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| No. 5 East Texas Baptist was dominate in a game one win over Sul Ross State as they defeated the Lobos 18-0. Sayers Collins earned his second win of the season. Runs were not a plentiful in game two as the Tiges won 10-2. East Texas Baptist athletics photo |
The first day of the 2024 Diamond Invitational took place on Friday with host Methodist playing Penn State University - Abington in the first game. In a shorten eight inning contest, the Monarchs had an offensive outburst and defeated the Nittany Lions 19-0. Methodist got the scoring going with a four-run second inning and never stopped adding runs. Getting the starting nod, and the victory, for Methodist was Kyle Molivas. He tossed seven shutout innings while allowing two hits and struck out four Penn State Abington batters. Methodist finished with more walks & RBIs (14) than the team had hits (13). Junior Jackson Deal continues his great start to the 2024 season by going 2 for 4 at the plate, with two walks, and three RBIs. Others Monarchs that had a multi-hit game were Hollman and Caleb Rogers.
Kalamazoo started the 2024 season with the first of a three-game series at Principia on Friday. The Hornets' bats started hot in the first inning with eight runs en route to a 17-0 win in seven innings over the Panthers. Jacob Davis (1-0) started on the bump for Kalamazoo and cruised through four scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out six batters. Eric Sheppard made his collegiate debut in the fifth inning and struck out the side while allowing one hit. Gabe Sokol repeated what Sheppard did in the sixth with three strikeouts and a hit. Kaden Sotomayor threw the final inning, allowing a hit and striking out one. Tanner Hawkins (3), Harrison Poeszat (3), Cooper Mills (2), and Robert Newland (2) all had multi-hit performances.
Hamline swept Martin Luther by scores of 15-0 and 20-6 in Topeka, Kansas on Friday afternoon. Max Gerstner, who drew two walks, registered four of Hamline's 11 stolen bases in the contest. The Pipers doubled the Knights in hits by a 14-7 margin, led by Tyler Johnson's 3-for-4 outing that included two doubles and one RBI. Conor Mestemacher notched five strikeouts, allowed six hits, and walked one batter over six innings on the pitching rubber for the Pipers. Hans Christensen V allowed one hit and struck out two in a three-inning save. In game two, the Pipers continued their dominance on the bases with eight steals, led by two apiece from Caden Erickson, Tyler Johnson, and Braeden Bourne. Caden Erickson registered a 5-for-6 outing that included three doubles and four runs scored. Finn Melchior, Luke Schmaedeke, and Josh Cary each tossed three innings on the mound for Hamline. The trio combined to strikeout 12 batters and allow eight hits.
Johns Hopkins opened up its 2024 season against Rutgers-Newark Friday afternoon, shutting out the Scarlet Raiders in a 7-0 win. This is the second straight year the Blue Jays have shut out their opponent in their season-opener, with Hopkins blanking 14th-ranked Cortland a year ago. Kieren Collins was excellent in the start, allowing just three hits and striking out seven in five innings to earn his first win of the season. The grad student's 17 wins leave him one shy of cracking the top-20 for most wins in program history. William Boneno had a career outing in the win, setting a new high-water mark in strikeouts with six and tying his previous best for innings pitched (4.0). The sophomore also secured his first collegiate save. Shawn Steuerer's five drawn walks are a career-high, the most in a single game in program history and are one shy of the NCAA record of six.
Birmingham-Southern and right hander Josh Leerssen kicked off their round robin with a 9-0 shutout victory against LaGrange. Leerssen remained a force on the mound, allowing no runs and just 2 hits— securing a 9 run lead through 6 innings. Ben Hoover came onto the rubber for the Panther's 7th and delivered another scoreless inning. Freshman Dom Scalese joined in the relief efforts, delivering a scoreless 8th inning. Grayson Munion secured the shutout win for the Panthers delivering a scoreless 9th inning.
Pomona-Pitzer took the opening game of their non-conference series with Whitman 6-0 on Friday afternoon at Alumni Field. The Sagehens were led by Matthew Nishimura who went 2-4 with two RBI in the win. JC Ng and Nate Jakobs each had two hits for the Sagehens along with a run scored while Greg Pierantoni, Andrew An, and Kade Morihara each had a hit as well. Jake Hilton got the start to open the series and picked up his third win in his third start of the year with six innings of shutout baseball, four hits and five strikeouts. Eric Prough and Jack Wiessinger both came in relief of Hilton with Prough throwing two innings of shutout work and Wiessinger with a scoreless ninth.
