Cardinals Rally For Another Come-From-Behind Win in Game 1 vs. Kamloops; Game 2 Sees Hendriks Toss His First CG of the Season Enroute to a Sunday Sweep of the Riverdogs

The two teams were neck and neck in the early stages of the game, trading single runs in each of the first two innings. Kamloops’ defence helped out the Cards in the top of the 1st, allowing Turnbull and Sugi to reach on a couple of balls hit in the infield to lead off the inning. Turnbull would come around to score following a successful double-steal on an RBI groundout by Yuen, but Sugi would be thrown out at 3rd on the same play. Crozier came out to start the bottom of the 1st on the same mound he owned three weeks ago in the BoW consolation game. The RiverDogs would deliver an RBI groundout of their own in the inning, cashing in a leadoff double to the left-centre gap. Hendriks led off the 2nd by smacking his third triple of the season to the right-centre gap and later scored on a well-executed squeeze by Crozier, putting a rest to the Cards’ bunting woes. Now it was Kamloops’ turn to capitalize on an error in their half of the 2nd, as another run would move into scoring position on an overthrow from the Cards’ third basemen and be driven in by the next batter. Game tied at 2 after 2 complete.

 

Kamloops would break the deadlock with one out in the bottom of the 4th and their big hitter Austin Nolan at the dish. Nolan crushed a 2-1 hanging curveball from Crozier well over the left-field fence, a solo shot that put his team ahead by one. The Cards’ best chance to spur a comeback would come in the top of the 6th, as they had their 3-4-5 hitters due up. Yuen and Baybay led things off with a pair of singles, setting the table for Hendriks’ hot bat, who unfortunately proceeded to pop up for the first out of the inning. Looking to spark the offence, Yam would bring Kang off the bench as a pinch-hitter. Kang drove in the tying the run on what potentially could have been a double-play ball that found its way by the RiverDogs’ third basemen. Powell then came off the bench and delivered another pinch-hit RBI, hammering a ball to the gap that placed two more runners in scoring position and put the Cards back out in front, 4-3. New’s squeeze attempt could not score the run from third this time, as Miles, pinch-running for Kang, was tagged out at the plate for out #2. A clutch 2-out 2 RBI single capped off a 4-run 6th for the Cards, as Suzuki’s hard grounder made its way past the first baseman and into RF, giving the Cards a 6-3 lead. After being subbed offensively, Crozier’s day would be done after five strong innings of work and Symons came in to pick up the final six outs and secure the win for the Cards. Despite surrendering a single run in the 6th, Symons appeared to be on top of his game en route to his second save of the year. 6-4 Cardinals was your final. 

Hendriks came out absolutely firing from the bump in the top of the 1st, striking out the side in order. The Cards’ bats would continue to make Kamloops pay for their errors in the bottom half. Yuen reached base with 2 out and Baybay lined a double into the gap a couple pitches later to put the Cards out in front. In the 2nd, New took advantage of the left-fielder over-running a ball hit down the line and scurried into scoring position. Powell promptly plated him, as his fifth RBI of the weekend gave the Cards a 2-0 lead. They would continue to tack on runs in the 3rd and 4th. Sugi led off the 3rd by yanking one a few feet over the fence in right for his second dinger of the season. Miles mashed an RBI triple just fair down the right field line and was soon plated by Sugi for the Cards’ fifth run of the game. That would be the extent of the offence, although considering how hard the Cards’ lineup top to bottom hit Kamloops pitching, they probably deserved more than 5 runs in this one. Luckily five turned out to be more than enough support for Hendriks, whose only rough patch came in the 4th when he allowed back-to-back two-out hits, one of which cleared the fence in right-centre field for a solo home run. The 13-year-old from Coquitlam coasted the rest of the way, earning himself the complete game victory in his best outing of the season, hands down. The fourth game of a weekend traditionally is the hardest one to win, but the Cards took this one with ease, 5-1 the final.