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| Steve Weisensee was 5-for-8 for No. 11 Misericordia on the day for the Cougars in there season opening sweep of No. 25 Shenandoah. Misericordia photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com |
No. 11 Misericordia opened the season with a 7-5, 16-4 sweep at No. 25 Shenandoah on Friday. The Cougars scored five runs in the sixth to come-from-behind in the opener and erupted for nine runs in the sixth inning in the nightcap. Steve Weisensee put the Cougars ahead in the opener with a two-run single in the top of the sixth and then was a perfect 4-for-4 in the nightcap.
No. 2 ranked UW-Whitewater began its 2019 campaign afternoon by splitting a pair of games at Posey Field in Montgomery, Ala. The Warhawks fell behind early in their season opener and were unable to complete the comeback in an 8-5 defeat against Spalding (Ky.). The team recovered later in the afternoon with a 13-1 triumph in seven innings over North Park (Ill.). In the game against North Park (0-1), senior first baseman Cal Aldridge posted his seventh multi-homer game, finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored and six runs batted in, and UW-Whitewater led from the start after tallying four first-inning runs. The opening loss was the first one the Warhawks fell to Washington at the beginning of the 2009 season.
In a pitcher's duel for five innings, East Texas Baptist rewarded Derrick Findley with his first win of the season by scoring three runs late against #20 Chapman for the upset win in game one, 3-0. ETBU is now 3-1 in the last two years against top 20 programs. ETBU finished with eight hits overall as Zach Gartner (two runs) and Ford Spigener each had two hits apiece while Seth Mikeska picked up the only run batted in. Findley pitched seven innings allowing four hits while striking out three batters. Starting pitcher Tyler Peck took the loss with seven innings allowing two runs on six hits with nine strikeouts.
All nine starters picked up at least one hit as Texas-Dallas rolled to a 21-11 win over Redlands to open the Concordia Classic at Tornado Field. UTD used a 12-run 6th inning to break open up a back-and-forth ballgame. The two teams battled through three lead changes over the first frames before the Comets' 6th inning explosion where UTD needed just five hits to send 18 batters to the plate. The Comets drew seven walks in the inning and were hit by pitch twice. Jacob Perry led the 23-hit barrage with a 5-for-6 performance, matching a program single-game hit record. He picked up four RBI and scored two runs from the No. 9 hole in the UTD batting order.
Tommy Easley and Lewis Saunders both had three-run home runs as Covenant defeated Emory & Henry, 17-5, on top of Lookout Mountain. Covenant (3-1) has won three straight. The 17 runs for the Scots are the most since defeating Sewanee 17-8 on March 28, 2016. Saunders led the offense with four RBIs while going 2-for-5 with a homer. Easley and Alex Gonzalez each had three RBIs. Eight different starters recorded a hit in the contest as the Scots out-hit the visiting Wasps 14-7.
Stevenson began their 2019 campaign with an in-state non-conference doubleheader with St. Mary's College of Maryland at the Hawks Nest. In game one, the Mustangs got out to a 2-0 lead but were unable to hold on as the Seahawks won 6-5. Then, in game two Stevenson got out to an early 4-0 lead and used a five-run seventh to earn a split winning by a score of 9-3.
Birmingham-Southern defeated No. 4-ranked Trinity (Texas) 7-5 in game one of a three-game series. Senior Jake Cook, who pitched four and one-third innings, got the start for the Panthers, but it was fellow senior Richie Misischia who picked up the win to move to 2-0 on the year.The Tigers scored one run in the bottom of the first and held the lead until the top of the fifth when a Preston Munns single scored Tyler Hamel, who also homered in the game, to tie it up 1-1. Trinity would add another run in the bottom fifth to retake the lead, but it was short-lived as the Panthers scored six runs over the next four innings. Munns scored what would prove to be the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning, and Paul Williamson came in for the final out to earn his first save of the year.
A seven-run inning in the bottom of the second all but sealed the deal for George Fox, as the Bruins won the neutral site game against Millsaps, 12-3. Christopher Stone earned his second win of the season, going six innings for the Bruins with six strikeouts. After Stone's departure, Isaac Olson, Zach Stouder, and Bradley Emmens pitched an inning each to keep the Majors scoreless in the later innings.
