HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville baseball team opened the 2018 season on Saturday with a pair of losses to Saint Leo in a doubleheader by scores of 7-4 and 6-4 at Charger Park. UAH dips to 0-2, while SLU improves to 2-0.
 
Next Time Out
- UAH and Saint Leo wrap up the three-game nonconference series on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Charger Park.
 
SLU 7, UAH 4
 
Game Changer
- After UAH led 3-0 early in the first game of the season entering the third inning, Saint Leo notched two runs in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth on the way to the 7-4 win to start the day.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Senior Ben Rhodes led the Chargers at the plate going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.
- Jay Copeland and Nolan Ramsey each had two of the Chargers hits in the contest as well as one walk apiece.
- Six Chargers had at least one hit.
- UAH starting pitcher Hunter Hood took the loss in the contest after posting 3.1 innings pitched with four earned runs allowed and two strikeouts.
- Freshman Brooks Brophy had a stellar outing of relief in his first collegiate appearance, working 4.0 scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
 
Key Plays
- Following two scoreless innings to start the game by Hood, UAH owned a 3-0 lead entering the third highlighted by a two-run second for the Chargers that featured one RBI each by Wes Anderson and Tanner Burns.
- Saint Leo's victory was keyed by a three-run fourth that gave the visitors a 5-3 advantage, thanks to home runs by Jake Sims and Derek Gibree.
 
Noteworthy
- Rhodes had three hits in a game five times last season, and he's had six hits in his past two games played dating back to the last game of the GSC tournament last season against Union.
 
SLU 6, UAH 4
 
Game Changer
- Saint Leo scored five times over the first two innings to lead UAH 5-0, thanks to a decisive four-run second en route to the 6-4 win over UAH.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Jay Copeland posted a multi-hit performance to lead UAH at the dish, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
- Both Jack Stamper and Robby Seemann had one hit and an RBI each.
- Seemann registered the lone extra-base hit for UAH which was a double in the fourth inning.
- Ben Rhodes, AJ Walden, and Nolan Ramsey also scored a run in the loss.
- Jake Bracewell was dealt the loss to slip his season record to 0-1, as he tossed 3.2 innings with six runs allowed and six strikeouts.
- UAH received another strong outing of relief in game two, with Dylan Murphy working the final 3.1 innings with no runs allowed and two strikeouts.
 
Key Plays
- A two-RBI double in the second by Isaacson made it a 5-0 lead for the Lions.
- After SLU added one run in the fourth to make it 6-0 Lions, UAH posted a four-run bottom of the fourth highlighted by RBI base hits by Copeland and Seemann.