The Alexander's Junior Cardinals opened their current season with a double header against the Westmen Diamond Dawgs at Jubilee Park Saturday afternoon.
Yorkton won the first game 3-1. Assistant coach Mark Jacobs ascribes the win to the Junior Cardinals' phenomenal pitching. Starter Logan Calanchie struck out eight or nine batters, Jacobs reports.
In addition to solid pitching from Calanchie and Colby Parachoniak, the Cardinals' defense proved to be strong too, says Jacobs. "One run over seven innings is pretty damn good. Take it every time," he declares.
In the second game both teams made a few errors admits Junior Cardinals head coach Brian Trollope. The team was starting to hit the ball better in the second game, he reports.
With only one practice behind them so far this season the team was a little rusty but Trollope believes the team will get stronger as the season progresses.
The Junior Cardinals played four new kids this weekend and are waiting for several more players to sign up, building a good, strong nucleus for the whole season, Trollope states. The new players include Andrew Minchuk, Kent Larson, Brett Kobylka, and fielder and pitcher Jayden Shwaga.
The juniors will play in two leagues again this year to keep everybody sharp and get enough games in, Trollope says.
The Cardinals hitting really started to come around in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Cardinal bats broke the game open to hold on for the win. "They put a new pitcher in and boys were seeing him well," Trollope says.
The aim is to keep improving during the season and to have fun playing baseball, Jacobs offers in closing.
Sunday, the Junior Cardinals travelled to swan River where they blew away the opposition 22-2.
Assistant coach Gary Lamb says the win was a result of strong hitting and a solid defense.
Luke Boechler made some outstanding plays defensively at second base, Lamb reports.
Everybody seemed to hit the ball well. Ross Stillborn had three doubles. Daniel Lamb had a home run, a triple and a single be a double short of the cycle.
Cardinal pitching was as strong as expected. Craig Kinvig came out of nowhere to pitch. Stillborn also threw for several innings.
"They made some errors and when they made an error we seemed to capitalize," Lamb closes.
