WESTLOCK, ALTA. — A dream season for the Carlyle Cardinals came to an end in the semifinal round at the Western Canada senior baseball championships in Westlock, Alta.
Carlyle opened the tournament with a 4-0 loss to the West Winnipeg A’s from Manitoba on Aug. 15. According to a post on the team’s Facebook page, Daniel Rasmussen delivered a strong start on the mound but the club couldn’t muster timely hits.
They recovered to win twice the following day, 1-0 over the Kelowna Jays from B.C. and 11-9 over Manitoba’s Cartwright Twins. Cody Rock struck out 13 in a complete-game shutout against Kelowna, and Rasmussen drove in Mitch Himmelspach in the fifth to put Carlyle in the lead.
A Facebook post noted the win over Cartwright was a back-and-forth contest. Callum Hollinger, Cade Bendtsen, Cooper Olson and Chase Himmelspach all hit home runs in the victory. The Cardinals finished the round robin with a 2-1 mark and advanced to the semifinals the following day.
Carlyle’s tournament came to an end with an 11-0 loss to the Twins in the semifinal. Cartwright went on to defeat Winnipeg 4-2 in the final.
The Cardinals qualified for Westerns by winning the Tier 1 provincial title for the first time during the Saskatchewan Day long weekend. They also captured their sixth consecutive Jack Harbourne Trophy as champions of the Saskota Baseball League, rallying with three runs in the sixth and final inning to beat the Southeast Diamondbacks 4-2 in the final.
