FORT MYERS, Fla. –Bryan Mitchell (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) went 4-for-4 in his third collegiate start but it wasn't enough for the Thiel College baseball team as they dropped a 10-4 decision to Heidelberg University Tuesday afternoon at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.
The Tomcats jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore Trent Smith (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) led off with a single up the middle, and moved to third on a one-out bunt single by junior Cody Trinch (Franklin, Pa./Franklin). Sophomore Dan Koller (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) grounded out, advancing the runners and driving home Smith to stake Thiel to a 1-0 advantage. A RBI-bunt single by Mitchell combined with a pair of Student Prince errors ended the scoring for Thiel.
The Student Princes, aided by a Thiel error, went on to score ten unanswered runs, including a six-run sixth, to earn the win.
Mitchell recorded just his second collegiate multi-hit game, going 4-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI. The Cleveland, Ohio native was one of three Tomcats to record multiple hits on the day. Freshman Austin Van Hoy (Ocean Side, Calif./Ocean Side) collected his first collegiate multi-hit performance, going 2-for-5 at the plate, while Trinch added a pair of singles.
Freshman Kevin Forrester (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) took the loss on the hill for Thiel. He pitched six innings in his first start as a Tomcat, allowing six earned runs on 11 hits. He struck out three and walked just one.
Heidelberg's Kyle Fluharty picked up the win. He threw seven innings, allowing two earned runs on nine hits while striking out six.
The Tomcats (1-2) return to action Wednesday when they take on Wilmington College at 1 p.m. in Fort Myers, Fla.