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| Frostburg State began with a bang, as the Bobcats swept their season-opening doubleheader against Wesley, beating the Wolverines 7-0 and 12-2. Home runs by junior Ryan Roell and senior Jason Paredes (pictured) highlighted the day for the offense, while sophomore Colby Lee and junior Caleb Smith shined on the mound. Frostburg State athletics photo |
Kean pounded out 12 hits in their season opener on their way to topping Drew by the final of 6-4 in unseasonably favorable conditions. Kean (1-0) collected five extra base hits on a four day home stand to begin the 2019 season. Offensively John Carello, Chris Vetter and Steve Santigate all collected two hits as every member of the starting lineup registered a hit in the contest.
No. 22 Salisbury won its second game of the season on when it came back late in the game to defeat Immaculata, 5-2. The Sea Gulls grabbed the lead for the first time in the seventh inning. Right fielder Cameron Hyder managed to reach first base on a fielder's choice with one out, but was then able to advance to second base on a throwing error by the Immaculata second basemen. The error allowed Tyler Mayo to advance home to give Salisbury a 3-2 lead.
Dylan Beasley hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Berry claimed the series opener with the Belhaven Blazers 6-5. Luke Crawford earned the win in relief, tossing 3.0 innings allowing just one run and striking out three. William Gibbons earned his first save of the year, putting the Blazers down in order in the top of the ninth to secure the victory.
No. 3 Texas Lutheran moved to 4-0 with an 8-3 non-conference victory over Hardin-Simmons. Junior third baseman Nick Gardoni hit a two-run home run, went 3-for-4, scored a pair of runs, and made a key defensive play that saved runs in the seventh. With TLU holding a 6-2 lead in the seventh, HSU loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout put TLU a play away from getting out of the jam unscathed, HSU's John Tople smashed a baseball down the third base line. Gardoni was able to stop the ball from going into the outfield and into the left-field corner. Gardoni's play saved two, perhaps three, runs. The runner from third scored on the Tople infield hit, making the TLU lead 6-3 with the bases still loaded. Cody Rimko struck out the next batter to preserve the three-run lead. Gardoni homered to right field in the eighth to push the Bulldogs' lead to five.
Behind a pair of home runs from Nicholas Baham and a late-inning grand slam off the bat of Joseph Cutchins, 13th-ranked Christopher Newport improved to 3-0 with a 19-3 win at Oglethorpe. Jordan Mason also kicked off the scoring with a three-run blast as the senior trio combined for 12 RBI with four apiece. The Captains scored 19 runs in the game, marking just the fourth time in the last five seasons that CNU has scored as many runs in a game. It is also the first game in non-conference play since a 19-7 win against Randolph-Macon in 2014 that CNU scored at least 19 runs in a game. The win is the 499th in the career of head coach John Harvell, who continues to climb the all-time charts, ranking in the top 50 nationally all-time in winning percentage.
Mary Hardin-Baylor put up multiple runs in three different innings as the Cru posted an 8-4 victory over Schreiner University Friday in Kerrville. UMHB is now 1-3 on the season following the win. The loss drops the Mountaineers to 2-3 on the year. Cameron Whitman (1-1) scattered seven hits and allowed two earned runs to pick up his first collegiate victory for the Cru. Daniel Bresko struck out two batters in two innings to close it out for UMHB. Malek Bolin led the Cru offense with two hits and three RBI and Patterson added two RBI. Garrett Whitley took the loss for the Mountaineers to drop to 0-1 on the season. Chance Goins and Jeffrey Williams had two hits apiece for Schreiner
Justin Armbruester struck out eight while Pacific Lutheran cranked out 12 hits in a 9-5 victory over Emory. Jacob Bockelie finished two-for-three at the plate with three RBIS while Andy Schmitz cranked out three hits on the day. Armbruester earned the win, tossing 6.1 innings and striking out eight while allowing just four hits. This was the first time yhe Lutes faced the Eagles since they were eliminated from the 2015 South Regional by Emory.
