COLUMBIA — It took four innings for Cathedral to get its timing down at the plate, but when the Green Wave took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning, all coach Craig Beesley had to do was lean on the arm of his ace Sam Parker.

Cathedral beat Columbia 5-1 and now controls its own destiny in the post season, tied in district with Simpson Academy.

“He’s been dominant for us all year,” Beesley said. “I can’t say enough good things about Sam right now.”

Parker pitched 7.0 innings allowing two hits and one unearned run, striking out five batters. In fourteen innings against Columbia this season, Parker has allowed one earned run.

Columbia scored in the first inning when Columbia’s Slade Wilks reached on a throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly. Parker allowed just one hit through the final six innings.

Columbia’s Cam Havard had early success on the mound against Cathedral. Havard struck out a batter and stranded two runners in the third inning. Beesley said he was not too concerned about the Cathedral bats the first time through the order.

“In the first three innings we had some good swings,” Beesley said. “They threw two guys at us, who pitched well … We got our three runs in the fourth inning and Sam did his job from there.”

Catcher Zach Flattmann got aboard when he was hit by a pitch and Pate Shirley lined a single in the following at bat to move Flattmann to third. Jacob Jenkins batted the tying run on an RBI single and the go-ahead run came across on an error.

Reed White utilized an RBI single to score Jenkins to give Cathedral a 3-1 lead.

Parker stranded three more base runners in the final four innings to earn the win.

Andrew Beesley was 2-for-4 with two singles and a run scored in the seventh. Craig Bradely also found his way home after a single in the seventh. Flattmann was 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a seventh-inning RBI single.

Cathedral is tied in the district with Simpson with a 7-1 record in district play.