A three-run homer in the seventh inning lifted the midget AAA Cardinals to a 7-4 win against SEEBA 2 at Legion Memorial Park Wednesday night.
After St. Albert tied up the game 4-4 in the fifth, Gray Symington secured the win by clearing the fence in the seventh inning.
“Really, the three-run homer was the highlight for our offence,” said team manager C.J. Jayasekera.
“We didn’t have a very good offence until then, but I think we scrapped it out in the end. We left it late, but sometimes you have to grind those wins no matter who the opposition is.”
The Cardinals have won all of their games against the Edmonton team this year.
The team may have not had its strongest night offensively, but the Cardinals’ defence was working hard, Jayasekera said.
“Defensively, we had double plays that we turned and got us out of trouble,” he said. “I think the defence did a very good job for us. When the pitchers put the ball in play, we got those outs.”
Alex Marthiensen pitched the first five innings against SEEBA 2 giving up four runs.
“He gave a few passes but he limited the damage when it mattered and he didn’t let it get out of hand,” Jayasekera said. “Ultimately he put the ball club in a position to win and I think that’s very important to us from any person who comes up and pitches.”
With only a few games left in the regular season, the Cardinals are preparing for provincials and pitching will be key to their success.
“If you can go five, it really helps, especially in this stretch where we need our starters to go at least four plus, ideally five innings,” Jayasekera said. “And he did that, and he gave us a chance.”
Next up for St. Albert (15-10) is a doubleheader against Fort McMurray (10-20) at Legion Park Saturday at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. On Sunday, the Cards will play their last regular season game in Sherwood Park at 1 p.m. versus the A’s that are currently in the basement of the Norwest League standings.
