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| Scott Lieser took the field for the first time as head coach for the St. John's (Minn.) Johnnies on Friday. St. Joh's droped their first game of the season to Buena Vista 13-8 but bounced back with an 11-1 win to give Coach Lieser his first win with the program. Check out the photo galleries from the doubleheader: Game One | Game two d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
In a tightly-contested battle that saw a two-run ninth inning to walk off with the win, No. 2 Lynchburg took down York, 4-3, for the squad's home opener on Friday afternoon at Fox Field. The No. 7/2 Hornets (5-1) trailed 4-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth and came up clutch offensively for the walk-off victory against the Spartans (0-2). After York regained the lead in the top of the ninth on a solo home run by Alex Neeld, Lynchburg responded in the bottom half of the frame. Kyle Flora singled up the middle, moved to second on a balk, and stole third. Conner Moore then delivered a single up the middle to bring Flora home and tie the game. After Parker Cato entered as a pinch runner and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Wright, Sean Pokorak lined a single to right center to score Cato and secure the come-from-behind win.
On Friday afternoon, fifteenth-ranked Messiah used a five-run two out rally in the top of the ninth to defeat No. 22 Christopher Newport, 6-2. The game started as a pitcher duel with both teams pitchers dealing six shutout innings. The Captains took a lead in the bottom of the seventh, but the Falcons responded back with a run in the top of the eighth to tie the game at one. CNU then responded back with a run in the bottom of the eighth to take a 2-1 lead headed into the final inning of play. The Falcons then scored five runs in the top of the ninth, all with two outs, to defeat the Captains 6-2. Carter Reid led the Falcons with two hits and two RBIs. Luke Ott and Cristian Reyna each tallied two hits and an RBI. David Martinez hit in the game-winning run in the ninth on an RBI single. Daniel Knight pitched six innings, allowing only one run and striking out one batter. Trey Harper earned the win out the pen for the Falcons, allowing one run and striking out two batters.
No. 18 Belhaven erased a five-run deficit and walked it off in dramatic fashion Friday night, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Hardin-Simmons 7-6 at Trustmark Park. The comeback win moves the Blazers to 5-0 on the season and marks their second late-inning rally in the early stretch of the year. Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Blazers mounted their biggest rally of the season. Nick Thornton drew his fourth walk of the night to open the inning. Blake McCarthy followed with a single through the right side, and Hayden Roberts dropped a base hit to load the bases. After a strikeout, Owen Abney was hit by a pitch to force in Thornton and make it 6-4. Parker Ryan then worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home McCarthy, cutting the deficit to one. Moments later, Chess Parker was hit by a pitch with the bases full, tying the game at 6-6. With the crowd on its feet, Austin Canale delivered the final blow, lining a single to center field to score Abney and complete the 7-6 walk-off victory.
Junior Braden Zeigler's walk-off sacrifice fly completed Westminster's 3-2, 10-inning comeback win over visiting Pitt-Greensburg Friday afternoon. Trailing 2-0 through seven-and-a-half innings, sophomore Jack Strausser belted a two-out, two-run double to center to tie the game at 2-2. Tied 2-2 heading into the 10th inning, sophomore right-hander Ty Carrier worked a scoreless half-inning to give the Titans a chance. Junior Quinn Marquis led off the bottom of the inning with a walk before Strausser and sophomore Ian Temple drew consecutive hit by pitches to load the bases. Zeigler, with one out, lifted his sacrifice fly to left, scoring Marquis. Carrier threw 2.0 scoreless relief innings to snag the win. He struck out two. Junior righty Tyson Djakovich took a no-decision, giving up one hit and striking out six in 6.0 innings.
