It was a slow and steady pace that allowed the senior Cardinals to deliver a blowout loss to the Pirates.
The last place, and winless, Edmonton Pirates were handed a 10-3 loss by the fourth place St. Albert Cardinals. The red birds picked up a big win after their own devastating 0-9 loss against the Westlock Red Lions.
“We are back on the winning track and everybody was contributing,” Dave Edwards, co-manager, said.
The game opened up in the bottom of the second when the home team loaded the bases and two consecutive singles drove in the first two runs.
The Pirates responded in the fourth when they managed to enthusiastically take the lead in the game — and one of their few leads all season long.
The home team fought back and by the end of the inning had piled on another five runs, burying the challenger 7-3. The Pirates pitching struggled against the experienced home team when, after loading the bases, the pitcher walked two consecutive runs home. A pitching change was made but three more runs were hit in before the inning wrapped up.
“We got the hits when we needed the hits and we made all the defensive plays we needed to play,” Edwards said. “We were just sharp enough to make the right things happen.”
The red birds continued to fight off the floundering Pirates when Edwards struck out the next three batters at the plate. The assault continued when the home team went on the offensive and scored three more runs before the competition could put a stop to the damage.
“We had hits all through the lineup,” Edwards said. “I think everybody had a hit tonight so we will take that confidence into the next one.”
Neither team gave up the fight and continued to battle for runs until the bitter end. In the final inning the Pirates refused to walk the plank. When the Cardinals had a rival castaway shipwrecked on first base they tried to throw him out on the lead off, creating a battle between the runner and the pitcher.
“It took a little while to get the bats going and we started out a little slower than we would have liked but they came around when we needed them,” Edwards said.
The Cardinals currently sit fourth in the league with eight wins and six losses. Next week will be the last regular season game against the second place Edmonton Brewers before they begin playoffs.
“They pitch well and we are going to have to hit a little bit better,” Edwards said. “If we can tighten up our defence I don’t think anybody beats us.”
The defending champs have set their expectations high for playoffs. After winning last year they will settle for nothing less than the best.
“We won the whole thing last year so I think we will be expecting to do well again,” Edwards said. “Anything less than a win will probably be a little disappointing.”
The Cardinals play their final game of the season against the Edmonton Brewers on July 25 at 7 p.m. at Legion Memorial Park. Playoffs start August 2 with times and locations to be determined.
