NASHVILLE, TEnn. - The Lewis University baseball team earned a split to start the season, defeating Trevecca Nazarene 10-7 and falling to Trevecca 4-1 in a pair of games Friday (Feb. 23) at Jackson Field.
Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere),
Brandon Post (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) and Trayvon Johnson all had three hits on the day for the Flyers.
Game 1 - Lewis 10, Trevecca Nazarene 7
The Flyers stormed out of the gate to begin the season, scoring two runs in the second inning and adding three more in the third.
Austin Tittle (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) opened the scoring in the second with a two-run homer, scoring Johnson. In the third inning
Ethan Bloom (Schaumburg, Ill./Hoffman Estates) homered to left center field to give the Flyers a 3-0 advantage. Tittle then picked up his third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly and that was followed up by a wild pitch, which scored Johnson, to give Lewis a 5-0 advantage.
The Trojans fought back with a run in the fourth and three in the fifth, but a Johnson three-run homer in the sixth regained Lewis' cushion, leading 8-4. Trevecca came back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but again Lewis answered in the top of the seventh on a Post sacrifice. Rutherford added an insurance run in the top of the eight on a homer for the final score of the game.
Johnson (3 runs, 3 RBI), Post and Rutherford (2 runs) all had two hits in the contest. Tittle added three RBI, while Bloom and Terry (4 walks) each scored twice.
Pete Hamot (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) (1-0) earned the win on the mound, going five innings, allowing seven hits and fourt earned runs, while striking out eight.
Brady Kostecki (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) picked up his first save of the year, going three innings of work in relief, allowing two hits and no runs, striking out three. Drew Pierce (0-1) took the loss for the Trojans.
Game 2 - Trevecca Nazarene 4, Lewis 1
Lewis grabbed a quick lead again in game two, scoring in the top of the first when Rutherford scored on an error. That was all the offense though for the Flyers this game, and while the pitching of
Brad Littleton (Coal City, Ill./) kept the Flyers (1-1) in the lead through three innings, the Trojans (4-4) eventually got on the board in the fourth inning and added three runs in the sixth inning.
Littleton went four innings on the mound, allowing five hits and one earned run, striking out six.
Robert Talarico (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) (0-1) picked up the loss, allowing three runs in 1.1 innings of relief. Tyler Koprowski (1-0) picked up the win in relief, going two scoreless innings to end the seven-inning game. Lewis had four hits in the game and left nine on base.
Lewis will conclude its stay in Nashville Sunday when it faces off with Northwood for a double header, beginning at 10:45 a.m.
