Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin dropped a 5-3 decision to Lake Catholic on its home field, a gut-punch loss in a rivalry that never needs anything extra, but always seems to supply it anyway.
Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin dropped a 5-3 decision to Lake Catholic on its home field, a gut-punch loss in a rivalry that never needs anything extra, but always seems to supply it anyway.
Coming into this one, NDCL was 6-2 in its last eight games, most recently picking up a 2-0 loss to conference opponent Padua Franciscan. Lake Catholic, 6-4 in its last 10, looked to keep momentum rolling after a 5-2 victory over Nordonia.
NDCL drew first blood, plating three runs in the bottom of the first and forcing Lake to play catch-up from the jump. Seniors Joey Mazzolini and Evan Eichas led the charge, each driving in runs as part of that three-run burst.
Senior Ace Jack Montague was on the hill for the Lions, and through one inning, everything was clicking. The Lions looked like they were going to end up running away with this one, leading 3-1 after the first.
Then the Lake Catholic players remembered they hate losing to NDCL.
The Cougars pulled one back in the first, chipping away again in the second to close the gap to 3-2. Lake then cashed in a three-run frame in the fifth that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead they wouldn’t give back.
NDCL’s Montague battled through six innings and 101 pitches, giving up three earned runs on eight hits, before Senior Keenan Ryans came in for relief in the seventh.
Lake Catholic Junior Josh Howman was the story on the mound, striking out 12 of the 22 Lions he faced in his five innings, and kept the Lions at bay after an explosive first inning. Howman also eclipsed 100 pitches, with 107. Then, in the sixth, sophomore Ben Mitchell came in and closed it out, striking out five in 1.2 innings of relief.
After the first inning, the Lions managed just one hit, a Braeden Ryan single, and couldn’t generate the rally they needed. Evan Eichas saw the most success at the plate for the Lions, going one-for-one with a two-RBI single and two walks, working every at-bat to a full count.
“I’m just trying to hit it back up the middle, trying to keep it short,” Eichas said, “and just not strike out.”
With the loss, NDCL falls to 10-9 on the season, while Lake Catholic improves to 13-8. The two rivals won’t have to wait long to have another shot at each other, as they play back-to-back nights, this time at Lake Catholic.
For both teams, the motivation writes itself. Sweep, or get swept.
