The Fraser Valley Cardinals senior baseball team’s season is over after falling 2-1 in a best-of-three series to the Coquitlam Reds over the weekend.
The Cardinals entered the playoffs with home field advantage and with a slightly better record (32-16) than the visiting Reds (30-18), but couldn’t contain the Coquitlam offence in the opening and closing games of the series.
Saturday’s game one, which was played at Abbotsford’s DeLair Park, saw the Reds explode for four runs in the top of the 10th inning to win 7-3. Fraser Valley had built up a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth, but the Reds managed one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
David Draayers had a two-run double for the Cards, with Trey Smith driving in the team’s other run. Cardinals pitcher Taisei Yahiro was solid on the mound, striking out eight and allowing just three runs in six innings of work. Coquitlam’s Will Ireland was the Reds top performer with three RBIs.
Game two was a different story, as Cardinals pitcher Cooper Crompton was dominant and allowed just four hits and no runs in a complete game 2-0 shutout victory. Crompton also struck out seven in the win. Liam Knight collected two hits and drove in one run, while Dayton Peters also recorded one RBI.
Sunday’s game three saw the Cardinals start out strong with a three-run first inning, but the Reds chipped away at that early lead and took over after the fourth inning en route to a 7-5 win. Cardinals catcher Kayden Beauregard collected two hits and two RBIs in a losing cause.
The game three loss eliminated the Cardinals from the British Columbia Premier Baseball League playoffs.
For more on the team, visit fraservalleybaseballacademy.com.