Sophomore Evan O'Rourke belted four singles and drove in three runs as the No. 19 Salve Regina opened 2024 with a 6-0 win against host Catholic at Talbot Field in the first of six contests in the Matt Kurkjian ALS Awareness Invitational. Sophomores Sean Mulligan and Kyle Carozza combined for the shutout while striking out 10 Cardinals in the nine innings on the mound. Mulligan (W, 1-0) earned the win with six innings of work as the starter and Carozza (S, 1) earned the save with three innings of shutout relief.
Hunter Dryden's dominant start to the 2024 season continued for Whitworth in a 14-6 victory over Schreiner University at Bob Henry field on Friday afternoon. Dryden went six scoreless innings to extend his shutout streak to 11 innings so far this season. He scattered five hits and struck out four batters. The Pirates' offense took no time getting started when they scored four runs in the top of the first inning with Kevin Corder's grand-slam home run. Spencer Shipman recorded a two run double in part of a four run seventh inning to expand the Pirates' lead to 14-0. Schreiner's offense woke up in the eighth, scoring all six of its runs. Elijah Tanner highlighted the Bucs' offense, recording three hits and two RBI's in his five plate appearances and scoring three times. Aidan Smith allowed six runs on six hits and three walks in 1.2 innings of relief and Dillon McCardle closed the door over the final 1.1 innings.
Camden Oram pitched a complete-game shutout, highlighting the home debut for the Linfield Wildcats, who split a non-conference doubleheader with Central Washington Friday afternoon at Roy Helser Field. Linfield blanked CWU 6-0 in the opener before falling 6-5 in the late innings of the nightcap. Oram (1-1) was masterful in his home debut, holding CWU to four hits while going the distance on the mound. Linfield accounted for six hits, including two hits and a pair of runs scored by newcomer Elijah Maris and a couple of knocks from designated hitter Wyatt Hurley. Andrew Sharp's game-winning single to right field in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the difference, helping Central come away with a split of the twinbill. Linfield nearly rallied, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Matthew Lewis popped out to extinguish the imminent threat.
Rochester rallied to defeat Susquehanna University 7-6 in the 2024 season opener on Friday evening, taking part in the D3 Showcase at Atrium Health Ballpark. Rochester (1-0) used a big seventh inning, plating four runs to storm back against the River Hawks (1-2) who held a 3-run lead entering the frame. Jackson Reed provided the big hit, a 2-run triple and later scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch to put the Yellowjackets in front. Reliver Thomas Blaydes was perfect out of the bullpen, picking up the win by tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless ball. He did not allow a hit and struck out three, two of which came in a quick ninth inning.
Case Western Reserve opened up its 2024 campaign on Friday with a pair of wins in its final at-bat over Washington and Jefferson College, claiming a 10-7 victory in a 13-inning thriller in the first game of the day and a 7-5 win in the late contest in Washington, Pennsylvania. Making his debut as a Spartan, graduate student third baseman James Powers went five-for-12 over the two games with five runs batted in, while recording the game-tying two-run double in the top of the ninth of the first game and a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth of the late contest. First-year shortstop Tyler Stillson homered in his collegiate debut and finished the day with four hits. Junior right fielder Nick Harms notched the 21st home run of his Spartan career, moving him within one of matching the program record. Harms went three-for-seven with two doubles, four RBIs, and a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 13th inning to help the Spartans complete a thrilling come-from-behind extra-inning 10-7 win in game one of the doubleheader. Camphausen, Powers, and Stillson combined for eight of the Spartans' 10 hits in the second game of the day, and Powers' two-run double in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference maker in a 7-5 Spartan win in game two of the doubleheader to complete the sweep.
