By DONN ADAMSON
Daily Journal Sports Editor

Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009
Updated: Saturday, April 11, 2009 8:06 AM CDT

TRENTON, MO — The Cardinals of Mineral Area College braved the wet weather on Friday to claim two wins over the North Central Pirates on Thursday. With rain coming down nearly the entire time of the doubleheader, the two teams played through and the Cardinals hit the ball with regularity to post 10-0 and 9-1 wins

MAC pitchers Tyler Beers (game one) and Logan Lawson (game two) allowed only a total of six hits  by the home team in the two games.

Beers had all of the motivation he would need with his teammates spotting him seven runs before he threw his first pitch.

Lead-off batter Bobby Tatum got the ball rolling with a triple and two batters later he scored on a double by Mike Bigogno. Two straight errors by the Pirates gave MAC a 3-0 edge, but they weren’t finished.

The Cardinals filled the bases again, and Drew Pixley patiently worked a ball-four count to drive in a run. Even a double play scored a run, and Tatum entered the batter’s box for the second time in the inning to hit a RBI single.

Mineral Area scored twice in the fourth with Pixley scoring on a wild pitch, and a sac fly by Bigogno scored Nick Cox from third.  They scored once more in a hitless sixth. Two hit batters and a walk loaded the bases Richie Stanley hit a fly ball deep enough to score Cox for what would be the game winner, since the game was cut short an inning because of the 10-0 lead.

Beers pitched to only 21 batters, with the Pirates reaching base on two singles and a walk.

North Central scored their only run in the first inning of game two with back-to back doubles in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead.

MAC erased the lead in their next at-bats. Beers scored the first run by reaching base on a single, stealing second and moving to third on a passed ball. Isaac Armstrong walked and promptly stole second to put two men in scoring position. A Pirates’ error plated one run, and a single by Pixley drove in the second.

Bigogno hit a RBI single in the third inning to make it 3-1, and Korey Domenick made it 4-1 with a RBI single in the fourth. Armstrong hit a single in the fifth and Pixley backed it up with a double. Both runners scored on a single by Cox.

The Cardinals scored three more in the sixth Armstrong hitting a bases-loaded grounder to score one and pinch hitter Dustin Hunter ripped a single to score two more.

MAC (14-20) will play North Central (7-23) two more games again today, weather permitting.