HANOVER, Md.  —  The Catholic baseball team looked to keep momentum rolling after picking up a win on Wednesday in a Landmark doubleheader against Scranton. The Cardinals hit the ball well in both games, putting up double digit runs in each, but lost the lead late in game two to earn a split with the Royals to move to 17-15 on the season. The Cardinals offense erupted for five runs in the bottom of the first to immediately jump out to a 5-0 lead. Steve Thomas poked a single back up the middle followed by a Joe Marini walk to put two on and no one out. Mitchel Johnson brought in the first run of the game on a base hit through the left side of the infield to score Thomas. Two batters later, Sammy Burman stepped up with the bases loaded and no one out and lined a double that one hopped the fence in left field to score all three runners. Zach Burton added one more single in the inning to left field to bring Burman to the plate to cap off Catholic's five spot in the inning. 

Scranton cut the deficit down to two with three runs over the next three innings to make it a 5-3 game. Catholic responded in the bottom of the fifth after Burton was hit by a pitch and Jack Bateman picked up an infield single to put two on with no outs. Thomas came through by ripping a triple in the right center field gap to bring both the runners home to push the lead back up to four. A passed ball later in the inning allowed Thomas to come in to score to once again have the Cardinals up by five.

The Royals once again pulled within three with two runs off a homer from Jack Lopez in the top of the seventh. The Cardinals once again came up with an answer in the bottom of the eighth, started off by Dante Pozzi, who laced a double down the left field line to put himself into scoring position. Back-to-back bunt singles from Burman and Matthew Fisher brought Pozzi to the plate for the first run of the inning. Bateman kept the bunt theme alive in the inning, dropping down a safety squeeze to bring Burman in to score to make it 10-5.

Jack Scholz came out of the pen and recorded the final six outs for Catholic while picking up four strikeouts to close out a five run win for the Cardinals to take game one of the doubleheader. Scranton jumped on Catholic in the top of the first inning with a pair of runs to take its first lead of the day. Johnson came up with a response in the bottom of the first by smacking a solo homer, his ninth of the season, into left field to make it a 2-1 game after one.

John Heitzman hit a two-run homer down the right field line for the Royals in the top of the third to push the lead up to three. Marini picked up his first hit of the day in the bottom of the third to bring in the Cardinals second run. In the next inning, Catholic tied the game back up at four after Joe Haines walked to lead-off the inning and Bateman followed him with his fourth homer of the season on a blast to left field.

The Cardinals once again pulled even in the game after the Royals plated a run in the top of the fifth as Pozzi reached on a walk and moved all the way up to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher. Jack Elwell came through in his first plate appearance of the game with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field. Catholic saw its first opportunity to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Marini stepped up with two in scoring position and two outs. Marini seized the opportunity by lining a double into left center field to bring Justin McCarthy and Burton home to put Catholic on top 7-5. 

Scranton would not trail for long, bringing three runs to the plate on three hits to take the lead back 8-7 in the seventh. Catholic created another chance to take the lead back in the bottom of the eighth after Burton and Bateman each reached base to start the inning. McCarthy dropped down a bunt back to the mound and the ball was thrown into right field by the Scranton pitcher which allowed both runners to cross the plate to put Catholic back on top 9-8. The Royals threw two runners out at the plate over the course of the inning to keep the deficit at one heading into the ninth.

The Royals continued to not go away in the last inning and were able to bring five runs to the plate to open up a 13-9 lead. Catholic went down quietly in the bottom of the inning and Scranton captured game two by four runs.

Inside the Box Score

• Johnson's home run in the first inning of game two was his ninth of the season, making him just the fourth player in program history to hit nine or more homers in a single season. He leads the team in OPS at 1.003 and is tied for the team lead in RBI with 31.
• Scholz picked up the first save of his career in game one of the doubleheader with his two scoreless innings pitched with four punch outs. Over his last two outings, Scholz has pitched eight innings while only allowing one run, four hits and 11 strikeouts.
• The Cardinals over the two games pounded out 26 hits as a team and brought 19 runs to the plate. The 26 hits are the most hits that Catholic has had this season in a doubleheader against any opponent.

Catholic will take on Scranton once again on Monday, April 21 for a rubber match on the road at Volpe field. First pitch is set for 2 pm.