Ashland, Va. – Despite striking 10 hits, including three extra-base hits, the St. Mary's College of Maryland baseball team suffered an 18-4 setback in their season-opener of the 2013 campaign at Randolph-Macon College Saturday afternoon.
Infielders Alex Lenovitz (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) and Jared Eaker (Mechanicsville, Md./Leonardtown) as well as first-year right-fielder Michael O'Neill (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) each collected two hits to pace the Seahawks (0-1) at the plate while junior leftfielder Eric Skrzyniarz (Bethesda, Md./Winston Churchill) drove in two runs.
Randolph-Macon (1-0) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with six runs on five hits in the bottom of the first inning. St. Mary's managed to keep the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard for the next four innings before R-MC tacked on seven more runs in the seventh on senior first baseman Jon Witt's (Chesterfield, Va.) three-run home run.
The Seahawks finally put runs on the board with two in the seventh. Eaker hit a lead-off triple and then scored on an error by R-MC's shortstop. Senior catcher Stefano Muscatelli (Warwick, R.I./Toll Gate) notched the team's second run of the inning off an RBI single by sophomore second baseman Luke Green (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic). The Yellow Jackets stopped the offense with a double play.
R-MC responded with four more runs in the seventh as well before St. Mary's scored twice again in the eighth inning. Skrzyniarz cracked a two-run double, bringing home Lenovitz and senior shortstop Corey Napier (Hollywood, Md./St. Mary's Ryken). The Yellow Jackets' first-year reliever Austin Bain (Greensboro, N.C.) pitched a strikeout to end the inning.
The Yellow Jackets put the finishing touches on their 18-4 non-conference win with one more run in the eighth.
Sophomore RHP Zach Nadolny (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) took the loss for St. Mary's on the mound as Nadolny gave up six runs (five earned) on four hits in 0.2 innings of work.
Four R-MC players tallied two hits apiece while Witt and first-year leftfielder Michael Trentham (Midlothian, Va.) each drove home four runs. Senior starter Michael Helbig (Midlothian, Va.) picked up the first win of the season as Helbig fanned six Seahawk batters against two walks, scattering just three hits in 6.0 innings.
The Seahawks will be back in action tomorrow again at Randolph-Macon for a doubleheader, starting at 12:00 pm.
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