PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The Bulldog baseball team met up with a familiar foe on Wednesday as they squared off with northern neighbor Heidelberg University. The two teams have a spirited non-conference rivalry over the years which started with the Bulldogs winning the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional in comeback fashion. Since that game however the Student Princes have certainly used that as motivation owning a 7-3 edge in the series including an 11-5 win in Florida today.

For the second time in the last three days, Adrian held a lead midway through the game only to let it slip away. The Bulldogs led 5-4 after five innings but were outscored 7-0 in the final four innings by Heidelberg. Three Adrian pitchers combined to allow 11 earned runs over nine innings. The loss went to Austin Buchmayer who was the second pitcher of the game. He allowed four earned runs and five hits in 1.2 innings. Brent Greenwood got the start going the first five innings allowing eight hits and four earned runs. Cory Fox cleaned up the final 2.1 innings and allowed three hits and three earned runs.

Adam Manner and Derek Hendrixson did a superb job out of the Heidelberg bullpen combined to throw 4.2 innings of four-hit, no-run ball. Manner improved to 1-1 with the win and Hendrixson got a save by going three innings. Adrian scored once in the third and fourth and then three times in the fifth. Drew Shutes drew a bases loaded walk in the third to tie the game at 1-1. Heidelberg scored twice in the top of the fourth and then Adrian cut the lead to 3-2. Sam Fischer had a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

The Student Princes scored another in the fifth to lead 4-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Adrian scored their three runs on two hits in the inning, but left the bases loaded. Ryan Dorow was hit by a pitch to score a run. Fischer drew a bases loaded walk for an RBI. Mitch Stefanski also walked with the bases full for another run.

Heidelberg then scored twice in the sixth and seventh and then three more times in the ninth to put the game away. Adrian left five runners on base in the last four innings. Fischer had a pair of RBI and two walks. Stefanski went 2-for-3 with two walks and a double. Dorow went 1-for-3 with a double in his first start at second base. Shutes had another fine performance going 3-for-4 with a walk, run and RBI. Adrian (1-2) will tangle with Moravian again tomorrow at noon after the Greyhounds won 9-8 in 10 innings back on Monday.