Catonsville Sweeps Baseball

ARNOLD, MD – The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team was swept by visiting CCBC Catonsville Saturday afternoon, falling to the Cardinals 7-5 in eight innings and 10-7.

In the opener, AACC took a 2-1 lead in the third before giving up four runs in the fifth. A two-run single from Jon Alderman was part of a three-run sixth for the Riverhawks, tying the game a 5-5. The Riverhawks got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh and had a runner in scoring position in the bottom half of the inning only to see it end on a fly out.

Catonsville earned the win with a two-run home run in the eighth and allowed just one AACC baserunner in the bottom of the inning to hold on for the win.

Ian Adams went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Alderman finished 1-for-5.

Starter AJ Zeak went 4.2 innings on the mound allowing four runs (three earned) while striking out three. Preston Moltz struck out four in 2.1 innings of relief work. Tripp Templeton took the loss with two runs in the eighth.

In the nightcap, Catonsville struck first with two runs in the first before AACC took a 3-2 lead in the third on an RBI double from Lennie Lehner and a two-run single in the next at-bat from EJ Santana.  

A pair of errors proved costly for the Riverhawks in the fourth as the Cardinals plated four runs in the frame to retake the lead, 6-3. Catonsville tacked on three more in the fifth, with two coming across on a two-out double.

AACC came alive in the bottom half of the inning. Jaden Jones got aboard with a leadoff walk, advancing twice on wild pitches before scoring on a throwing error. Lehner also reached via walk, stole second, and came across on an Alderman single through the right. With two outs, pinch hitter Bradley Zoellner drove in two more runs to chase out Cardinals' starter Jason Skeen. CCBC reliever Jimmy Jaecksch struck out the next batter to end the threat and carry a  9-7 lead into the sixth.

Lehner was in scoring position in the sixth after his second double of the day, but AACC could not bring him across. After a run-scoring double in the seventh from Catonsville, the Riverhawks went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Starter Matt Johnson took the loss with six runs (five earned) on six hits in four innings. Chris Paugh allowed three runs on a pair of hits in the fifth, while Gavin Umphries closed out the game fanning three and giving up one run on two hits in the final two innings.

AACC hosts Hagerstown Monday, April 12, in a 12 pm doubleheader rescheduled from Sunday, April 11.