Gibraltar's Noah Greene was good, but Pacelli's Brock Birrenkott was better in the Cardinals' 2-0 regional title clincher over the Vikings Wednesday afternoon in Stevens Point.
Through the first two innings, it was a wonder if either team would get a hit let alone get a run as Green wiggled through trouble and Birrenkott mowed Vikings batters in order. In the third inning, a throwing error by the Vikings proved costly when Peyton Flees drove home courtesy runner Nick Grywacz to make it 1-0.
The Vikings would finally get a man in scoring position in the fourth inning when Bennett Isaacson got the team's first hit of the day, moving Aaron Brey up 90 feet after he walked, but a strikeout of Aiden Purinton would end the threat. The Vikings would only get to second base one other time in the game when Rylan Caldecott singled and then stole second base, only to have Birrenkott spoil their hopes again. The Cardinals would get an insurance run in the sixth inning when they took advantage of another throwing error and Keltin Opper drew a bases-loaded walk to score the other tally.
Both Greene and Birrenkott went the distance for their respective teams, but it was the latter that struck out 10 Vikings batters compared to three for Greene.
The Cardinals advance to Tuesday's sectional in Athens while the Vikings saw their season end with a 14-13 mark, providing a sad ending for the careers of the team's nine seniors.
