Cardinal Newman baseball uses big inning to win SCISA title game rematch with Hammond
The Cardinal Newman baseball team has shown the ability for big offensive performances this season.
The Cardinals logged another one Friday night, scoring seven runs on their way to a 10-5 win over Hammond in a matchup featuring two of the top teams in SC Independent Schools Association.
It was the fourth straight game Cardinal Newman scored at least 10 runs in a game. The victory gives the Cards the lead in the SCISA 1-3A standings. The teams, which played each other last year in the SCISA 3A championship game, will meet again on April 26 at Cardinal Newman.
“This probably has a good chance to come down to these two teams when it is all said and done,” Cardinal Newman coach Charles Assey said. “They got some really good players and a really good team. There have been some battles. … It is a rivalry game, region game, and playoff atmosphere. Like I told them all week, this got to be everything why you compete and why you want to do this.”
Friday’s game was a completion of a suspended contest that started Wednesday. Hammond led 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the first before heavy rain ended the evening.
The game picked up from that point and the Cardinals wasted little time, scoring twice in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead. Cardinal Newman extended the lead to 9-1 with seven runs in the fourth inning.
Parker Hocutt had a two-run double in the inning to make it 4-1. Matthew Haffner and Logan Busenlehner hit back-to-back homers to make it 9-1.
“We are pretty good. I like our guys offensively,” Assey said. “We are averaging seven and a half or eight runs a game. So I like our offense and believe in our offense. Dylan Richardson (Hammond pitcher) is a good arm and good pitcher. But our plan was to see some pitchers and make him work, get his pitch count up and see if we can get into the bullpen. That’s what we were able to do.”
Hammond got within 9-5 with a four-run fifth inning. Cannon Dorsey had a two-run homer and Jack Weston added an RBI.
But Cardinal Newman starter Austin Laughlin regained his composure and shut things down the rest of the way. Laughlin allowed three hits, four runs (none earned) and struck out 10 in the win.
The loss was Hammond’s first of the season and it was the Skyhawks’ first game since March 23. The team was on spring break last week.
“There is no excuses,” Hammond coach Chris Braciszewski said. “We had really good practices coming back from spring break and we came out Wednesday really focused. But we came out tonight and faced a good pitcher, good team like that and they were better.”
Both teams will play in Spring Break tournaments. Cardinal Newman will play in the Sandlapper Classic at Gilbert while Hammond is in the Forest Acres Classic at AC Flora. The Skyhawks will play top-ranked Flora, River Bluff and Westminster Christian in their first three games of the tournament.
WP: Austin Laughlin LP: Dylan Richardson. Hitters: CN: Hocutt 1-4 2 RBI; Haffney 2-4 HR. 2 RBI; Busenlehner 2-3 HR, RBI; Laughlin 2-4; Risinger 1-4 3 RBI. H: Yeatts 1-4 RBI; Weston 1-4 RBI; Toman 1-1; Dorsey 1-3 HR, 2 RBI.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 10:10 PM.