Lynchburg defeated second-ranked Salisbury 8-5 on Friday night at the D3 Showcase. Lynchburg never trailed and led by seven runs at one point in the fourth inning, Wesley Arrington earned the win with five innings of work, and O'Kelly McWilliams IV went 2-4 at the plate with two RBI, one run, one walk, and three stolen bases. Despite early baserunning blunders, Lynchburg owned the basepaths, stealing six bases in the game and scoring on a wild pitch. The Hornets also limited their errors as Salisbury made three mistakes with the glove that led to two unearned runs on singles from Josh Gjormand and Eric Hiett. Lynchburg was held hitless in the final four innings, but the Hornet bullpen, featuring Austin Riney and Mason McDowell, kept the Hornets in the driver's seat. Riney went three innings and held the Seagulls to two hits and one run, then McDowell earned the save pitching to the game-tying run with two outs. He also struck out two.
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| Adrian began its 2024 season on Friday afternoon as they took on Wheaton (Ill.) at Birmingham Southern. The Bulldogs started the season with a victory as they came away with a 9-5 win. Adrian athletics photo |
Junior Grayson Harris had three hits and an RBI, and sophomore Matthew Arnold had two hits and three RBIs, to lead Hampden-Sydney to its first win of the season with a 9-2 non-conference victory past Bates on Friday afternoon on Yank Bernier Field at the Ty Cobb Ballpark – Wurdeman Stadium. Freshman Trey Shrock added two hits and an RBI, as well, while freshman Jase Howell gained the pitching triumph for the host Tigers (1-3) against the visiting Bobcats (1-1). H-SC scored nine runs on 11 hits with no errors, scoring four runs in the fourth inning, three runs in the seventh and two runs in the eighth inning. BC scored two runs on seven hits with two errors, scoring one run each in the first and third innings.
Webster kicked off their season this morning when they traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to take on the North Central (Ill.) Cardinals for a nonconference matchup. The Gorloks defeated the Cardinals by a final score of 7-6 to improve to 1-0 on the season. With the loss, North Central drops to 0-1 on the year. Jordan Smevoll was the starting pitcher for Webster in this one as he allowed four hits and two earned runs while striking out three in 3.1 innings. Joel Arsenault (1-0) pitched the next 2.2 innings for Webster as he allowed two hits and an earned run while striking out two. Caleb Zbrozek, Ethan Luzum, and Michael Ellis came in for the next 2.1 innings as the three combined to allow six hits and three earned runs while striking out three. Sebastian Barrera picked up the save for Webster as he recorded the final two outs of the game. Webster rallied for nine hits in the contest. Karl Peters had a great debut for the Gorloks as he went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Zach Goodman also had a good game as he went 1-for-3 with a two-run homerun and two runs scored.
Gianni Marano launched a two out, three run homer in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off against #11 Misericordia by the final of 11-10. It was a typical "battle of the Cougars" as the game see-sawed until the final at bat. The score was 10-6 heading pivotal bottom of the ninth. Adorno walked with one out and advanced all the way to third on a dropped outfield fly. Pinch-hitter JT Abrusci lofted a sac fly to cut the score to 10-7 with two outs. Justin Teixeira kept the game alive with a single and pinch-hitter Trevor Coltenback drove in one more with an RBI single. That set up Marano who took the first pitch he saw from Maryniak, who just moved to the mound. Marano's ball cleared the 375 sign in left centerfield, completing the comeback.
Keuka opened the 2024 season on Friday afternoon just to see Hilbert sweeping the day, 7-3 and 11-2. In the opener, Hilbert loaded the bases in the first inning and then cleared them with a double for an early 3-0 lead. The Hawks expecnded the lead to 7-1 after three and cuised to the win in gmae one. In Game two, Hilbert started early again as a six game them an 8-0 lead. The Green and Gold got single runs in the sixth and seventh, but Hilbert also added to their total with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth. The Hawks completed the sweep, winning game two 11-2.
With a new season means new beginnings. Gwynedd Mercy (1-0) opened its 2024 season with a home contest for the first time since May 7th, 2022, as the Griffins unveiled Frank O. Genuardi Legends Baseball Field. Gwynedd Mercy took on Washington College (Md.) (0-1) and with a two-run fifth inning would allow the Griffins to celebrate a new chapter in Gwynedd Mercy with a 3-1 victory. Senior pitcher Frank Ebling started on the bump for the red and gold. Ebling finished with seven innings pitched allowing four hits, no walks, one earned run, and a career-high ten strikeouts.
