Cardinals drop doubleheader against Lake-Sumter

Leesburg, Fla. – The Cardinals first doubleheader of the spring ended in defeat against Lake-Sumter State College. Game 1 ended with a final score of 11-4, and Game 2 ended in a 5-0 shutout loss for Catonsville.

Game 1 started in promising fashion with a 1^st inning, two-run single by Joel Tapia Melo and another RBI single by Damir Simon. Lake-Sumter responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 1^st, bringing the score to 3-2.

The Cardinals added another run in the 2^nd inning, but Lake-Sumter blew the game wide open shortly after. They went on to score nine runs in the bottom half of the inning, all of which came with two outs. Mason Blackburn delivered the big blow for Lake-Sumter, crushing a grand slam to center field. Two batters later, Tad Brooks hit a two-run homerun of his own.

It was a tough game for the Cardinals, but the pitching staff bounced back with 4.1 shutout innings from Bryson Prietz in relief. Lake-Sumter received a strong start from Max Windham who got the win thanks to a six-inning start. He allowed four runs while striking out six.

Game 2 was a different story for Catonsville, with the main struggles coming from the offense. The Cardinals generated just 3 hits in Game 2, getting on base just five times in total. The pitching staff kept Catonsville in it, but three runs in the 5^th inning eventually put the game away. Dominic Venta, Dominic DeBellis, and A.J. Palumbo combined for six innings and six strikeouts, while allowing five runs.

Jack Johnson was stellar for Lake-Sumter, pitching six shutout innings while allowing just four baserunners. Their offense was led by shortstop Ryan Villaman who went 3-3 with two RBI's.