Myrtle Beach, S.C. - On the opening day of its annual spring break trip, The Catholic University of America baseball team topped Penn State Berks, 9-4.

Seven Cardinals drove in runs as senior Jake Crist led the offense with three RBIs and one run while his classmate Danny O'Hagan hit 2-of-4 with one runner batted in and two runs.

Rookie Brian Bernetich made his first career start on the mound. Fellow freshman Ethan Risse stepped in for relief and pitched 5.1 innings with six strikeouts to record his first career win. Sophomore Nolan Lundholm closed out the game with two Ks in the final two innings.

Penn State took an early 3-0 lead with two runs in the top of the second and another in the third inning. Looking to keep their win streak alive, the Cardinals rallied with a six-run fifth inning and added one run in the sixth and two more in the eight.

Sophomore Cid Porter led off the fifth inning with a single and moved into scoring position on a single from freshman Tighe Watson. Up next, senior Jack Hennessy put the ball on the ground up the middle to score Porter before O'Hagan batted in Watson. Crist sent a double into right field to bring home Hennessy and O'Hagan as the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead.

Later in the fifth inning, Crist came home on a single from freshman Michael Doody. Porter stepped back to the plate and hit his second single of the inning which drove in Doody for Catholic's final run of the inning.

Crist registered his third RBI of the event in the sixth inning with a single down the right-field line to bring in Hennessy. Porter earned a run in the bottom of the eighth off a single from Watson before senior Brennan Cotter batted in O'Hagan for the Cardinals final run of the day.

The Cardinals remain in Myrtle Beach and take on Penn College at 10 a.m., on Tuesday, March 6.

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