Baseball opened up their home schedule at Olsen Stadium on Saturday and Sunday with a three-game series against Briar Cliff University. The Chargers and Ravens split the Saturday doubleheader before Briar Cliff held off Benedictine in Sunday's 9-inning contest.
Offensive was at a premium throughout the series as Briar Cliff earned a 2-1 win in the opener before Benedictine rallied to take game two of the doubleheader 3-2. A 2-run sixth inning proved to be the difference in the series winner as Briar Cliff earned a 4-3 win.
Game 1: Briar Cliff 2, Benedictine 1 (8 innings).
A single off Matthew Gephardt in the top of the eighth inning allowed Briar Cliff to escape with a 1-run win in the series opener on Saturday.
Lance Bolles earned the start on the hill for the Ravens. He threw the first 5 innings, giving up 1 run off 5 hits with 4 strikeouts to set the tone on the hill for the weekend for Benedictine. Harper Beatie held the Chargers scoreless over an inning and two-thirds before Gephardt finished the game for the Ravens. He allowed 1 run off 2 hits over an inning and one-third to suffer the loss.
Benedictine finished the game with 8 hits against two Briar Cliff pitchers. Ashton Neuman and Jack Harpole both went 2 for 3 at the plate with Neuman scoring Harpole on an RBI double. Bryan Haas added a 2-for-4 game at the plate to round out the top hitters for the Ravens.
Game 2: Benedictine 3, Briar Cliff 2.
After Briar Cliff tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the top of the sixth inning, Neuman singled in Dominic Ferrari for the game-winning RBI.
Ben DeLaForest earned the start on the hill for the Ravens. He went 5 innings, giving up a run off 4 hits with three strikeouts. Even DeMint and Carson Kasl combined to finish the game for the Ravens. DeMint gave up a run in one-third of an inning before Kasl finished the final inning and two-thirds. Kasl shutout the Chargers, giving up a hit with 3 strikeouts.
Jack Minnis joined Neuman with a double as Neuman went 2 for 3. Minnis recorded an RBI, scoring Neuman in the fifth inning as the Ravens took their first lead.
Game 3: Briar Cliff 4, Benedictine 3.
A two-run sixth proved to be the difference in the series finale on Sunday as the Chargers earned a 1-run win.
Andrew Baier earned the start on the hill, throwing the first three and one-third innings. He gave up 1 run off 2 hits with 3 strikeouts in the no-decision effort. Evan Arnold, Ben Bowman, Charlie Elsten, and Jackson Sarver all threw in relief of Baier. Elsten suffered the loss, giving up 2 runs off 1 hit in a third of an inning of work. Sarver threw the final three and two-thirds, shutting out the Chargers while giving up 1 hit with 2 strikeouts.
At the plate, Minnis and Jaden Zimmerman recorded doubles while Neuman hit his first home run of the season. Neuman and Zimmerman were credited with the Ravens 2 RBIs.
Benedictine continues their homestand on Feb. 17-18 when they host a four-game series with Waldorf Univesity. The first pitch on both days is scheduled for Noon.
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