Miramichi Sports: Cardinals Top Team in MVBL

MIRAMICHI - The Newcastle Cardinals sit atop the Miramichi Valley Baseball League standings after smacking the Grand Falls Cataracts 5-2 Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals now sit in first place with 20 points. The Cataracts are in second with 24. However, Cataracts have played 17 games while the Cardinals have been at the mercy of some bad weather, playing only 13. The Cardinals have also only lost three games, while the Cataracts have lost five.

Two of those five losses have come to Newcastle. Head-to-Head the Cardinals hold a 2-1 advantage on the season so far.

Sunday it looked like the Cataracts might be going home with the win in the game and a lead in the season series. In the top of the second Grand Falls picked up the first run of the game but failed to take advantage of a bases loaded situation to score more runs.

Then in the top of the fourth they would get another off a pass ball by Newcastle starter James Hicks.

The Cards would bounce back. With one out and two on, Kris McKay would smack a double to score a run and close the scoring gap making it 2-1.

Things then got dramatic. Lucas Ward led off the bottom of the bottom of the fourth for Newcastle. He’d collect a double putting him in scoring position. That set up Darcy Foran who drove one to left field, Ward would score after the throw to home was high and out of the reach of the catcher. Seeing this Foran tried for home and the inside the park home run but was DOA at the plate.

Still, the RBI allowed the Cardinals to tie the game 2-2 as Mike Simon came in to pitch for the Cards and shut down the Cataracts in the top of the sixth.

Then in the bottom of the inning, the Cards would break things open as Jason Walsh’s RBI would bring around a run to score giving the Cards their first lead of the game a 3-2. Then with runners at the corners, and two out, Foran would do it again at the plate, collecting a triple and two more runs, for the eventual final 5-2.

Foran even finished off the game in the top of the seventh with a spectacular play in centre on his way to collecting Coors Light Player of the Game honours.

Friday night the Cardinals hosted the Lameque Coopérateurs in double header action. The Cardinals took game one by a score of 5-3. They collected a shutout in game two, winning 10-0.

The Cardinals are in Tracadie-Sheila Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. date with the Aigles.