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| LaGrange swept a doubleheader from visiting Virginia Wesleyan at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. The Panthers (4-2) got a walk-off hit to win game 1 6-5, then completed the sweep with an 8-3 victory in game 2. Freshman outfielder Joe Ruth had five hits, including a double, and drove in five runs in the two games. Fellow freshman Cael Chatham had a double included in his four hits to go with two RBIs. Austin McDade had two doubles and three RBIs in the first game, then had a run-scoring single in the second game. LaGrange athletics photo by Jacob Krzysiak |
Greenville split their opening day games at Rhodes, losing the first game to Fontbonne 3-1 before defeating No. 24 Rhodes 5-1. In game one, the Panthers scored one run on three hits in the first inning but were held hitless for the rest of the game as Fontbonne's pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts. Ryan Taylor, Klaiton Wolff, and Sam Hodges all singled in the first, and Taylor scored on an RBI groundout by Andrew Torbeck. Greenville received a quality start from Lukas Whitten as he allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. He yielded the mound to Hunter Cullum and Chad Plath for perfect innings in relief. The Panthers did not walk any Griffins in the game and struck out four. In game two, the Panthers received two runs in the second and third innings to take a 4-0 lead, and Sam Alender pitched into the seventh inning for the win. Alender gave up one unearned run over 6.1 innings. Greenville got three hits from Hodges and a pair of hits from Ryan Taylor, Jaime Quesada, Devin Gumb, and Tucker Rappe. Quesada, Hodges, and Gumb each had an RBI.
The EMU Diamond Royals won their first two home games of the season in a doubleheader sweep of Penn St.-Altoona improving to 3-2 on the young season. The teams were originally scheduled to play Saturday, but were moved up to Friday in anticipation of bad weather. In game one the Royals needed a three spot in the sixth to win in comeback fashion, 7-6 but never trailed in the nightcap, doubling up the Nittany Lions 8-4.
Gallaudet began its 2019 season in style as the Bison swept Valley Forge on an unseasonably warm Friday afternoon at Hoy Field. The Bison (2-0) combined to score 33 runs on 28 hits (11 extra-base hits) en route to 21-3 and 12-3 wins over the Patriots (0-2). Once the Bison's offense got on track in the third inning of game one, they scored in every inning, rolling to the sweep.
Rhett Miller tossed six innings and allowed no earned runs--and Logan Shortt went 2-for-4 with a double--as Guilford defeated Penn State Abington, 3-2, in the Quakers' home opener. Winners of two straight games, Guilford improved to 2-3. The Nittany Lions are 0-1 after dropping their 2019 opener. Miller (1-1) gave up three hits, struck out three hitters but allowed seven walks. PSUA took a 1-0 on the fourth inning after a throwing error to allowed Tyler Dipatri to come home for the unearned run.
Methodist split its doubleheader against visiting Neumann in the first day of the 2019 Diamond Invitational at Armstrong-Shelley Field. The Knights won the first game 5-4 and in a mirror image, the Monarchs took the nightcap 5-4. In the first game, the Monarchs fell short in the ninth inning, needing two runs to tie but only coming away with one. The Knights fell short at the top of the ninth in the nightcap, with their three-run rally being too little, too late. Ethan Carmack showcased his power at the plate, blasting a homerun to right field in each of Saturday's games. His solo-shot, homer in Game 1 cut the deficit from to 5-4 in the ninth inning and his two-RBI homer in Game 2 gave the Monarchs a commanding 5-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Cabrini opened their 2019 season with a doubleheader sweep of the hosting Catholic Cardinals. The Cavaliers received strong pitching performances from a pair of newcomers in both en route to two 6-3 victories. Sophomore Andrew Corso earned the nod as the opening day starter for the Blue and White and didn't disappoint. The Lancaster native tossed 4.1 innings of three hit ball and allowed just two runs, one earned, and induced eight flyouts of his 18 batters faced. Despite Corso's strong start, sophomore Drew Swire was credited with the victory after coming on in relief to finish the fifth inning. Cabrini earned an equally impressive win in game two thanks to another strong start, this time from Drew Jackson. The junior logged four innings of three hit ball and allowed two earned runs, all while striking out five Cardinals. Sophomore Corey Hunt earned the victory in relief thanks to two innings of work. Freshman Mike Gamma, meanwhile picked up the rare three inning save and struck out seven of the 10 batters he faced.