MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.— The Montreat baseball team opened its 2025 season down in Miami Gardens, Fla. on Friday with a nonconference doubleheader against the St. Thomas University Bobcats, a team receiving votes in the preseason edition of the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Falling behind in both contests, the visitors dropped a pair of 8-1 and 8-2 final scores. With the defeats, the Cavaliers began the year 0-2.
Following a scoreless first frame, St. Thomas (2-0) took an early 1-0 lead thanks to a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second. Montreat had a chance to get that run back during the ensuing half-inning, but the Cavs ultimately left the bases loaded.
Starting pitcher
Merritt Evans held the Bobcats in check for most of his five innings on the mound, but the hosts managed to expand their advantage to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth. A two-out infield single and a throwing error kicked off the first of three consecutive frames in which STU added to its lead. St. Thomas scored twice again in the sixth and hit a pair of homers to plate three runs in the seventh as they built an 8-0 edge on their home turf.
In the top of the eighth, Montreat notched its initial run of the season.
Daniel Wagner registered a hit-by-pitch, and
Dawson Bryant doubled to place two Cavaliers in scoring position.
Gio Quintero then pinch hit and drove in Wagner via a groundout to third; however, that concluded the scoring in game one. Ultimately, the Bobcats seized the opener by an 8-1 final.
Manny Moore,
Justin Austin and Bryant combined for all three of the Cavs' hits. The visitors were held to 3-for-29 hitting (.103) versus STU pitching in the opener.
Jaider Morelos drew a pair of walks, and
Donovan Parker hurled a scoreless eighth inning.
Like game one, St. Thomas opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the second. That proved to be all the Bobcats could muster against
Ashe Ammerlaan, though. The lefty dazzled through four innings, surrendering just the lone run while striking out eight batters in his Cavalier debut.
Austin leveled the score at 1-1 with his two-out RBI single in the top of the fifth, but STU mustered a response with a solo shot in the bottom half of the frame. That homer marked the first of four straight innings in which the home side scored. By the eighth frame's conclusion, St. Thomas had pushed across eight runs for the second consecutive game.
Montreat got one run back on an error with the bases loaded in the seventh, but the gap proved to be too much to overcome as the Bobcats secured an 8-2 triumph.
The visitors batted 3-for-30 (.100) in the second ballgame as Austin (2-for-4) and
Hunter Furches (1-for-3) recorded the trio of knocks.
Zach Brownlee walked twice. Ammerlaan (8 Ks) and
Nick Kantzavelos (2 Ks) combined for all 10 of the Cavs' strikeouts.
Montreat and St. Thomas conclude their three-game series tomorrow at 12 p.m. in Miami Gardens, Fla.