Erik Charnetski finished the day with three hits including a two-run home run as Elmira recorded a 12-6 victory on Friday against the Wells College Express in a neutral site matchup at Gallaudet University. A four-run fifth inning opened the door offensively for the Purple & Gold as Charnetski highlighted the frame with a two-run single. Brett Warden and Matteo Salvati produced the other two runs in the frame with bases-loaded walks for Elmira. Wells plated a pair of runs in both the seventh and ninth innings as David Kruis tossed the final four innings out of the bullpen after taking over for starter Jack Finnerty in the sixth inning. Kruis earned his first save of the season, while Finnerty notched his first win of the season for the Soaring Eagles.
McDaniel totaled 20 hits, including nine that went for extra bases, in a 20-5 victory over Keene State in the season opener for both teams Friday at the Ripken Experience Aberdeen. The Green Terror (1-0) won its season opener for the second-straight year and remained unbeaten in four meetings against the Owls since 2018. All four games have come at neutral sites. McDaniel totaled six doubles, two triples and one home run and had 10 players record at least one hit with six picking up one for extra bases. Junior Shane Daly went 5-for-6 with five RBIs and three runs scored with three doubles and a three-run home run. Freshman Shea McKenna was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Senior Tyler Yohn and freshman Ethan Haddock each had two hits and two RBIs.
Rockford fell 16-1, 4-1 and 10-3 in a rare tripleheader to open the season at Asbury. The first and third games of the day were slated to be nine-inning games with the middle one being a shorter seven-inning game. In game one, the Asbury Eagles scored in each of the first three innings to blow the game wide open. The Regents fell behind early in game two and was unable to recover. Rockford took its first lead of the day with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning in game three but could not contain the Eagles as they score 10 unanaswered.
No. 22 Trinty (Texas) picked up a dominant 8-2 win over Babson to start the 2024 campaign. The Tigers (1-0) were slugged at the plate, collecting 7 hits, including a double and a home run. There was help from all over as seven of the nine Trinity hitters would find holes in the defense for hits. Joseph Chavana would record the win by going six innings, allowing two earned and striking out three. Will Hellings earned the save, throwing three scoreless and only allowing three hits.
Redlands (5-1, 1-0) started their SCIAC season with an 8-6 road win at California Lutheran Friday afternoon in a game where 12 of the 14 runs were scored in the first, eighth, and ninth innings. Redlands appeared to have won the game again in the ninth when they scored three times to take an 8-3 lead. Will Cell got the scoring started with an RBI-double that scored Jake Burgess. Kaiya Saito collected another RBI as he brought home Cell. The eighth and final run came courtesy of Tyler Preece. The Kingsmen did not go quietly as they had a runner at second with two outs, but after they went RBI-single, RBI-double, RBI-single, it was a two-run game, 8-6. Russell would get the final out to preserve a hard fought win.
Lawrence rallied for five runs in its final three innings Friday to down North Park 7-4 in a nonconference game at GCS Ballpark. In the season opener for Lawrence, the Vikings got two hits from Zach Leslie, and rookie shortstop Tate Hartlaub belted his first collegiate homer. Cam Ruth got win the with three innings of relief work, and Brandon Brust picked up the save. North Park (1-2) tied it with two runs in the fifth, but Lawrence struck for three runs in the sixth and built a 5-2 edge. North Park answered with two runs in the seventh, but Brandon Brust then came in and shut the door. Brust had two innings of scoreless relief for the save. The Vikings tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth. Cam Ruth went three innings, allowed two runs on five hits, struck out three and walked three to get the win. Quinn Berglin made the start for Lawrence and allowed two runs on three hits, struck out four and walked one in four innings. Kevin Ayeski went five innings and took the loss for North Park.
