Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GAME ONE BOX SCORE | GAME TWO BOX SCORE
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The University of Alabama in Huntsville baseball team (2-3) opened up its four-game series against Lynn (5-1) on Friday afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium, dropping both games of the doubleheader. The Fighting Knights collected 12 hits in game one en route to a 7-1 victory before dealing UAH a heartbreaker, 3-2, in extra-innings in game two.
UAH and Lynn will continue the four-game series tomorrow at Roger Dean Stadium with another doubleheader. The first pitch of game three is slated for 11 a.m. CST with game four scheduled to follow shortly after.
GAME ONE
UAH's sophomore pitcher Drew Eiland (0-1) took the loss in game one as he threw 6.0 innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) on 12 hits and no strikeouts. Lynn's starting pitcher Shawn Kale (1-0) picked up his win of the year, throwing 5.2 scoreless, and hitless, innings en route to the 7.0-inning complete game. Kale allowed just one run on two hits while fanning 11 batters and walking three.
Senior Jon McKinney, who was responsible for one of the two UAH hits in the game, broke up the no-hitter in the top of the sixth inning with a single up the middle. McKinney's hit scored the Chargers' lone run in the contest as well, plating senior Mike Love from second base who had walked earlier in the frame.
Senior Grant DeBruin also connected for a hit, leading off the seventh inning with a single into left field.
Lynn opened the scoring, crossing the plate for two runs in both the bottom of the second inning and bottom of the third inning. Joe Sharkey hit a double down the left field line to lead off the second, and moved over to third after a bunt single by Paul Stortini. The next batter hit a sac fly to score Sharkey and move Stortini over to second, followed by a single down the left field line and fielder's choice which plated Stortini for a 2-0 Fighting Knights lead.
In the third, Cory Elasik led off the frame with a single through the left side. Lynn's Jason Matusik then connected on the first pitch he saw, sending the ball over the left field wall for a two-run homer to give Lynn a 4-0 lead. Lynn plated three more runs, all unearned, in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a comfortable 7-0 lead.
UAH had DeBruin on first base in the top of the seventh inning, but a fly out and two strikeouts ended any threat of a rally, and the game.
GAME TWO
After seven scoreless innings in a scheduled seven-inning game, junior Justin Pearson legged out a leadoff triple in the top of the eighth inning to spark a 2-run lead for the Chargers. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lynn scored the game-winning run on a single up the middle in the bottom of the eighth.
With runners on first and third in the top of the eighth inning after senior Grant DeBruin walked, junior Vincent Kortbawi singled down the left field line to put the first run of the game on the board. A passed ball advanced Kortbawi and DeBruin into scoring position on second and third. Freshman Chandler Brock flied out to centerfield in the next at-bat to bring across DeBruin, giving the Chargers a 2-0 lead.
UAH junior pitcher Dana Wright earned the start on the hill, but was pulled after a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the eighth inning. Junior Cody Barrett relieved Wright, but plunked the first batter he faced to put the tying run on first base. A sac bunt by the next batter put gave Lynn one out but advanced the runners to second and third.
A single into right field by Steven Fernandez tied the game up for Lynn at 2-2, which was followed by another single to put runners on first and second with just one out for the Fighting Knights. Austin Smith came to the plate next, singling up the middle on a 1-2 count which scored the winning run from second base.
Barrett (1-1) was tagged with the loss, working just 0.1 innings in relief while allowing two runs. Lynn's Jason Whalen (1-1) came in as a reliever to pick up the win after working two innings, allowing two runs but only one earned run.
