The Fraser Valley Cardinals junior baseball team kicked off its first home stand of the season by splitting a pair of doubleheaders.
The Cards hosted the Coquitlam Redlegs on Saturday, but were trounced 14-1 in the opening game. Fraser Valley managed to get on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when Kansai Sugimoto drove home the team’s lone run.
Game two was a different story, as the Cardinals came up big in the bottom of the seventh and scored two runs to earn a 5-4 win. First baseman Aiden Cutrell led the way with two hits and two runs batted in, while Sugimoto was credited with the win.
Fraser Valley then hosted the Victoria Eagles for another doubleheader on Sunday, and opened the two-game set with a 5-4 win. The Cardinals scored three runs in the first two innings, and never let the Eagles get back into the game. Cutrell, Josh Pilgrim and Brendan Morrison all drove in runs. Pitcher Maguire Wakelyn earned the win.
The Cardinals failed to generate much offence in game two, and allowed three runs in the eighth inning to lose 5-2.
The juniors sit tied for fourth in the British Columbia Junior Premier Baseball League standings with a record of 4-2. Fraser Valley’s next home games occur on Saturday and Sunday, when the Okanagan Athletics play a pair of doubleheaders at DeLair Park.
The Cardinals bantam squad opened the season at 2-0, posting 4-1 and 8-4 wins over the UBC at Townline Field on Saturday. The bantam’s return to action on Saturday when Victoria comes to town.
The Cardinals senior team hits the road next weekend, as they have a doubleheader against the North Delta Blue Jays on Saturday.
For more on all the teams, visit fvbaseball.ca.
Video by: Joshua Watkins/Black Press