ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. — The St. Mary’s College of Maryland baseball team (5-10) split a United East Conference doubleheader with the Cairn Highlanders (14-10) on April 7, 2025, at home. The Seahawks shut out Cairn 6-0 in the opener but fell 9-8 in a back-and-forth nightcap.
Game 1: St. Mary’s 6, Cairn 0
The Seahawks took control early in the first game. In the bottom of the first, Aaron Wathen’s single drove in Eli Shafer, followed by Cole Tarleton’s RBI single, staking St. Mary’s to a 2-0 lead. The advantage grew in the second when Tarleton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring a run, and George Berbakos doubled to push the lead to 5-0.
After a quiet middle stretch, St. Mary’s added an insurance run in the eighth. Corey Brown’s sacrifice fly brought home Ian Walters, who reached on an error, sealing the 6-0 victory. Ryder Chalk earned the win, tossing eight scoreless innings, allowing no earned runs, and striking out three. Jordan Bonhoff closed out the ninth.
Gavin Wathen, Tarleton, and Walters each had two hits, while Tarleton and Berbakos drove in two runs apiece. The Seahawks’ pitching and timely hitting stifled Cairn’s offense, which managed no runs despite 14 wins on the season.
Game 2: Cairn 9, St. Mary’s 8
Cairn flipped the script in the second game, jumping to a 6-0 lead with three-run outbursts in the second and third innings. St. Mary’s responded in the third, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Ian Walters grounded out for an RBI, Cole Tarleton singled in a run, and Adrian Auber’s two-run triple capped the rally.
The Seahawks surged ahead in the fourth, scoring three more runs. Tarleton’s double and Berbakos’ single plated three, giving St. Mary’s a 7-6 edge. Kyle Catanzaro’s single in the fifth scored Trevor Smith, who doubled, pushing the lead to 8-6.
Cairn regained control in the seventh, scoring three runs to take a 9-8 lead. St. Mary’s couldn’t muster a comeback, and Nick Russo took the loss after relieving Tommy Brill, who pitched six innings and allowed five earned runs. Jack Overton and Anthony Walsh also appeared on the mound.
Tarleton led the offense with four hits and three RBIs, while Auber added two hits and two RBIs. The Seahawks’ late rally fell short, dropping their record to 5-11.
Up Next
St. Mary’s travels to Baltimore to face Notre Dame (MD) on April 8 at 3:00 p.m., aiming to build on their game-one momentum.
The split reflects St. Mary’s inconsistent season, per NCAA Division III standings, while Cairn’s resilience keeps them competitive in the United East Conference.
