TRENTON, N.J. - Despite a season-high 18 hits and seven extra base knocks, Eastern Baseball came out on the losing end in a 12-7 loss to Cairn at Trenton Thunder Stadium. The Eagles battled back from an early 4-0 deficit to take a 6-4 lead, but the Highlanders answered with a six-run sixth and two more runs in the seventh to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Cairn stormed out the gate early, taking advantage of two hits and three hit by pitches to take an early 4-0 lead. Ben Spadea hit a two-run double with the bases loaded, Dylan Jackson hit an RBI groundout to second base, and Jake Arnoldy capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Eastern cut the lead in half in the top of the third. With two outs, four straight hits - a double from
Matt McHale and singles from
Joe Paradise,
Brock Langlotz, and
Sean Cottrell - made it a 4-2 Cairn lead. Paradise drove home McHale with a single through the left side, and Cottrell singled home Paradise with a hit to right field.
The Eagles continued to rake in the fourth with four runs on five hits. After
David Hunsberger led off with a single,
Brian Lang doubled to left field to score Hunsberger and cut the lead to one. Two batters later,
Mark Cruser ripped his first home run of the season to left field to put the Eagles ahead 5-4. Later in the inning, McHale hit his second double of the game and stole third base, before
Brock Langlotz singled him to push the Eagles' lead to 6-4.
However, the big innings that have haunted the Eagles all season long reared its ugly head once again. The Highlanders turned their two-run deficit into a four-run lead with six runs, all of which came before an out was recorded. Cairn added two more runs in the eighth to increase their advantage to 12-6. Cottrell hit his second RBI single in the top of the ninth, but the Eagles would not get any closer.
It was a strong offensive day for Cottrell and McHale, who combined for eight hits, two runs scored, three doubles, and two RBI. Paradise, Langlotz, Lang, and Cruser combined for eight hits, five RBIs, and four runs scored. Hunsberger and Evans Barks also had a hit apiece for Eastern.
The Eagles will have a six-day break before returning to The Yard next Tuesday to take on Valley Forge in a non-conference affair. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 pm.