Piedmont earned its first victory of the season in come-from-behind fashion with an 8-5 win over Randolph-Macon Friday. The Lions trailed 3-0 in the fifth and by one in the seventh inning before an impressive home half in the seventh to claim the lead. Nathan Mix broke the tie at three with an RBI groundout to drive in Isaak Mullanack making it 4-3. Nathan Boyce entered in the seventh and gave up the go-ahead runs as Randolph-Macon led 5-4 after the top half, but Piedmont was not done. A pair of hits drove in the tying run as Tyler Nelson doubled to send in Trace Cate and it was once again Mix who proved to be the man of the hour. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mix singled to score a pair and an error sent home one more on what turned out to be a bases-clearing play that put Mix at third. Jackson Randolph entered to pitch a clean eighth for Piedmont and Braden Simms closed it out in the ninth earning a save. Nathan Boyce earned the win as Piedmont took the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
The Ozark Eagles opened American Southwest Conference play Friday night on the road and picked up a 7-6 win in game one against LeTourneau. Brice Cagle delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the ninth and Jeter Fulbright pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in relief to pick up the win. The Eagles started the top of the ninth with a walk from Nicholas Bennett. A sacrifice bunt advanced Bennett to second base. Cagle then delivered an RBI double through the left side of the infield. Fulbright did quick work in the bottom of ninth getting the first batter to fly out. He then got another flyout for the second out. On a 3-2 count, Fulbright fanned Tyler Hedin to end the game. The Eagles held a 3-2 lead after two, but LeTourneau plated four runs in the fourth to gain a 6-3 advantage. The Eagles fought back in the sixth to even the score, 6-6, scoring three runs thanks to an error, an RBI single and a wild pitch. The Eagles had 11 hits in the game while LeTourneau had seven hits. Cagle went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.
The Hanover Panthers (1-0 overall) opened the season with an 8-4 victory over Wilmington on Friday afternoon as part of the Piedmont Invite. Senior Matthew Alter got the start on the mound improving to 1-0 overall throwing six complete innings with five strikeouts. Junior Chris Hautman pitched relief for the Blue and Red throwing two complete innings with a team-high six K's. Senior Alex Christie led the Panthers in the three hole going 1-for-3 at the dish with two runs and two RBI. Teammate, junior Andrew Oesterling added two hits with two RBI and a run scored.
There was plenty of drama on tap on opening day for Franklin, as the Grizzlies used a late-inning comeback rally to down Rhodes in their 2024 opener on Friday. Franklin (1-0) scored eight unanswered runs to close out the game, dealing the Lynx (4-2) a 10-6 loss. Franklin plated two runs in their first trip to the plate, with AJ Sanders and Sean Sullivan both scoring on Rhodes mistakes for an early 2-0 lead. But the Griz bats would go cold over the next five innings, managing just two hits and allowing Rhodes to turn things around and take a 6-2 lead into the seventh inning. Franklin halved the lead in the top of the seventh, with a pair of two-out Lynx errors leading to two runs and make it a 6-4 game. Another Rhodes error led to Franklin's first run of the eighth to make it a 6-5 game, ahead of Garrett DeHart's two-run double that gave Franklin the lead back. Sanders gave the Griz some insurance in the top of the ninth, blasting a three-run home run to cap the scoring.
Belhaven took down the University of St. Thomas (Texas) in both ends of their Friday doubleheader, 6-1 and 7-3, as they kicked off their home opener weekend in style. The Blazers took the series opener 6-1 in what was a seven-inning contest against the Celts. Brett Sanchez pitched a gem for the Green and Gold as he picked up his 27th career pitching win which sets a new program best and adds another all-time record to the right-hander's resumé. Sanchez went the distance in the game throwing seven innings and striking out nine. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Blazers turned to veteran right-hander Will Swift on the mound and grabbed an early series win behind a 7-3 scoreline. St. Thomas struck first against with a solo home run in the 1st inning but Belhaven pulled out in front 5-1, behind a four-run bottom of the 3rd inning. St. Thomas grabbed two runs in the top half of the 9th inning but could not overcome the Belhaven advantage setting up a chance for a second straight series sweep for the Blazers on Saturday.
Catcher Lincoln Lubsen delivered a mammoth grand slam in game one and then added a solo shot in the game two as he helped lead nationally-ranked Christopher Newport to a pair of impressive wins at the D3 Showcase in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday. First, the Captains raced by No. 16 Denison (0-1) in the first game, shortened to seven innings in a 17-1 final, and then, CNU took down the No. 8 Marietta Pioneers (0-2) by a final score of 5-1. While Lubsen and the offense exploded in the first game, it was a pair of dominant pitching performances that truly led the way for Christopher Newport against the two nationally-ranked foes. Fifth-year senior Dylan Weber (1-0) combined with Peter Hoenig to allow just a single run on four hits against Denison; then, sophomore Brandon Cassedy (2-0) had one of the finest outings of his career against the Etta Express, striking out seven on two hits while allowing just an unearned run in game two. He was backed up by Christian Williams and Kyle Lewis working clean innings to close out the game.
