As the weather is heating up, so too are the Abbotsford Cardinals.
The local B.C. Premier Baseball League squad reeled off five straight wins to climb to within a game of the .500 mark, at 9-10 on the season.
The hot streak began on Sunday, May 8, when the Cards blew out the Coquitlam Reds 13-2 in the back half of a doubleheader.
The offensive outburst seemed to boost the Cards' confidence. They swept a road doubleheader against the Vancouver Cannons last Saturday by scores of 2-1 and 7-0. Then they won a pair of midweek games, blitzing the Reds 11-2 in Coquitlam on Tuesday and beating the Fraser Valley Chiefs 8-3 at DeLair Park on Wednesday.
Add it all up, and the Cards have clawed their way back to eighth in the BCPBL standings after a slow start to the season.
Brandon Todoruk has been the Cards' offensive catalyst – he's batting .382 with a team-high two home runs and 16 RBIs this season, punctuated by a three RBI performance in Wednesday's win over the Chiefs.
The Cards have also gotten terrific performances out of starting pitchers Steven Federau, Ryan Martin, Brandt Molnar and Matt Forsythe.
The team is off this weekend, and returns to action on Wednesday, May 25, when they host the North Delta Blue Jays (7 p.m., DeLair Park).