Fort Myers, FL- The Saint Joseph's College baseball team lost their season opener against Ohio Wesleyan on Sunday 18-15. The Bishops took the season-opening game for both squads at the Gene Cusic Classic at Riverside Park. The game was decided in the top of the seventh when Ohio Wesleyan scored five runs to come from behind.
Down 15-13 entering the seventh, Bishop DH Tyler Mott and right fielder Loudenslager walked, and first baseman Bo Burnett reached on an error, scoring Mott. Third baseman Mark Wherry singled home Loudenslager, and leftfielder fielder Bryon Lowe walked before Joe Deck drove home Burnett on a fielder’s choice. Wherry scored on a wild pitch by Matt Vasil, Mike Schultheis walked, Lowe then stole third, and a Travis Falk sacrifice fly to right field scored Lowe plating the game winning runs.
Monks hurler Matt Vasil (0-1) gave up three runs, two of which were earned, in an inning of action on one hit and two walks in taking the loss. Bishops Josh Nice (1-0) struck out three in the bottom of the six in relief to pick up his first victory of the year.
Saint Joseph's went ahead with a five spot in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freshman shortstop Tyler Bryant lead off with a single to right center, and on the following pitch, sophomore right fielder Andy Exley followed with a single of his own. Jesse LaCasse followed Exley with a two-run double, and later scored on an error by the shortstop Joe Deck. The Monks went ahead when Lucas Hannigan crossed the plate on a Rutherford RBI single. After Rutherford advanced to third on consecutive errors, he scored on a wild pitch.
To open the scoring, the Bishops to a first inning when Mott walked for the Bishops first runner, reached home after home run by Loudenslager.
Saint Joseph's College got things going quickly in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Derek McIntosh singled and LaCasse followed with a walk. Hannigan singled to right to load the basses. The Monks first run in the inning came when Rutherford’s walk drove home McIntosh. Saint Joseph's added three more runs when Justin Lambert’s double brought home LaCasse, Hannigan, and Rutherford to make the score 4-2 Saint Joseph's after the first inning of play.
The Monks scored four more runs in the bottom-half of the second on four hits but Ohio Wesleyan fired right back and put up two more runs to make the game 8-4 after three.
Ohio Wesleyan scored six runs in the top of the fourth inning. Schultheis got things going for the Bishops when he reached first with a single, advanced to second on a Travis Falk single, and later scored after a Troy Wittman grounder ate up Nick Arno for an error. Mott’s came to the plate and hit a three-run shot to tie the game at eight. Loudenslager singled to right and was brought home by a Bo Burnett two-run homer.
In the bottom of the fourth, Hannigan reached on a single. Rutherford then doubled Hannigan to third. Lambert then singled to left field to knot the game at 10 apiece.
The Bishops pushed across three more in the fifth when Schultheis hit a two-run homer to bring home Joe Deck who was hit by the pitch to lead off the frame. Ohio Wesleyan’s next batter Travis Falk went over the fence, making it 13-10.
