WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Catholic University baseball team took an early one-run lead Thursday afternoon but ultimately fell 8-2 to 7th-ranked Randolph-Macon College at Robert J. Talbot Field. 

The Cardinals (5-5) loaded the bases with their first three batters of the first inning and got a run across for an early lead. Leadoff man Connor Sullivan continued his fantastic start to the 2020 campaign with a single. Aftet a 3-3 performance on Thursday, the senior is 19-36 in ten games for a .528 average. 

Fellow senior Christian Jones followed with a single, and then Nolan Lundholm walked to put runners at each base with no outs. A sacrifice fly from senior Connor Cozad put Catholic up 1-0.  

The Yellow Jackets (12-1) got back into the game with three runs on four hits in the fourth and fifth innings to take back the lead. Catholic had hits in the third, fourth, and fifth, but could not score to get back into the game. 

Randolph-Macon's freshmen pitching duo consisting of Cam Furman and Hayden Snelsire held Catholic to six hits and one run in their seven innings of work. The visitors added five more runs to go up 8-1 in the eighth inning. 

Freshman Ben Nardi doubled to left center to score Lundholm in the bottom half of the eighth for another extra-base hit in his first at-bat of the contest. Randolph-Macon held on for the 8-2 victory that marked the team's eighth-straight win. 

Senior Chris Kelly started on the mound for Catholic, allowing five hits in 4.2 innings. Five walks contributed to three Yellow Jacket runs in his outing against a top-ten opponent in the nation. 

The Cardinals start their spring break trip this weekend with their first game at the Ripken Experience on Saturday, March 7 against New England College in Myrtle Beach, S.C. First pitch is at 10 a.m.