North Park defeated Hardin-Simmons 7-6 on Friday in Pearl, Mississippi, completing a late comeback after trailing 6-3 entering the eighth inning. North Park's pitching staff kept the game within reach. Junior starter Jackson Nuese worked the first four innings before junior lefty LeBaron Lee Jr. delivered four strong innings of relief, allowing just one run. Ethan Condit handled the ninth, keeping the game tied and giving the Vikings a chance to rally. North Park mounted its comeback in the eighth when John Greenwood singled and Taylor Joseph doubled to center. Sophomore Vinnie Marvucic followed with a two-run single through the right side. Later in the inning, Eli Johnson doubled to center to score sophomore second baseman Kupono Akaka and tie the game at 6–6. In the ninth, Joe Perona flied out before senior designated hitter Rylan Kawakami drew a walk. Greenwood then reached on an infield single, pushing Kawakami to third. Joseph stepped in and hit a ground ball to short, allowing Kawakami to score on a fielder's choice for the walk-off victory.
Tallying 19 hits in the 2026 season opener, North Central (Ill.) scored four runs in the ninth inning to break a 9-9 tie and secure a 13-9 victory over Ripon College on Friday afternoon at Grand Park. A leadoff walk for Ripon in the bottom of the eighth turned into the game-tying run on an RBI single up the middle. Owen Ziaja began the ninth with a single up the middle to put the go-ahead run on first base. Payton Diaz moved Ziaja to second on a sacrifice bunt. A well-placed groundout by Andre Medina pushed Ziaja to third base before Caleb Coberley hit a clutch two-out single to score Ziaja and give North Central a 10-9 advantage. Elijah Hammond posted a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to seal the victory.
Redlands (7-6) scored seven times in the opening frame to lead them to a 14-11 win in game one before falling 8-5 in game two of their four-game series with Hendrix. The Bulldogs put up seven spot in the first inning and six more in the sixth for a 14-3 lead. The Warriors, though, scored seven times in the bottom of the seventh to draw within four, 14-11. Chad Kober, however, ended the game with 2.1 innings to seal the win. In a more pitcher friendly game, the Bulldogs still managed to take a quick 3-0 lead only to see Hendrix came back to tie the game at three in the fourth and took a 7-3 lead in the fifth. The Warriors got the final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh as the two sides saw the series get evened at a game each.
Kody Perry threw a complete-game four-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts, striking out the side in the ninth to finish it off, as No. 12 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps captured a 3-0 win over Chapman in the SCIAC series opener between the teams on Friday at Hart Park. Perry ended six of his innings with strikeouts, including the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in the final five frames. He struck out 11 without walking a batter, improving to 23 strikeouts and four walks on the young season. Alex Henderson and Dillon Martin each finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate. Perry, meanwhile, improves to 3-0 on the year with 19 innings pitched and no runs allowed, after starting the season with five shutout innings in series-opening wins over Mary Hardin-Baylor and Occidental.
St. John Fisher opened up spring break games on Friday afternoon, defeating Vermont State Castleton, 7-1. Fisher totaled seven runs on seven hits and capitalized on defensive miscues and aggressive baserunning throughout the afternoon. Mario Cubello finished with a hit and two RBIs, while Jordan Perry went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run. Noah Pohrte added two hits, including a double, and scored once. Austin Droge drove in a run and scored, and the Cardinals drew five walks while being hit by seven pitches to consistently pressure the Spartans' pitching staff. On the mound, Justin Christensen (1-0) earned the win with three dominant innings to start the game, striking out six and allowing no hits. Fisher's bullpen combined to allow just one unearned run over the final six innings. Benjamin Huckans, Caleb Clark, Nathan Nilsen, Nathan Benjamin, and Colin Barry all saw action in relief to secure the victory.
Heidelberg swept a pair of games on Friday at the VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe. HU beat Hiram, 10-4, in the opener, then used a seven-run fourth to propel themselves to an 11-8 win over Albion. Up 6-4 in the opener, Heidelberg scored insurance runs in the seventh and Thomas McGuire's two-run homer to left center put an exclaimation point of the win. Starter Jameson Oleson earned the win with 6.0 innings of work. He fanned four and gave up four runs (three earned). Aidan Cummings worked two scoreless frames and Shane Jones sealed the win with a scoreless ninth. In game two, Jack McKelley capped a seven-run outburst in the forth with a double to center that scored two. The Britons scored three in the fourth and one in the sixth, but still trailed, 9-5. Albion added two more in the eighth, cutting the deficit down to two. Heidelberg tacked on two insurance runs with two outs in the ninth. Albion would add one in the ninth, but got no closer. Five Student Princes saw action on the mound, with starter Henry Mates going 3.1 innings.
