Myrtle Beach, S.C. — The Catholic University baseball won another close game on Wednesday afternoon, defeating No. 21 Kean, 9-8, at the Ripken Experience. 

The Cardinals (6-5) were led by senior Peter Giombetti, who blasted two home runs, including the game-winning two run shot in the top of the eighth. 

It was Giombetti who got the scoring started in the second inning. The designated hitter got a hold of a 2-2 pitch and was able to muscle it out over the left field fence. 

The Cardinals added two more in the second. Graduate student Billy Duke followed the Giombetti homer by drawing a walk. After graduate student Michael Doody reached on an error and Duke advanced from first to third, freshman Matthew Fisher's groundout allowed Duke to score. Graduate student Tighe Watson followed immediately with a single to right center field, extending the Catholic lead to 3-0.

Cardinal freshman Cody Bosak got his third start of the season on the mound, and was strong in his first three innings of work, not allowing a Cougar run. However, that changed in the fourth, when Kean first-baseman Michael Medvetz blasted a three-run homer to tie the game in one swing. The Cougars added two more via a wild pitch and an RBI groundout to take their first lead of the game at 5-3. 

Catholic got to Kean starter Nolan Rowan again in the fifth inning, when freshman Dante Pozzi started the inning with a 0-2 single. After junior Zach Burton walked and junior Ben Nardi advanced both runners with a groundout, Pozzi scored on a wild pitch. After Giombetti struck out, Duke drove in Burton with a two-out single to tie the game 5-5.

Kean responded immediately, scoring one in the bottom of the fifth and another in the sixth.

Sophomore Danny Fitzgerald entered the game to pitch with no outs in sixth and was able to limit the Cougars to just the one run and keep the score at 7-5. He ultimately held Kean, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing no runs on just one hit and striking out four. 

Fitzgerald's hold allowed Catholic's bats to help them battle back. A Nardi double in the seventh drove Rowan out of the game, and Gougar reliever Daniel Keenan eventually walked in a run as senior Conor Casey drew a pinch-hit, four-pitch walk to earn an RBI and cut Kean's lead to just one. 

While Keenan was able to get out of the seventh with the lead intact, the same cannot be said about the eighth. Sophomore Jesse Lacefield blasted his third home run of the season to right center field on the first pitch of the inning, tying the game. This pinch-hit bomb comes just three days after he hit a walk-off grand slam to secure a wild victory over Rochester on Sunday.

Giombetti followed suit, taking Keenan long with two outs to score pinch-runner Justin McCarthy and put the Cardinals up for good. Giombetti leads the team with five home runs on the season.

Senior Matt Tesoriero entered the game for the save opportunity in the bottom of the ninth. After allowing the lead-off batter to reach on a single, he secured back-to-back outs courtesy of a fielder's choice and a flyout. A two-out single plated a run to make it 9-8, but he was able to secure a groundout to end the game and strand two runners on base. 

Fitzgerald's strong performance in relief earned him his second win of the season, while Keenan gets strapped with the loss. Tesoriero earned the save in his first pitching appearance of the season. 

The Cardinals hand nationally-ranked Kean its third loss of the season, dropping the Cougars to 11-3. Catholic has now won four of its last five games, with its last three victories all coming by one run.

The Cardinals look to continue the momentum tomorrow, when they face off against Penn College at the Ripken Experience. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.