Cardinals second baseman Coleton Besse goes to apply the tag to Connor Prentice of the Whalley Chiefs.

Cardinals second baseman Coleton Besse goes to apply the tag to Connor Prentice of the Whalley Chiefs.

Cardinals salvage split with Chiefs

The Abbotsford Cardinals opened a seven-game homestand by splitting two games against the Whalley Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at DeLair Park.

The Abbotsford Cardinals opened a seven-game homestand by splitting a pair of games against the Whalley Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at DeLair Park.

The Chiefs staged an epic rally in the opener – trailing 6-2 with two outs in the top of the seventh, they got to Abby starting pitcher Matt Forsythe for seven runs. The Cardinals put two men on base in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to cash in and lost 9-6.

The Cards salvaged a split in the back half of the doubleheader by pulling off a comeback of their own. They scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to erase a 3-2 deficit, en route to a 6-4 triumph. Coleton Besse sparked the offence with three RBI, while Nick Sheehan scored three runs. Pitcher Jesse McGowen picked up the victory, striking out five over seven innings.

The Cards, at 9-12, have edged their way into eighth place in the B.C. Premier Baseball League standings. They were coming off a victory at the B.C.’s Best tournament in Parksville the previous weekend.

The local under-18 club hosts five games this week at DeLair Park – Wednesday vs. the White Rock Tritons (7 p.m.), Saturday vs. the Parksville Royals (1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.) and Sunday vs. the Victoria Eagles (1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.).

Abbotsford News