MOONEY GLIDES THROUGH FIRST TOURNAMENT GAME
STRUTHERS OH- Cardinal Mooney didn’t waste any time on Friday—eight runs in the first inning was all they needed to crush Liberty 14-0 and punch their ticket to the district semifinals.
The Cards came out hot. Andrew Bushey got things rolling with an RBI single, followed by back-to-back triples from Kaden Reese and Ford Stacy. Ben Oddis chipped in a sac fly, Ryan Reese worked a bases-loaded walk, and Liberty gift-wrapped three more runs with a costly error. When the dust settled, Mooney led 8-0 before Liberty could blink.
They didn’t let off the gas either. Trent Litman knocked in another with a sac fly in the second, and Mooney tacked on more in the third behind Stacy’s RBI single, a triple from Will Petty, and a groundout from Vince Gentile that brought in another run.
On the mound, Oddis handled the opening two frames like a boss—no runs, just one hit, and four punchouts. Taco Verroco and Stacy slammed the door the rest of the way, keeping Liberty off the board.
Stacy did damage at the plate too, finishing 2-for-2 with three RBIs out of the cleanup spot. Reese matched him with a pair of hits, and Verroco joined the stolen base party—Mooney swiped seven bags total. The Cards were patient at the plate, drawing seven walks, and sharp in the field with zero errors. Litman was everywhere defensively, racking up 11 plays.
Amireh Zaid had Liberty’s lone hit and added two stolen bases, but it was all Mooney from start to finish. Next up for the Cardinals: a trip to the district semis with some serious momentum.