Three Cardinals spring sports teams continued their hot stretches Tuesday night.
The baseball, soccer and softball teams claimed wins on a windy day that saw balls flying in every direction.
The wins come as all three teams enter the last month of the regular season.
Baseball wins back-and-forth battle over Baldwin
The Cardinals baseball team found themselves down on a handful of occasions Tuesday night, but four seniors were determined not to let anything spoil their senior night game.
The baseball team claimed a 12-11 win after an intense game. Senior Dakota Pringle sealed the win with two scoreless innings. After recording the final out, he turned toward the dugout and fist pumped at his teammates as they spilled onto the field to celebrate.
“I was just going in there. I was excited to be there and pitch,” Pringle said. “I was just thinking, ‘throw strikes.’”
The Cardinals fell behind by three runs in the first inning, but a leadoff double from senior Kelton Ford and RBI triple from junior Braeden VanDonge helped them cut into the deficit right away.
After falling behind by a few runs again, the Cardinals battled back and made it a one-run game in the fourth inning.
Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cardinals again frown themselves trailing by three runs. But they once again battled back. Ford and VanDonge both got hits and senior Kaden Kerr smacked a single that scored two runs and tied the game. Another single put the Cardinals in front.
“We’re super gritty,” Ford said. “Our coaches always tell us about that, you know, tell us to be gritty. Take it one step at a time, one pitch at a time. Just win every single pitch.”
That’s when Pringle put in two scoreless innings to seal the win. He was assisted by Ford who tracked a ball through the blistering wind and made a crucial diving catch in left field.
After a tough start to the season, the baseball team has three straight wins and is ready to keep up the momentum.
“It feels great,” Ford said. “You know, some might call it a streak. I just want to build upon it.”
Softball routs Baldwin
The softball team opened the victory-filled evening with a 17-2 run-rule win over Baldwin.
Senior Samantha Claire cashed in another excellent start and was assisted by a relentless Cardinals offense.
Senior Kenzie Yoder helped lead the charge. Coming off a home run on Monday, Yoder crushed the ball Tuesday night with a first-inning RBI double and a second-inning triple that brought home two runs.
“I mean, it’s just really great to see our whole team is just getting to succeed,” Yoder said. “And then, you know, like one hit, and then it just leads to another and just builds everybody’s confidence and it just makes it so much more fun.”
But she was far from the Cardinals’ only powerhouse. Junior Alexia Born hit a triple that almost left the ballpark and senior Harlie Dougherty claimed a couple of RBIs.
In the fourth inning, the Cardinals sealed the win by earning a 15-run lead.
“Once we get it rolling, we just seem to keep going,” junior Katie Courter said. “And it’s like we feed off each other’s energy.”
The win is the third straight for the Cardinals after dropping a pair last week.
“It feels great to bounce back from getting two straight losses,” Courter said. “And just to get three great team wins in a few days.”
Soccer takes down Maranatha Christian Academy
The soccer team took the lead and never looked back Tuesday night to claim their second win in as many days.
The Cardinals defeated Maranatha Christian Academy 6-2 thanks to a handful of goal scorers chipping in.
“It feels good,” freshman Evelyn Steele said. “We have a lot more to build from here if we can keep the win streak going.”
The Cardinals controlled the game throughout. Senior Xin Clobes scored the first two goals of the night. Senior Jayla Erpelding added two of her own and junior Jaden Brooks found the back of the net. Steele closed out the scoring spree with a goal.
“It always feels good to get a win,” Steele said. “Especially when part of our season started off a little rough. It is good to have, like, the last couple of games.”
The two home wins this week moved the Cardinals to 5-5.
“These last few teams we felt like we were the better team,” head coach Darren Erpelding said. “And the last three halves, we played like we were the better team. The first half last night, we really didn’t. But the last three halves we did, and so very pleased with that.”
The Cardinals have over a week off before the next match. Erpelding said the team will use it to get healthy and build on their momentum.
“It was the first game that we finally, like, clicked,” senior Harper Andrews said. “It feels pretty good, just knowing that we can keep it going.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
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