Senior Jonathan Chatfield made sure his final season debut was a big one. After Keene State saw a 3-1 lead vanish in the bottom of the sixth, the Connecticut native connected for a big answering three-run blast in the top of the seventh as the Keene State downed Methodist 7-3 at Armstrong-Shelley Field in rainy-then-cloudy North Carolina on Friday evening. Chatfield's homer was the 18th of his career, moving into fourth place alone and past Kyle Morrill (2009-2012) on the all-time KSC career list, and it wound up essentially being a game-winner as the defending Little East Conference champion Owls won their season opener for the first time under fifth-year head coach Justin Blood. The Owls pounded out 13 hits, with eight of the nine starters recording at least one hit. Catcher Evan Cali had three including two doubles out of the top spot of the Owls' order, while Evan McCue finished 2-for-4 in the No. 2 spot. Lucas Rogers, who was sidelined in March last year with an injury, was 2-for-5 and drove in two runs from the cleanup spot, while Ethan Rainha (2-4) also had multiple hits.
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| John Carroll, with a 12-10 win over Rochester Tech has opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 2019. John Carroll athletics photo |
The UW-Superior Yellowjackets took on Carleton in a doubleheader Friday at the Gustie Baseball Field on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College. Given the anticipated forecast, both teams agreed to play a doubleheader and postpone the final two games of the four-game series to later in the season. The 'Jackets utilized all facets of the game throughout the day, combining timely hitting and strong pitching to earn a sweep over the Knights, winning 17-4 in game one before winning 10-7 in game two. Paddy Kelly went 3-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases as the first game's top hitter. Kaden Corlett took the win, allowing just four hits on three runs while striking out eight. Tanner Voight went 4-5 with three runs scored in game two. Carter Thielke pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three hits and one run to pick up his first Yellowjacket win.
No. 10 Johns Hopkins delivered its second straight 21-run outburst Friday afternoon, defeating Cairn, 21-1, at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium to improve to 4-1 on the season. It marks the first time since 2008 that the Blue Jays have scored 20 or more runs in back-to-back games. Starting pitcher Ryan Anderson picked up right where he left off in his opening start, earning his second win of the season with 5.0 shutout innings. The right-hander allowed just one hit while fanning seven. Hopkins broke the game open with a seven-run second inning. Aaron Bock led off with a solo home run, and with two outs, consecutive singles by Alex Shane, William Jaun and Geer stretched the advantage to 6-0. Bock, batting for the second time in the inning, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Shane Keough followed with a two-run single to push the lead to 9-0. Four relievers combined to toss the final four innings, allowing just one unearned run on one hit and one walk. Connor Henk led the group with two strikeouts.
DePauw scored in five different innings and moved to 2-1 with a 7-5 win at Rhodes. The Lynx dropped to 5-2. DePauw evened the score in the second and took the lead with a run in the fourth. DePauw pushed the lead to 5-1 in the fifth. They added two extra insurance runs that came into play as Rhodes plated three in the seventh and one in the ninth. Rhodes would leave the sacks full when a flyout ended the game. Cuinn Morrow and Zach O'Connell each had three of DePauw's 12 hits. Pearse Riendeau moved to 1-0 on the season after allowing just one hit over six innings with four strikeouts and two walks. Lucas Stephan collected his first save. Ed Anglin dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
Will Jennewein posted three hits and three RBIs, Eli Potter tossed three-plus innings of relief for the win and Childers Winn got the final two outs for the save in Sewanee's come-from-behind 7-6 victory in the first of a four-game series over Bethany Lutheran Friday at Montgomery Field. The Tigers trailed, 5-0, after two-and-a-half innings before exploding for five runs in the bottom of the third to tie the contest. Zach Fortman and Jennewein each drove in two runs in the inning for the home team. Jennewein doubled home a run in the sixth inning and scored the eventual game-winning run on an RBI single by John Bagwell. Fortman singled, was hit twice, drove in two runs and scored twice while Jennewein collected three of the team's six hits in the contest. Sewanee starter Taj Donald worked five innings, allowing five runs, four earned on nine hits with three strikeouts.
