Cardinals drop third doubleheader in a row
By DONN ADAMSON\Daily Journal Sports Editor
Apr 10, 2006 - 11:06:44 CDT
PARK HILLS - The 7-1 loss to the Florissant Valley Norsemen in the second game on Sunday marked the sixth straight loss (all doubleheaders) for the Mineral Area Cardinals. (The Cardinals also dropped two at Meramec College on Saturday 5-0 and 10-4.) The streak is the team's second longest this season. MAC lost 13 straight from February 28 to March 15.
Unlike the first game (see related article, this page), the Cardinals were hardly able to pose any threat in the second game, scoring their only run in their final at-bats to break up the shut-out by the Norsemen's Charles Williams.
Every time the Cardinals looked to have a chance of making a game of it, the Norsemen's defense stepped up big, recording three double plays in the game for five on the day.
Flo Valley scored their very first batter of the game. Matt Neimeier drew a lead-off walk, was sacrificed to second, reached third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a grounder to first base.
Seth Kimrey reached first on a one-out, infield single, but a hit-and-run play backfired as Kimrey went too far off base on a fly ball to right field and was thrown out before he could get back to tag up.
The Cardinals again had a chance to get into the game in the second inning. Joaby Sikes also hit a one-out, infield single and a walk to Ryan Blankenship put Sikes in scoring position, but Nick Eckl hit a sharp grounder back to Williams and the pitcher quickly reeled around to feed the ball to second to start the double play.
Other than the lone run in the first-inning, pitcher James Huff kept Flo Valley silent for the first three innings. The only problem was that the Cardinals for the most part were also silent at the plate. The Cardinals matched the Norsemen in hitting with five hits apiece in the game.
Things went sour for Huff and Mineral Area in the fourth inning. The Norsemen crossed the plate four times with all four runs unearned as MAC's defense fell apart. The Cardinals committed three miscues in the game to the Norsemen's none.
Flo Valley added two more runs in the sixth inning, chasing Huff from the mound with one, and reliever Marshall Macormic giving up the other.
Trailing 7-0, Mineral Area's seventh inning comeback attempt fell somewhat short. Sikes reached on a free pass, and went to third on a Blankenship single. Eckl hit a sacrifice fly to score Sikes, but that was as far as the comeback would go.
Mineral Area is now 7-25 and will play next on Tuesday when they will host Jefferson College.
Florissant Valley 100 402 0 - 7 5 0
Mineral Area 000 000 1 - 1 5 3
WP- Williams 7i 1r 5h, LP- Huff 5 1/3i 6r 3er 4h 2k 3bb, Macormic 1 2/3i 1r 1h,
Hitting: Mineral Area - Blankenship 2, Materia, Stahl, Sikes. 2b- Blankenship.
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Unlike the first game (see related article, this page), the Cardinals were hardly able to pose any threat in the second game, scoring their only run in their final at-bats to break up the shut-out by the Norsemen's Charles Williams.
Every time the Cardinals looked to have a chance of making a game of it, the Norsemen's defense stepped up big, recording three double plays in the game for five on the day.
Flo Valley scored their very first batter of the game. Matt Neimeier drew a lead-off walk, was sacrificed to second, reached third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a grounder to first base.
Seth Kimrey reached first on a one-out, infield single, but a hit-and-run play backfired as Kimrey went too far off base on a fly ball to right field and was thrown out before he could get back to tag up.
The Cardinals again had a chance to get into the game in the second inning. Joaby Sikes also hit a one-out, infield single and a walk to Ryan Blankenship put Sikes in scoring position, but Nick Eckl hit a sharp grounder back to Williams and the pitcher quickly reeled around to feed the ball to second to start the double play.
Other than the lone run in the first-inning, pitcher James Huff kept Flo Valley silent for the first three innings. The only problem was that the Cardinals for the most part were also silent at the plate. The Cardinals matched the Norsemen in hitting with five hits apiece in the game.
Things went sour for Huff and Mineral Area in the fourth inning. The Norsemen crossed the plate four times with all four runs unearned as MAC's defense fell apart. The Cardinals committed three miscues in the game to the Norsemen's none.
Flo Valley added two more runs in the sixth inning, chasing Huff from the mound with one, and reliever Marshall Macormic giving up the other.
Trailing 7-0, Mineral Area's seventh inning comeback attempt fell somewhat short. Sikes reached on a free pass, and went to third on a Blankenship single. Eckl hit a sacrifice fly to score Sikes, but that was as far as the comeback would go.
Mineral Area is now 7-25 and will play next on Tuesday when they will host Jefferson College.
Florissant Valley 100 402 0 - 7 5 0
Mineral Area 000 000 1 - 1 5 3
WP- Williams 7i 1r 5h, LP- Huff 5 1/3i 6r 3er 4h 2k 3bb, Macormic 1 2/3i 1r 1h,
Hitting: Mineral Area - Blankenship 2, Materia, Stahl, Sikes. 2b- Blankenship.