The Mentor Cardinals continued a late-season hot streak with a 7-6 win over St. Edward at The Pipeyard in Lorain on May 15.
Mentor – which defeated Shaker Heights, 8-0, in a Division I sectional final on May 13 to advance to the Euclid District semifinals – improved to 14-11 on the season by building an early 6-run lead and holding on late for the nonconference win.
The Eagles had 12 hits to Mentor’s 10, but St. Edward stranded 13 runners on base.
Mentor junior Matt Eiswerth had three RBI on three hits, doubling in the fourth inning and singling in the third and sixth innings.
Zak Schaefer recorded the win for the Cardinals, allowing four runs over 3 2/3 innings of relief work. Schaefer struck out one, walked one and gave up six hits.
St. Edward took a 1-0 lead before Mentor went up for good in the second inning, scoring two runs on a two-run triple by Ricky Valeri (2-for-4, 2 RBI). Nick Smith doubled, scored twice and drove in a run for the Cardinals, who took a 6-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
The Eagles scored two in the sixth and two more in the seventh to make things interesting before Mentor secured the win.
Dominic Dengel also drove in a run for the Cardinals.
