HAVEN- The Hoisington Cardinal baseball team outlasted the Haven Wildcats on Tuesday picking up a doubleheader sweep by scores of 9-6 and 8-1.

Hoisington took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before Haven knotted the contest in the bottom half at 1-1.

Hoisington’s Kyle Lang scored in the Cardinal third to give the visitors a brief 2-1 advantage. The Wildcats responded in their half of the third bringing in a pair of runs to take the go ahead. Following a quick 2-run Cardinal attack in the top of the fifth, Haven reeled in two more runs in the bottom frame and posted a 5-4 lead after five complete.

Hoisington pounced with a 5-run sixth inning including a 3-run double by Braeden Crites and a sacrifice fly by Lang. A bases-loaded walk in the seventh by Hunter Hanzlick scored Jeremy Breit giving the Cardinals a 9-5 advantage after five and a half innings of play. Haven attempted a rally in their final at-bat but the Wildcats were limited to a run as Hoisington went on to claim the 9-6 win.

Lang (1-0) bagged the win for the Cardinals coming on in relief in the sixth inning. He worked two complete innings with a strikeout allowing one run. Starter Brad Reif finished with five frames and posted 11 strikeouts while yielding five runs and three walks.   

In the second contest, Jake Warnken held Haven scoreless for six innings, allowing just three hits along with five walks and recorded five strikeouts. Crites finished on the mound in relief allowing a run with no walks or strikeouts.

Hoisington had a good outing offensively in game 2 scoring runs in their first at-bat off a double by Reif. The Cardinals plated another run in their half of the third off a Crites triple before pushing four more across in the fourth off of RBI doubles by Hanzlick and Reif, an RBI single by Lang and a sacrifice fly by Justin Umphrey.

Hoisington begins the season at 2-0 and will host Halstead today at 4 pm in the home opener.