Thriller night: Cardinal rallies past Moulton-Udell

MORAVIA ? Somehow, someway, Cardinal got it done.

But that shouldn?t come as much of a surprise to anyone.

Facing a 4-1 deficit with potentially just six outs remaining in their season, the Comets went to work to add one more to their ridiculous winning streak that now stands at 17. Cardinal completed the comeback and escaped with an eight-inning 5-4 win over Moulton-Udell Thursday. More important than any streak at this point, is the opportunity Cardinal now has to continue their season as the victory pushes them into the district final scheduled for Saturday night at home.

?We just did barely enough,? said head coach Rick Rachford. ?Not every win is going to be typical, but in the tournament, you?ll take them any way you can.?

After tying it up 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Comets headed to extras where Connor Schlegel belted a double to deep left field before Jake Scherer?s single brought him around to score the winning run two pitches later.

With the hit, Scherer took a seat beside Raymond Booth as the Cardinal heroes an inning after Booth provided the game-tying RBI that plated Ryan Giltner. In just his ninth at-bat of the season, Booth, who had come off the bench earlier in the game, ripped a single to center that barely got Giltner home.

?That?s the kind of kid Raymond is ? he?s prepared to play every time he puts a jersey on. Whatever aspect I need him, he?s prepared,? Rachford said. ?He was put in a tough spot, but he?s a huge lift off the bench and always comes with a great attitude.?

The game, filled with 11 errors, saw Moulton-Udell put four runs across in the second inning to take an early 4-1 lead. Cardinal scored one in the first before Eagles pitcher Zach Schoonover began to dominate. After the first, Schoonover didn?t allow a single hit until the sixth inning ? an inning the Comets scored two runs to make the score 4-3 and begin their comeback.

?We scratched out a run in the first, then just kind of sat around and didn?t do anything,? said Rachford. ?I can?t really put my finger on it, but we just started to put the ball in play. They kicked it around a little bit, which gave us a little momentum, and after scoring two in the sixth, our confidence just went through the roof ? we can put the ball in play and win this thing.?

Comet ace Giltner started the game for Cardinal but lasted just two innings before being relieved by AJ McElderry and Coty Ridgway. The duo combined to allow just one walk ? and no hits ? the final six innings as McElderry struck out a whopping eight batters in three innings of middle relief. Ridgway entered to pitch a perfect final three innings that ultimately allowed the Comet offense just enough room to put runs on the scoreboard.

While Moulton-Udell committed six errors and allowed two unearned runs to cross, Cardinal had five errors of its own.

?You?re going to have games where you don?t get the bounces, but I think we played a little soft,? Rachford said. ?We had a nice little chat after the game and we?re going to get some practice in today and [Saturday] morning.?

With the win, Cardinal will put its winning streak on the line once again as they return home for Saturday?s game against Burlington-Notre Dame ? a team they pounded 20-5 on July 3. Notre Dame (11-14) advanced Thursday with a 12-2 win against Holy Trinity. Rachford expects a big crowd and electric atmosphere for the district final scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Eldon. The winner will move on to face either Montezuma (8-17) or Tri-County (16-6) in Tuesday?s substate game in Ottumwa.