Marietta scored five runs in the first inning en route to a 13-1 victory over Berry Friday afternoon at Pioneer Park. Thomson Babineau and Bryce Bogan each had RBI singles staking the Pioneers to a 5-0 lead in the first. Berry got on the board in the fourth inning but that would be Berry's only run of the game. Austin Ziance kept the Vikings off balance and off the base paths. He retired Berry in order in six of the eight innings he pitched. Ziance (1-1) scattered four hits and struck out eight, with one walk, in 8.0 innings for his first win of the season. Jared Bees threw the ninth and retired all three batters he faced. Diego DeCello went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI to lead the Marietta offense.
Rockford won both doubleheader games against Eureka on Friday in its season-opening game. RU won the first game 7-2 and came out on top winning the second, 11-1 in eight innings. In the opener, Kadin Bergstrom led Rockford offensively going 2-for-3 at the plate with two homers and three RBIs. Zach Fabis, Bryce Stanton, and Nate Burdin all went 2-for-4 at the plate. Burdin tallied one RBI. Zach Fabis got the start on the hill with six innings of work allowing two runs off of six hits with one strikeout. Logan Koeller came in for relief for the final three innings forcing two strikeouts, allowing no runs, and was credited with the save. Following the seventh-inning stretch of the nightcap, the Regents offense exploded. Trent Lawrence homered in the bottom of the seventh to extend Rockford's lead to 5-0. Eureka plated its only run of the game with an RBI double, but the Regents were able to take care of business the rest of the game. Rockford put the game away in the bottom of the eighth with a two-RBI double from Zach Duke. A two RBI single from Lawrence followed by an RBI single from Myles Foy to end the game as a result of a mercy rule.
Carthage opened the season with a 6-5 victory over Spalding on Friday afternoon, delivering head coach John Lequia his first win at the helm. Carthage seized control early, erupting for five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Zander Tubbs started the surge with a single through the right side, bringing home Dylan Ston for the season's first run. The Firebirds were held off the scoreboard until the eighth inning, when Paul Reedy delivered a single through the left side to score Eric Fugate Jr. Ossenfort advanced to second on the play as Carthage added a key insurance run for a 6-4 lead. An RBI single in the eighth pulled Spalding one within 6-5, but Carthage closed out the final outs to secure the season-opening victory. On the mound, Brendan Roberts struck out eight batters through seven innings of work.
UW-Eau Claire (1-1) split their season opening doubleheader against Simpson (1-1) on Friday at McBride Field. The Blugolds took game one by a score of 6-2 thanks to a pivotal two-run ninth inning clinching the win for the Blugolds. UWEC fell in game two 5-1 against a strong Simpson pitching performance. The decisive ninth inning of game one saw the Blugolds' patient approach pay off. With bases loaded, a balk and a hit-by-pitch contributed to its final two runs. Despite Simpson's pressure, UW-Eau Claire's defense held firm, closing the game with a strikeout to secure the win. Cooper Senne closed the game with 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 batters and earning the win. Simpson took control of game two in the third inning with a combination of timely hitting and defensive miscues from UWEC. UW-Eau Claire had opportunities to mount a comeback but were unable to deliver the key hit needed to close the gap. In the late innings, UW-Eau Claire's best chance came in the eighth, loading the bases with one out. However, a fielder's choice ended the inning without further scoring, leaving the Blugolds unable to capitalize on Simpson's earlier mistakes.