Playing for the first time ever, Covenant welcomed Messiah for a three-game set. Behind an offensive outburst in the final three innings, the Scots took game one, 6-2. Harrison Adelgren, who bats in the leadoff spot, went 3-for-5 to lead the Scots. Kenny Mills (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Sam Cecil (2-for-3, BB) also had a multi-hit afternoon. RHP Bryce Bollinger picked up his second win of the year (7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 4 K, 3 HBP). RHP Jonathan Glover earned his first save of the season in relief of Bollinger (2 IP, K, BB).
There was plenty of drama on tap on opening day for Franklin, as the Grizzlies used a late-inning comeback rally to down Rhodes in their 2024 opener on Friday. Franklin (1-0) scored eight unanswered runs to close out the game, dealing the Lynx (4-2) a 10-6 loss. Franklin halved the Rhodes lead in the top of the seventh, with a pair of two-out Lynx errors leading to two runs and make it a 6-4 game. Another Rhodes error led to Franklin's first run of the eighth to make it a 6-5 game, ahead of Garrett DeHart's two-run double that gave Franklin the lead back. Sanders gave the Griz some insurance in the top of the ninth, blasting a three-run home run to cap the scoring. Matthew Johnson got the opening day start, tossing 4.2 innings where he scattered six hits and struck out four. Freshman Luke Harmon (1-0) made quite the impression in his debut, taking over for Johnson and giving up two hits with one walk and three strikeouts over 4.1 innings of scoreless ball.
Lancaster Bible won their season opener Friday afternoon, hosting Penn St. York in a non-conference bout and winning 12-3. The Chargers found themselves facing a 3-0 deficit after five innings of play. A few errors and some timely hits from the Lions allowed for the early lead. That was until the Chargers came alive in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring a eight total runs. Perhaps even more exciting than the eight-run inning was a three-up, three-down series from pitcher Jacob Stolte and his unorthodox throws that sent his teammates into a frenzy. Capitalizing on the momentum, the Chargers tallied three home runs to finish the game as Nick Colarossi, Brian Coburn, and Blake Greenly all sent one over the fence to give the Chargers a 12-3 win.
With two outs in the top of the first inning, Pacific senior CJ Colyer launched a solo home run to left field. Colyer and the Boxers were just getting started, finishing with seven extra-base hits in a dominating 18-3 victory Friday afternoon at Lewis & Clark. Already leading 6-0, Pacific added three runs in the fifth inning, seven in the seventh and two in the top of the ninth. Colyer finished 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs. Damon Tanner was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Jack Rhea went 2-for-2 with four walks, three runs and two RBIs. Benjamin Lewis and Walker Matthews also had two hits in the victory. Chance Wallace (1-0) got the start on the mound, allowing just one hit and one earned run with three walks and six strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings to earn the win.
USMMA started off the 2024 season in style with a 7-1 victory over the Russell Sage Gators at Bartoszek Field. With the win, Merchant Marine improved to 1-0 while Sage fell to 0-1 in defeat. Entering his 18th season with the team and 16th season as Mariners head coach, Michael Notebaert came in very high on his group of freshman. In the bottom of the second, Mariners fans found out why their head coach is so ecstatic about the 2024 recruiting class. In his first career at-bat, freshman Ben Taylor laced a two-single to right-center field off Gators' starter Liam Doyle to put the Mariners up early 2-0. Taylor's two-RBI hit would be far from his only contribution of the night. USMMA would add an unearned run later in the frame to extend their lead to 3-0 after two innings. One inning later, another plebe put his name on the scoresheet. Freshman Christian Gamez notched his first career hit and RBI with a two-out RBI single up the middle Junior Garrett Clapsaddle scored his second run of the night to make it 4-0 Mariners. Four runs were a king's ransom for the Mariners' starting pitcher senior Tyler Reistetter. In his final Opening Night, Reistetter pitched one of the gutsiest games of his collegiate career. USMMA's left-hander overcame six walks to toss six shutout innings on the strength of a career-high 14 strikeouts.
