It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Melrose had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Gateway Christian Warriors with a sharp 15-4 victory. Considering Melrose has won seven matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Mike Cardonita was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up four earned runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Cardonita has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in nine consecutive pitching appearances. Cardonita was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Cy Draper was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. He is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Gray Brandon, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
On Gateway Christian's side, they saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rayford Fulkerson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
The win (which was Melrose's third in a row) raised their record to 13-6. As for Gateway Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 13-6.
Melrose will square off against Logan at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Logan's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Melrose's hitters will have their work cut out for them. Gateway Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
