WASHINGTON, D.C. - Catholic scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals dropped their first Landmark Conference game of the season on Tuesday, falling 15-12 to Elizabethtown. Dante Pozzi and Mitchel Johnson led the offensive effort for Catholic. The Cardinals fall to 11-4 (3-1) on the season while Elizabethtown improves to 9-6 (2-2). 

Never one to quit, Catholic entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 15-8. The offense pushed four more runs across and brought the tying run to home plate before freshman left-hander Maximus Polun eventually shut the door. 

The first three batters of the inning were successful for Catholic with Johnson picking up his third hit of the day to start the inning off. After Steve Thomas was hit by a pitch, Sammy Burman llined one into left field, scoring Johnson with an RBI double. Michael Mugno drew a walk to load the bases, forcing the Blue Jays to go to the bullpen for Polun. Polun retired Chase Falcon, who stepped in to pinch-hit against the lefty, but Derek Zelesnick singled through the left side to score Thomas. Now 15-10, Pozzi stepped up and lined one into right-center, scoring Burman and Mugno to bring the tying run to home plate. Zach Burton lined it sharply back up the middle, but it hit Polun in the chest and the freshman was able to make the throw to first for the second out. Joe Marini grounded out to end a thriller of a contest. 

Trailing 4-0 after a Quentin Perilli two-run shot capped a four-run third, Catholic punched back with seven runs in the bottom of the third inning, chasing two different pitchers from the contest. With runners on the corners and one out, Burton stepped up to the plate and singled to left, scoring Zelesnick to put Catholic on the board. Marini followed with a jam shot into center, scoring Pozzi and cutting the deficit in half. Elizabethtown went to the bullpen, but Johnson singled to drive in Burton and made it 4-3. Thomas walked to load up the bases for Burman who tied the game with an RBI single to right. Thomas got caught in between second and third and was wiped off the base paths as Johnson held up at third. Lance Eilbacher drove in a run with a single into the hole on the left side, scoring Johnson. Zelesnick and Pozzi both drew bases loaded walks to push runs across the board to put Catholic ahead 7-4. 

Johnson added an eighth run for Catholic, doubling off Zach Silfies to drive in Marini in the bottom of the fifth inning. However, Silfies settled in, and the all-region selection pitched 4.1 innings of relief and struck out nine to earn the win for the Blue Jays.

The top of the sixth proved to be the downfall of the Cardinals as Elizabethtown scored eight unearned runs with two outs to swing the game in its favor. Lucky Perrotto struck out back-to-back batters with runners on first and third and induced a potential inning-ending ground ball, but Jesse Lacefield couldn't come up with it. Perrotto hit Mason Woolwine to load up the bases and Ross Natoli went to the bullpen, bringing in junior Cody Bosak. David Woolley produced a two-run single, adding the third run on an error in the outfield to tie the game at 8-8. RJ Agriss and AJ Bednar added RBIs to take and build the lead to 12-8 for ETown. The Blue Jays went on to add three necessary runs of insurance in the top of the ninth before Catholic's ninth-inning effort. 

At the plate, Pozzi logged his seventh multi-hit game of the season and his first three-hit game of the season. With two more walks, it is also his sixth multi-walk game of the season and he is two walks away from becoming the third player in Landmark Conference history with 100 career walks drawn. He is also three hits away from 100 for his career. Johnson logged his first three-hit game of the season, raising his season average to .280 as he roped his fourth double of the season as well. With two runs batted in, Burman takes the team lead with 15 RBIs. It was his sixth multi-hit game of the campaign. 

Catholic will hit the road for a three-game conference series at Susquehanna on Saturday and Sunday.