The Carlyle Cardinals captured the Saskota Baseball League championship on their home field in Lions Park on Tuesday night, winning the best-of-three league final series in two straight games over the Estevan Wolves.
The game was close all the way, with the well-balanced Cardinals prevailing after a total team effort, winning 9-6 for the home fans who once again showed up to support the team. This was the first championship for the Cardinals since 2016.
The final was between the two teams with the best records in the regular season. The Estevan Wolves bested the Carlyle Cardinals for first place in the regular season when they had a home field victory against them in a late season matchup in league play. Both teams finished the season with 8-1-1 records.
Carlyle and Estevan both won a pair of best of three showdowns to start the playoffs, with neither team suffering a loss. Estevan disposed of their crosstown rivals, the Southeast Fireballs, along with the Oxbow Chiefs to make this year’s championship final. The Cardinals rode the arms of Kody Rock and Dan Rasmussen, sweeping last year’s champions the Carnduff Astros, getting complete game performances from both pitchers and timely hitting that was spread throughout the lineup, meaning a total team effort.
They also swept the Kipling Royals.
The first game of the final went Monday night in Estevan with the Carlyle Cardinals throwing Rock to the Wolves to start Game 1. The Cardinals again received timely hitting and lead this one all the way, taking advantage of solid pitching to win the opener 6-1 and bringing the opportunity to win a league championship at home on Tuesday.
Again the Cardinals got it started early with the bats opening up the scoring with a two-run home run by Talen King and then loading the bases for Mason Crossman, who singled in two more runs, giving starting pitcher Dan Rasmussen a four-run cushion.
The Cardinals stretched the lead to 5-0 in the second before the Wolves answered with a big fly of their own in the third and then going yard again with a two-run homer in the fourth after scoring a run on a single. That left them down 5-4.
Once again the Cardinals enjoyed some timely hitting, scoring two more runs, going up 7-4 at the end the fourth.
The Wolves again had bite and scored one run in the top of the fifth inning, chasing Rasmussen from the mound.
The Cardinals again scored in their at bat, making the lead four runs going to the sixth.
After a brief pitching appearance by Brent McLean in the fifth inning, out came Rock to mop up in the sixth.
The Wolves were not done, picking up a solo home run to make it a three-run game, but Rock was again solid on the mound and gave the Cardinals all they would need, closing out the Wolves with a final strikeout to bring home the league championship.
Congratulations to the Carlyle Cardinals.