No. 1 Trinity (Texas) put together a complete offensive effort with timely hitting and aggressive baserunning, building an early lead and holding off a late push from Babson to secure an 8-5 victory on Friday night. The Tigers wasted no time setting the tone in the first inning and kept the pressure on in the second, extending the lead to 5-0. Babson answered with a solo home run in the top of the third to make it 5-1, but Trinity responded immediately, pushing the margin back to five runs at 6-1. Trinity added its final run in the sixth to stretch the lead to 8-1. On the mound, Will Hellings turned in a dominant performance, striking out 11 batters over seven strong innings while limiting Babson's offense, leading to his first win of the season. Brandon Morio followed with a scoreless eighth to keep the Tigers in control. Babson made things interesting in the ninth with a four-run rally to trim the deficit, but Will Taylor came on to secure the final outs and close out the win.
After trailing 5-0 through the first five, LeTourneau plated eight runs in the final three innings to secure an 8-6 comeback victory in front of a home crowd at Conrad-Vernon Field. After trimming the lead to just one after the home half of the seventh, LeTourneau (7-4, 5-2 SCAC) brought home three in the eighth inning to take the series opener from Texas Lutheran (8-2, 5-2 SCAC). Camden Miller (2-1) threw two shutout innings to close out the game, earning the winning decision in the process. Chris Savage went 2-for-5, scoring a pair of runs and bringing home Zach Baker for the game-tying run in the eighth. Blake Vice had 2 RBIs in the win, via a sacrifice fly in the seventh, followed by a bases-loaded walk to bring home the go-ahead run an inning later.
Loras kept the pedal to the metal and boat-raced Greenville in game one, 15-8. It took one pitch for Loras (3-1, 0-0 A-R-C) to activate the scoreboard, with Jack Carney unloading a towering shot to right-center, marking his first home run of the 2026 campaign. Greenville (2-5, 0-0 SLIAC) responded quickly with four runs over the next two innings. The Panthers clawed their way to a 4-1 lead as the fourth approached, and the Duhawks were on the ropes. But Loras put their head down and immediately got to work. Jake Zeal knocked in a run in the fourth, and in the fifth there were four different Duhawks who scored to edge Loras in front by two runs. Greenville pushed back, plating four more runs and forcing the Purple and Gold to make a pitching change. Aiden O'Hara relieved Adam Williamson and did a nice job of limiting the damage. With O'Hara keeping it close, the Duhawks had enough time to find their bats again, and they dominated. Nine unanswered runs were plated, with Jackson Cullen, Vince McDowell, and Nolan Czako joining the hit parade. Colin Kissane added his third homer of the season for good measure. Carson Hammer closed out the game, solidifying the resounding victory for Loras.
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| Centre dug an early hole in the first inning to open round robin tournament action against the Wheaton Thunder, but the bats woke up in the middle innings as the Colonels claimed a 12-2 victory in seven innings via run rule. Centre athletics photo by Ella Craig |
MSOE kicked off their weekend down in Southern Illinois, having a pair of three runs innings to come back over Westminster (Mo.), 7-6. Westminster (3-6, 0-0 SLIAC) put pressure on MSOE (3-2, 0-0 NACC) early, clearing the bases on a double for a 3-0 lead after the first. The Bluejays added a run in each the second and third to lead 5-0 but Jake Franks started a rally for the Raiders starting a three-run inning to cut it to 5-3 after three. Franks once again kicked off a three-run inning for the Raiders, blasting a two run homer to right to tie the game at five. The Raiders took the lead a few batters later as AJ Le brought home Christian Bosque on an RBI groundout to make it 6-5. Riley Kempf tact on an insurance in the sixth, flashing his baserunning skills as he stole home, forcing an error to come around to score. The Bluejays put pressure on adding a run in the seventh, but Max Babich finished things as he struck out the final two batters to seal it.
Virginia Wesleyan (7-3) defeated Alfred State 4-3 in game one and 12-7 in game two. Nick Valentin led the offense as he went 3-for-5 at bat with a double. Nathan Bryant was 2-for-3 with a double, and one RBI. Brandon Drewry pitched well as eh pitched 6.1 innings, allowed five hits, three runs, and had two strikeouts. Matthew Weber earned the win in relief as he pitched 2.2 innings, allowed one hit, and had one strikeout. In the nightcap the Marlins' offense was led by Gino Meienschein who was 3-for-4 at bat, with a double, scored one run, stole a base, and had two RBI. On the mound for Virginia Wesleyan Jacob Lawrence started and recorded his first win of the season. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowed three hits, three runs, and tallied seven strikeouts.
