Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It's not easy for northern baseball teams to start the season sharp, but the Edgewood College baseball team found the mild temperatures in Memphis to their liking. Playing outside for just the second time this season after yesterday's practice, the Eagles pounded out 15 hits in a 7-2 victory over NCAA Division II school Christian Brothers University. Andrew Laurtizen and Marc Ostrowski each had three hits, while Ryan O'Dell hit his first home run of the season.
Edgewood College (1-0) hardly looked like a team that had barely been outside, with Lauritzen and Mitch Marty smacking the first two pitches of the season for singles. Lauritzen would eventually score on an infield single from Ostrowski. Christian Brothers (4-11) tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first.
The Eagles busted the game open in the fifth inning. After Danny Appinoreached on an error and Lauritzen on a bunt single, Marty moved them both over with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Nick Lehner then provided the go-ahead hit with a single up the middle to put the Eagles ahead 3-1. Three pitches later senior Ryan O'Dell crushed a 1-1 delivery over the right field fence for his first home run of the season and a 5-1 Eagles lead.
Lehner came through again in the sixth inning, with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Lauritzen again. The Eagles added their seventh run in the eighth inning when O'Dell dropped an opposite field single into left field to score Lauritzen from third base, where we resided after a leadoff double and a productive ground out.
Five Eagles pitchers held the Bucs at bay, allowing just seven hits. Brock McGinn earned the win by cleaning up the final two batters of the fourth inning in relief of starter Nate Averill. Averill allowed four hits and one earned run in just over three innings pitched. Senior Trevor Koehn fired three scoreless innings, while AJ Verhage and Taylor Hillmannrecorded the outs in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Christian Brothers starter Michael Spain took the loss, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Cathcer Stephen Joe was the Bucs top hitter recording a pair of singles on the day. Designated hitter Charles Kelly pushed him CBU runs with a sac fly in the first and a bases loaded walk in the ninth.
The win for the Eagles marked their first season opening victory since 2010, when the Eagles defeated Concordia-Moorhead 12-4 and 5-4 in a Metrodome doubleheader. The Edgewood College bus will load up tomorrow and head further south to Fort Myers, Fla. The Eagles will play 10 games there, beginning with a doubleheader on Sunday against Haverford College.