Transylvania dominated Oglethorpe in their season opener in Atlanta, defeating the Stormy Petrels 15-4 in 8 innings. Transy's five run fifth inning gave the Pioneers the momentum as they'd score 13 of their 15 runs in the final four innings. The entire starting lineup notched a hit in the win. The Pioneers earned their first season opening victory since 2021. Trent Pahl and Trent Youngblood led the offensive charge, both finishing the game with 4 hits. Youngblood broke the Transylvania Baseball total bases record in his fifth at bat when he hit a single to pass Mitch Kuczek's 293 total base record set 16 years ago. Youngblood finished the game standing at 294 total. "I was really happy to see Trent grab that record in the first game of the season. His work ethic is the thing directly responsible for him achieving this, and every other record he may get to this season," Head Coach Zack Getsee said after the win. "It's really easy to coach guys that work that hard. He sets a very high standard for everyone on and off the field."
Centenary (La.) edged the Occidental Tigers by a score of 6-5 in a non-conference contest on Friday afternoon at Anderson Field. Centenary finished with 10 hits, drew three walks, struck out eight times, and left nine on base while playing error-free baseball. Occidental finished with just five hits, walked six times, struck out nine times, left five on base, and committed two errors. The Diamond Gents have posted at last 10 hits in all six of their games this season which has carried over from last season in which Centenary posted 10+ hits in a game an impressive 22 times. Sophomore LHP Cody Myers (Friendswood, Texas) picked up the win for Centenary as he went seven innings to get the win and improve to 2-1 as he allowed just two runs, both earned, and three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. He faced 26 batters, hitting one, and threw 102 pitches (66 strikes).
The Berry Vikings traveled to Atrium Health Park for day one of the 2024 D3 College Showcase to take on Washington and Lee, defeating them 7-4 and increasing their overall record to 5-2. Charles Stephenson earned the win for Berry on the mound pitching seven innings with no runs and three strikeouts. Second baseman, Joey Garcia showed out at the plate today, going 3-5 with two runs and an RBI while Charles Pulaski scored three runs for the Vikings. In the top of the seventh, Berry found themselves up 5-0 bringing in a relief pitcher, but the Generals took advantage and found some momentum off the next two Viking pitchers scoring two runs in the eighth and ninth. Finally, Tyler Cassidy entered the game and earned the save, while his team found two more runs of their own in the top of the ninth.
Heidelberg opened up the 2024 season in Illinois on Friday against Concordia University Chicago. Andrew Cook added two home runs while five others had double-digit hits in the 14-9 win. Braedy Limke and Aidan Corrigan both went 3-for-6 at the plate, each tallying two RBI. Jackson Powers picked up his first win of the season (1-0) going five innings, giving up five hits and three runs while fanning six. The Cougars made things interesting in the eighth, adding two more runs to make it 14-8 in favor of The Berg heading into the ninth. HU only surrendered one more run in the final frame, leading to the 14-9 victory. Heidelberg's 14 hits were the most in an opening season game since recording 12 in the 2017 opener where they fell to Anderson, 12-11.
Stockton (1-0) opened the 2024 season in fine fashion with a solid 7-1 win over Western New England (0-1) in the season opener for both teams. Jordan Nitti and Nick Avagnano led the 11-hit attack with three hits each. After allowing an unearned run in the second frame, Stockton broke into the scoring column the next inning. Nitti rapped his second hit of the day and advanced to second on a walk to Tucker Elder. With two outs, Avagnano singled to score Nitti. On batter later, Cooper Fiore plated Elder for the 2-1 lead that would be all Stockton would need. It was the 28th straight game Fiore has reached base dating back to last season. Stephen DeMilio was solid in his season opener. The sophomore tossed five innings, allowing two hits, one unearned run, walked one and struck out seven Golden Bears hitters. Chris Gonzalez, Phil Santa Maria, and Reece Miller closed out the game with four innings of scoreless relief, allowing three hits and striking out six batters, four by Miller over his two innings of work.