No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer cruised to a 31-3 win over the University of Chicago Friday afternoon at Alumni Field. James Quintero led the team offensively with nine RBI after going 2-of-3 from the plate with four runs scored. Kai Gonzaga added three RBI as well as Lateef Wakil. Max Brunngraber earned his third win of the season from the mound after striking out six batters and giving up just three runs in 6.0 IP. The Sagehens opened the game with a six-run first inning, highlighted by two-RBI hits from Jack Gold and Wakil. Quintero added a grand slam in the second to put Pomona-Pitzer up 10-1. The Sagehens then put up eight more runs in the third, including a three-run double from Gonzaga. Cooper Berry hit a solo shot in the fourth to give the team a 19-1 advantage. Pomona-Pitzer added a 12-run sixth inning to score a season-high 31 runs on the game. Quintero added a two-run double in the sixth and Shawn Loui posted an RBI sac fly. Isaac Aguirre posted a strikeout in the seventh as the Sagehens came away with the 31-3 run-rule victory in seven innings.
Chase Wagner delivered a powerful pitching performance for Franklin on Friday. Eventually, the Griz bats joined in the fun as well. Wagner tossed a complete game, saving the Grizzlies' bullpen for a pair of Saturday games, and his teammates clobbered four home runs over the final four innings to help cap off a 15-4 rout of Benedictine on a sunny afternoon at Center Grove High School. Offensively, Alex Billman led the way with four RBIs; he was joined in the two-hit club by Josh Girvan, Brady Redmon and Noah Loveall. Six different Grizzlies scored two runs apiece. "Chase Wagner was absolutely an impact player," Franklin coach Lance Marshall said. "He pitched very well, pitched us out of some poor defensive plays, and then the offense eventually got going."
Hope erupted for an 18-6, series-opening victory against Otterbein in seven innings Friday at Jennings Park in Lewis Center. The Flying Dutchmen scored their most runs in a game since a 19-4 victory against Calvin University on April 27, 2023, despite the run-rule-shortened game. Sophomore shortstop Colton Kinnie powered the Orange and Blue's 16-hit attack, finishing 5-for-5 with five RBIs. Kinnie smacked a three-run homer — his first of the season — along with two doubles and two RBI singles. Sophomore left fielder Corbin Bennetts also homered, delivering a go-ahead solo blast to spark a two-run third inning. Bennetts collected two hits and three RBIs. Reliever Josiah Long earned the victory, scattering two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander struck out three.
No. 21 La Verne opened up SCIAC play against Whittier with a 12-9 victory. Clutch pitching as well as three RBIs from Isaiah Figueroa propelled the Leopards to the win. D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Ryan Vosika reached base twice, going 2-4 with an RBI and two walks to help set the tone at the top of the order. Figueroa delivered a team high in RBIs, finishing 2-3 with a double. Freshman Lucas Zayac turned in a perfect performance at the plate, going 3-3 and scoring a run, while Jacob Castro added a two hit day with two runs scored and an RBI to keep the pressure on throughout the game. Christian Takahashi continued the offensive surge, going 2-3 with two RBIs. As a team, La Verne combined for 13 hits, 12 runs and nine runs batted in. Justin Ries got the start, going 4.1 innings and allowing four earned. The southpaw had three shutdown innings in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and added three punchouts to his season total. Corbin Duffield came out of the pen and slammed the door shut in the fifth to end the Poets rally.
Gwynedd Mercy (3-0) welcomed Penn State Hazleton (0-1) to Frank O. Genuardi Legends Baseball Field to kick off the Red and Gold's round-robin tournament. With some incredible defense from junior infielder Drew Haines, timely hitting from senior infielder Jimmy DeCarlo, and a dominating performance from sophomore pitcher Connor Hafto, the Griffins earned a 7-1 victory over the Nittany Lions. Hafto (2-0) finished with a strong 5.1 innings of work, allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out five.