably disappointed with the outcome, says he'd prefer to see the desperation hitting by the team in the ninth innings occur at the beginning of the game rather than coming up short at the end. "A little bit of 'scrap' at the end is just not good enough," he declares.
Opposing teams are consistently hitting the ball and scoring runs on the Cardinals, says Sobkow. Their fielding is also better. "Everything is being done better than what we are doing," he suggests.
"If we think that we're going to win some baseball games, we're going to have to shore things up and play much better," Sobkow states. The Cardinals have to improve fielding, hitting and everything in order to be much better and to match the skill level of the opposing teams.
The Cardinals will pick up two new players to replace the four that have left, who include two injured pitchers and a pair of fielders. Sobkow hopes the new players will help to make the team a little more competitive.
