Baseball Defeats USMMA 11-9 for Sweep
Cards start strong in victory

3/30/2008

WASHINGTON - The Catholic University baseball team completed its sweep of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (5-14, 1-8 Landmark) Sunday with an 11-9 victory over the Mariners. The Cardinals now improve to 10-8 on the season and 3-3 in Landmark Conference play.

The first few innings put the Cardinals on the right track in the high-scoring affair.  CUA scored three runs in the first after the first two batters both reach after being hit by the pitch.  Mike Goodman (Brookville, Md./Sherwood) hit a long ball to center to drive in the first run and Patrick Quintana (Denver, Colo./Littleton) brought in the second on a fielder's choice.  Robbie O'Brien (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) then crossed the plate stealing home on the delayed call.

Despite CUA's solid offensive effort, it looked to be in jeopardy in the top of the second as USMMA answered with six runs including three off of a long double to left with bases loaded.  Luckily the Cards' high-powered offense once more went to work in the bottom of the inning scoring four runs, all of them coming off of a pair of homers from Joe Maca (Oyster Bay, N.Y./Saint Dominic) and Matthew Rosner (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) to make the score 7-6. 

The Mariners tied it up again in the third but CUA came back with two scores in the fourth and one in the fifth to go ahead.  The seventh inning saw scoring from both squads as USMMA notched a one-run homer but the Cards answered when Quintana hit a triple and came home on a balk.  CUA held a comfortable 11-8 lead going into the ninth but they had to work for the victory as and error and two hit batter put runners on and brought one home on a shot up the middle.  With three men on, Maca turned the double play to get the final two outs and seal the 11-9 Cardinal victory.

The Cards had 13 hits in the game while the Mariners had eight.  O'Brien was 2-3 to lead the team and Rosner had a squad-high three RBI. 

CUA will host Rutgers-Camden in a make up game on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.