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Cardinals riding high winning streak |
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
 GOOD DEFENSE – American Legion Cardinal catcher Mike Shea of Cut Bank blocks the plate and puts the tag on a Great Falls Sparkie runner attempting to score from third base during last Tuesday’s game in Conrad. The nice defense kept the score at 1-0, at the time, in favor of the Cards who came on to win the game, 6-4. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
Last Tuesday the Great Falls Sparkies came to town and left on the losing end of a twinbill, 8-7 and 6-4.
The Cards held a 3-1 lead going in to the third inning of the first game when the Sparkies pushed across a pair of runs to tie the contest. But in the bottom of the inning, the home boys answered right back with two runs of their own to go back up 5-3.
It stayed that way until the sixth when the Sparkies knocked in three runs to pull ahead 7-5.
Once again in the bottom of the inning the Cardinals rallied to match that and move back in to the lead, 8-7 and that was the way the contest ended.
Jake Robison started and won the game. Orin Johnson came in relief in the seventh and picked up a save.
The Cardinals picked up their eight runs on 10 hits and they committed no errors.
Brett Bandow led the way at the plate going 3-4 with a triple and a double and four RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. O. Johnson also belted out a three-bagger, Mike Shea was 2-4, 2 RBIs, Colby Johnson 2-3, and Matt Alford went 2-3.
The nightcap was a pitcher’s duel between C. Johnson and the Sparkies Scott Held.
Through four innings the Cards held on to a slim 1-0 lead, the run scored by O. Johnson, coming home from third when Alford hit into a double play.
Some head’s up defense stopped the Sparkies from getting the tying run in, when a Great Falls player was out the plate.
With runners at first and third, a Sparkie runner left first a little too early and got picked off by Johnson. In a run down, the runner at third tried to come home but a nice toss and a good block at the plate by catcher Shea kept the score at 1-0.
However the Sparkies rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth. Once again, helped by three errors, the Cards answered the bell and came up with five runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Two of those runs came off a Robison bunt, that because of a big throwing error by the Sparkies, allowed two runs to score and let Robinson scoot all the way to third base.
O. Johnson came on to pitch the top of the seventh in relief and struck out the side for the save. The Cards got their six runs on just three hits and they had no errors.
C. Johnson and Alex Macias each went 1-3 with a double and Alford was 1-2.
In another twinbill with the Sparkies, the Cards blasted by them 18-3. The contest was called after five innings. Bandow won the game, giving up four hits, three runs, four walks and striking out four.
John Johannsen let the hitting attack, going 4-5 with three RBIs, two runs and a double. Bandow, C. Johnson, Swanson, and Robison all knocked in three runs and Styren had two RBIs.
In the nightcap, the Cards flew by the Sparkies, 13-8.
At the tourney in Lewistown over the weekend, the team’s win streak came to end with a 5-9 loss to the Bitterroot Bucs.
Dave Ratzburg suffered the loss, pitching 1 1/3 innings. The Johnson boys, Alford and Styren all had two hits.
Playing the Great Falls Stallions, the Cards lost 7-2. Shea, Robison and O. Johnson all had one hit. Styren pitched four innings and suffered the loss.
Facing the Gallatin Valley Outlaws, the Cardinals dropped another 7-2 decision.
Robison pitched five innings and suffered the loss. Johannsen, O. Johnson and Robison all had two hits and C. Johnson one.
The team got back on the winning track with a big 9-1 victory over Gillette, Wyo.
Bandow won the contest, pitching a complete game, the first for the Cards this season. He gave up six hits, one run, walked no one and had four strikes outs.
C. Johnson went 2-4, scored three runs, poked a pair of doubles and stole two bases. Hallenburg was 2-5, Bandow 2-3 with two RBIs, and Macias was 2-4 with two RBIs and a double.
Thursday the team is in Great Falls to play the Black Sox and Saturday Vauxhall visits Conrad for a twinbill, starting at 3 p.m.
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