The Bantam AAA Cardinals pulled off their first victory in six games against the Edmonton Cardinals on Canada Day.
The St. Albert red birds, with home field advantage, won a blow-out game of 9-0 against a struggling Edmonton team.
Coming off a six-game losing streak, the success was important for the squad.
“It was a big win for us tonight,” head coach Dave Maguire said. “We really needed that.”
St. Albert played a strong defensive game, not allowing Edmonton to get on base until the third inning. With almost no field errors, there was little chance for Edmonton to score a run.
“I think one of the things we have been working on is trying to stay focused and minimize errors and of course hit the ball,” Maguire said.
And hit the ball they did. St Albert opened their offence in the bottom of the first with a rocket to left field from Davis Pratt, driving in two runs and earning himself a triple.
“We’ve played some good teams and haven’t played up to our potential,” said Maguire. “We had a good game on Sunday and we built on that for tonight.”
The red birds thwarted any offence Edmonton could generate, even between pitches. They pulled off an impressive rundown in the bottom of the seventh, catching Edmonton in a pickle trying to steal second.
The away team’s field errors did not help their cause. A catching error cost them a run when St. Albert’s Colton Girard barrelled home, giving them more insurance against the opposition.
In an attempt to transform their luck, Edmonton saw three pitching changes during the seven innings and made an impromptu pull to a fielder after an error on a fly ball.
Inconsistency had been the biggest struggle for the Cardinals this season before Wednesday’s triumph.
“We will get a good game on the mound and then we won’t hit the ball, or we will hit the ball and then maybe we will make a few errors,” Maguire said. “It’s just about getting into that consistency zone.”
The victory came at a good time for the home team as they are nearing the end of the schedule and attempting to make a push for a playoff position. The squad hopes this game is a forecast of what is to come for the rest of their season.
For the remainder of the schedule the Cardinals will be playing teams who are either below them in the league or who are close to them in the standings, allowing for the possibility of advancing their position.
“We are the masters of our own destiny and we have to go on a winning streak,” Maguire said.
This weekend the team is travelling down to Okotoks for a tournament and the following weekend they will find themselves in Saskatoon for another contest. Maguire takes the team to these tournaments to get more practice and further develop their skills.
“Baseball is a game of repetition,” Maguire said. “The more games that you play and the more you can correct things here and there, the better you get.”
St. Albert’s next league game is a rematch against the Edmonton Cardinals on July 14 at Legion Memorial Ball Park.
