Cary, NC. – The 2025 spring training trip kicked off for the Wheeling University Baseball team (3-2, 0-0) in Cary, North Carolina Friday. The Cardinals opened the trip with their first nine-innnng contest of the season as they fell to Dominican University 11-1. It was a pitcher's duel for the first six innings of play before a 10-run top of the seventh sealed the Cardinals fate.
Kody McCarley got the start for the Cardinals and had it working on the mound early on. He allowed a pair of one-out singles in the first before picking up a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second. The Cardinals would give him some run support in the bottom of the second, as Steven Merkel started the inning with a single followed by a Spencer Craig walk. A wild pitch followed that moved runners to second and third before Nicholas Ancelet walked to load the bases. Two batters later,Christian Boyles would then step in and hustled down the line to beat out a Fielder's Choice, allowing Merkel to score and giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.McCarley would respond with two more scoreless innings and heading int=o the fifth, the Cardinals held onto their 1-0 advantage.
Dominican would get on the board in the top of the fifth, signaling the end of the day for McCarley after a strong showing. McCarley would work 4.0+ innings of work allowing one run on five hits while walking one and striking out four. Meanwhile, after scoring the run in the bottom of the third, the Cardinals had their own problems against Dominican starter Anthony Leak. Josh Rush would be the team's lone base runner in the bottom of the fifth, reaching on a walk, and Keaton Ferrence would reach on a dropped third strike in the bottom of the sixth. The score would remain 1-1 heading into the top of the seventh, but the Charger bats would come to life, scoring 10 runs.
With the deficit now sitting at 11-1, the Cardinals bullpen was able to calm things down as Dominic Parker-McDonald threw 1.1 scoreless frames and Elijah Stark would come in to throw a 1-2-3 top of the ninth. After being held 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Cardinals got two on in the bottom of the eighth on a Brett Jonhson single and an Ancelet walk, but were not able to get a run across in the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals would be down to their final swings and, with two outs Jalen Raysor and Michael Norton walked and Christian Boyles singled to load the bases. However, the rally would end there as the Cardinals fell 11-1 to start the weekend.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Christian Boyles, who finished 1-4 driving in the lone run of the day. It came home in the bottom of the third courtesy of a Fielder's Choice as he used his hustle to bring home a run. Brett Johnson would have the lone multi-hit day for the Cardinals, going 2-4, while Steven Merkel added a 1-3 effort with a run scored to round out the day.
The Wheeling University Baseball team returns to action on Saturday, March 1st, when they take on West Chester in game two of the Cary weekend with first pitch at noon. Follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
