Cardinals Hold Off Daytona for First Win of Season

CCBC Catonsville's baseball team ended their losing streak on Thursday, defeating the Daytona State College Falcons 10-9.

The Cardinals built up a 10-2 lead, then held off a furious Falcons comeback attempt to score their first victory of the season. Behind excellent performances from sophomore outfielders Caleb Bailey (Old Mill) and Angelo Ramirez (North Atlanta), Catonsville was able to end its five-game losing streak.

The Cardinals began the game with a bang as Ramirez homered on the first pitch of the game, sending a fastball screaming past the outfield wall. A Bailey RBI single in the second made it 2-0 as freshman outfielder Jalen Williams (Western Tech) was brought home.

Bailey and Williams combined to score another run for the Cardinals in the top of the third. After sophomore third baseman Noah Deluca (Arundel) scored off a passed ball, Bailey came home thanks to an RBI single from sophomore shortstop Orlando Perez Jr. (Winter Park).

With four more runs in the fourth, Catonsville's lead had grown to 9-0. A brief comeback attempt by Daytona State made it 9-2, but the Cardinals countered with another run on a passed ball. Now leading 10-2, the Cardinals held off a sudden, furious comeback attempt by the Falcons. Daytona State scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth and seven total to make it a one point contest.

Catonsville managed to hold off the comeback, catching the Falcons attempting to steal second in the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, freshman pitcher Jayson Kowalski (Olympia) got the save to give Catonsville a 10-9 victory.

Bailey finished the game with a double and two RBIs. Ramirez had his second home run of the season along with an RBI. Williams added an RBI along with a stolen base.