(Ann Arbor, MI) - The Concordia Cardinals took the field on Monday for a trio of games against Roosevelt, #5 Marian, and Fisher. The Cardinals moved their spring break record to 4-1 following today's games. The Cardinal's day was highlighted by the three Cardinal pitchers combining for the first perfect game in program history.
The Cardinals entered the day at 11-2 overall. The Lakers were 3-5, Marian 2-0, and the Falcons at 0-2.
GAME 1 - CONCORDIA 7, ROOSEVELT 3
The Cardinals would face off against the Lakers for the second time, having played them back in February at the St. Ambrose Dome Tournament, winning 2-1. Cassidy Kane (2-0) earned the win in the game after pitching five innings. Kane would allow three runs (all unearned) on six hits and a walk while striking out one batter.
A single and being aided by an error allowed Roosevelt to get on the board first in the game to put up a pair of runs in the top of the first. The Cardinal bats stayed quiet until the fourth inning as Jada Stephenson singled home Katie Tobias, who walked to start the inning. Payton Lewis brought two more runs across the plate later in the inning with Elliana Gaines and Stephenson scoring.
The Lakers responded right back to even the game at three runs apiece on an RBI single. That tie did not last long as the Cardinals scored a pair of runs when Tobias tripled to left field and Stephenson bunt singled. Shannon McAlinden and Tobias scored on those plays. Two more insurance runs crossed the plate in the sixth on a McAlinden double and a Tobias single. Cassidy Kane and McAlinden scored on those hits.
Emilee Underwood (1) came in to pitch the final two innings as she would earn the save in the game. Underwood induced three ground balls and two flyouts in her two innings of work.
GAME 2 - #5 MARIAN 10, CONCORDIA 3
Paige Anderson (4-3) earned the start against NAIA #5 Marian and lasted 0.2 innings. Anderson (4-3) allowed four runs on four hits against the Knights. Emilee Underwood came into pitch the final 6.1 innings allowing six runs (four earned) on nine hits and four walks. She struck out six in the afternoon game.
Both teams were able to get on the board in the first inning as Marian plated four runs and the Cardinals three. A walk, single, and double were the sources of the Knights' runs. CUAA's runs came from a Shannon McAlinden triple to left field and an RBI groundout from Katie Tobias, Cassidy Kane, Payton Lewis, and McAlinden all scored in the inning.
From there on out it was all Knights as they used a double in the second, a triple in the third, and an error, groundout, and a single in the fifth to plate the final six runs of the game.
The Cardinals would threaten in the third inning as they loaded the bases with no outs, but the Knights were able to get out of the jam.
GAME 3 - CONCORDIA 17, FISHER 0 - 5 INNINGS
The headline of the final game of the day was the three Cardinal pitchers combining for the first-ever perfect game in program history. Hannah Duchene, Amber Lamphier, and Sarah McManus combined for 15 outs with 10 strikeouts. Duchene pitched the first two innings striking out five batters, while Lamphier (1-0) pitched the third and fourth innings with four strikeouts, and McManus pitching the final inning with one strikeout.
The Cardinal's bats were just as solid as the pitching plating 17 runs in the game against the Falcons. CUAA recorded nine runs in the first, followed by six in the second, and then one in the third and fourth.
Katie Tobias recorded the first RBI of the game when she singled to second base scoring Payton Lewis. Madison Poe would follow up with a sacrifice fly with Cassidy Kane scoring. Bella Lee and Elliana Gaines had back-to-back RBI singles. Jada Stephenson brought home Gaines and Lee on an error. In their second at-bats, Kane and Shannon McAlinden walked back-to-back. The final run came on a Tobias RBI groundout.
The six runs in the second came in the form of four singles, a double, and a groundout. Lauryn Rhodea, Maddy Grueter, Kaleigh McClelland, and Madison Poe all tallied the singles while Madalyne Wieneke had a ground-rule double and Emma Liptow finished off the scoring with an RBI groundout.
The runs in the third and fourth innings were from an EMilee Underwood RBI single and a Maddy Grueter sacrifice fly to center field.
TOP PERFORMERS
Shannon McAlinden and Cassidy Kane led the team in hits on the day with five and four hits respectively. In the RBI department, Katie Tobias tallied five while McAlinden recorded four. The team went 7-7 on stolen bases as Payton Lewis led the group with two.
Four pitchers led the team with a 0.00 ERA with Kane, Amber Lamphier, Hannah Duchene, and Sarah McManus not allowing an earned run. In the strikeout department Emilee Underwood, Duchene, and Lamphier led the group with six, five, and four respectively.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will take on a pair of Florida schools tomorrow with games against Ave Maria and Keiser. The games will be back-to-back with the Ave Maria game beginning at 12:15 PM.
