The baseball team lost the first game of its spring break trip Sunday afternoon to Chatham University in Orlando, Florida.
Senior pitcher Jack Fox completed five innings, gave up four runs on three hits, and struck out seven batters. Relief pitchers sophomore Bryan Simmons-Hayes and freshman Johnny Maffei totaled four innings and did not give up a hit or run.
Fox struck out the first batter in the top of the first. After his initial strikeout, the starter allowed a hit and a walk followed by another strikeout. Junior infielder Ryan McCahan recorded the Lions’ only hit in the first inning with a double to center field.
Fox tallied another strikeout in the second inning and kept the game scoreless. Freshman Matt Nachami reached first off a Cougar error in the bottom half of the inning, and a base hit by junior utility player Andre Padovani advanced Nachami to second.
The Lions added two more hits in the third inning by sophomore outfielder Louie Davolio and McCahan. The Cougars tagged Davolio out at third.
Fox recorded one walk and one strikeout in the fourth inning, allowing no hits or runs. The Lions entered the scoring column with a home run by Nachami and a single by Padovani in the bottom of the inning.
The Cougars retaliated in the fifth inning with four runs off of three hits, two walks, and an error.
Simmons-Hayes relieved Fox at the start of the sixth, and the reliever recorded one strikeout and did not allow a base runner. Sophomore outfielder Quinton Copeland advanced to first after a pitch hit him.
In the seventh inning, Simmons-Hayes walked one batter and struck out another. The Lions’ half of the inning consisted of three outs in three batters.
Simmons-Hayes did not allow a base runner in the eighth, and two errors by the Cougars resulted in one run for the Lions.
Maffe relieved Simmons-Hayes at the top of the ninth and prevented further scoring by the Cougars. The Lions recorded two hits but failed to score, ending the game with a final score of 4-2.
The Lions play again Monday, March 2, in Winter Haven, Florida, against Neumann University at 3 p.m.
