Game Date:        5/7/04
Leagues:          Senior-Minor
Cardinals 16    Orioles 4

Cardinal Pitchers:  Taylor 2, Pearce 2
Oriole Pitchers:   Cantrell 2, Elbert 1, Smith 1

Description:

The Orioles got out of the gate quickly in the first inning of the game scoring 3 runs on solid hits by Mark Heydt, Cody Elbert, and Kyle Smith along with a walk coxed by Cameron Steenberg.  Cody McHenry’s heads up base running netted the Orioles another run in the second inning.

Faced with the early 3 run deficit the Cardinals quickly rallied for 5 runs in the bottom of the first.  The 5 run first was just the beginning for the Cardinals offense which would add 11 more runs over the next three innings. The Cardinals were sparked by Nathan Frantz, Evan Pearce, and Greg Manfredi who scored 3 runs each.  Andrew Willinger drove in 5 runs with a couple of timely hits.  Michael Taylor also had a multiple hit game for the Cardinals.

Taylor started his first game for the Cardinals and was able to weather a shaky start to get his first win.  He struck out 4 Orioles in his 2 innings of work.  Pearce came in, with the game still close, to strike out all 6 Orioles he faced, recording his second save of the season.  The Orioles’ pitchers, while continuing to be plagued with control problems, were able to limit the Cardinals to 6 hits on the night.