LAKELAND, Fla.— The Montreat College baseball team traveled to the Sunshine State on Thursday for the start of its season-opening series against the No. 3-ranked Southeastern University Fire. Playing the first of four scheduled contests, the Cavaliers came up just short against the NAIA powerhouse, falling by a 7-5 final score. With the result, the Cavs begin the year 0-1, while SEU starts the campaign 1-0.
Montreat opened the matchup with a single from
Matthew Brunner in the first inning, but he was later picked off, concluding what eventually became a scoreless start for both teams. Southeastern later struck in the bottom of the second, taking an early 2-0 lead courtesy of a wild pitch and an RBI single up the middle.
In the fifth inning, the Cavaliers capitalized on a throwing error to score three runs.
Kaden Ethier and
Gustavo Gonzalez both crossed home plate due to the miscue, while
Cameron Nagel scored two batters later thanks to
Justin Austin's RBI single. The three-run fifth knotted up the contest momentarily, but the hosts answered during the bottom half of the frame. A three-run blast reestablished the Fire's edge midway through the nonconference showdown.
Montreat pulled a run back in the seventh when
Tommy Ramos singled to left field, driving in Nagel, but Southeastern responded in the same frame once again. An RBI fielder's choice restored the hosts' three-run advantage, this time at 7-4.
The Cavs made a late push in the top of the ninth, with Ramos' two-out RBI double plating Austin and trimming the gap to two. With the tying run at the dish, the visitors couldn't deliver the final game-altering hit. A strikeout ended the affair and secured a 7-5 victory for SEU.
Montreat notched one more hit (9-8), struck out two additional batters (11-9) and committed two fewer errors (3-1) than its nationally-ranked counterpart.
Bryton Williams got the opening day nod, pitching 4 1/3 innings while allowing five earned runs on five hits. The newcomer also struck out six and only walked one.
Christopher Suarez and
Jordon Hart were each charged with one earned run Thursday evening. The former did so in 2/3 innings with a punchout, while the latter hurled two frames and struck out four batters.
Ethan Caldwell finished the day on the mound, tossing a scoreless eighth.
Nagel contributed offensively by scoring two runs and collecting one hit. Ramos drove in a pair and registered two hits, including a double. Austin added to the effort with one hit, one RBI and two walks.
The Cavaliers resume their four-game set versus Southeastern tomorrow afternoon. First pitch of the Friday twin bill is slated for 1 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla.
