STERLINGTON, La. – The 2023 baseball season got started with what has become an annual trip to the Cajon Collision for Benedictine.
Waiting for the Ravens was four games with Wayland Baptist, (RV) LSU-Alexandria, (RV) McPherson, and (4) LSU-Shreveport.
The trip opened with a pitcher's dual with Wayland Baptist. In total, three pitchers combined for 24 strikeouts while allowing four hits. Andrew Baier earned the start and threw 4 innings before he was relieved by Lance Bolles. The duo combined for 10 strikeouts with Baier throwing a no-hitter. Bolles suffered the loss, surrendering one hit – a solo home run in the top of the fifth – to take the first loss of the season.
Zac Demos finished with a double at the plate as he, Theo Kummer, and Jack Harpole accounted for Benedictine's three hits.
Jackson Sarver threw the first complete game of the season for the Ravens in their second game against LSU-Alexandria. He allowed 4 runs off 5 hits over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts in a 4-0 loss.
Ashton Neuman went 2 for 4 at the plate as the Ravens recorded 6 hits.
The third game of the weekend pitted the Ravens against in-state opponent McPherson and saw the Ravens plate home their first runs of the season.
Kummer went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI, while Danny Favazza and Jaden Zimmerman were credited with an RBI each in the 9-5 loss.
Matthew Gephardt, Matthew Gabriel, Ben DeLaForest, and Zach Wilcox combined on the hill for the Ravens.
In their finale, the Ravens took on the preseason-ranked Pilots. LSU-Shreveport used an 8-run fifth inning to break the game open en route to a 12-1 win.
Hunter Moffett and Zimmerman recorded the two hits for the Ravens at the plate while Ben Bowman, Andrew Ryan, Ethan Arnold, and Dominic Susanka combined on the hill for the Ravens.
Benedictine returns home for a four-game series with St. Ambrose University starting with a Saturday doubleheader at Noon at Olsen Stadium. Benedictine is scheduled to play 16 of its next 17 games on the brand-new turf at Olsen Stadium through March 12.
