VERO BEACH, FL – The Bay College Norse Baseball Team (1-1) got their season started on Saturday with a doubleheader split against the Hagerstown Community College Hawks (8-1). The Norse dropped the first game by a final score of 6-1 before taking the nightcap in dramatic fashion. A walk-off single gave Bay their first win of the season by a final score of 6-5.
In the opener Bay got a strong performance on the mound from Lorenzo Feliciano (SO, Deerfield Beach, FL). After a fly ball to left that just cleared the fence for a homerun from the Hawks' Quinn Illig (FR, Furlong, PA), Feliciano would settle in and baffle the Hagerstown hitters.
Bay's offense struggled, but they managed to tie the game in the fourth when George Cooper (SO, Skenners Head, Australia) drove a double to left to plate the first run of the season for Bay.
Feliciano surrendered the lead in the fifth off of a two-out RBI single from Ethan Shimmel (SO, Windsor, PA). He would hit the next batter, bringing an end to his day. He ended up going four and two-thirds, giving up three hits, two earned runs, three walks, and struck out seven.
The defense, however, failed the Norse at that point. Isaac Sarles (FR, Marquette, MI) came in and immediately got what he needed, a groundball that should have ended the inning. Lack of communication changed that however, and instead of taking the out at first, the play was made to second way too late, extending the inning and loading the bases for the Hawks. A throwing error came on the next groundball and the Hawks plated two more runs.
Bay left two runners on in the sixth and another error in the bottom half of the inning put them in a bigger hole. A pair of leadoff singles in the seventh gave Bay hope, but they were not able to bring any runners around, falling by five runs in the opener.
The Norse had just five hits in the game with Michael Rey (SO, Dunnellon, FL) and Cooper picking up doubles. Sarles pitched the last one and one-third, giving up three hits, no walks, and struck out one. Three of the six Hawk runs were earned.
Shimmel was the only player with a multi-hit game, going two of four with an RBI.
It looked as though things were going to pick up where they left off in the second game as the first batter of the game reached safely on an error for Hagerstown. It looked as though that runner would be erased a few pitches later as the Norse turned what looked to be a routine double play, but the play was called a balk. A hit by pitch the very next pitch, followed by a single loaded the bases for Hagerstown.
Bay's Cohen Thompson (SO, Chapin, SC) was able to get out of trouble on the mound however. He got an infield pop up for the first out, then struck out the next two to turn the Hawks away in the first.
Bay took their first lead of the season in the bottom half. Rey singled to drive in Tyler Darmogray (SO, Gladstone, MI).
A sacrifice fly in the third from Hagerstown tied the game in the third and things took a turn for the worse in the fourth. A single and a walk started the inning and then a sacrifice bunt turned to disaster as the throw was errant, going down the right field line, allowing both runs to score. The Hawks scored two more runs on sacrifice flies, putting Bay down four runs.
The Norse answered in the bottom of the fourth by taking advantage of a couple of walks. With two outs Cameron Street (SO, Newmarket, ON) drove a double into the left center gap that drove in both runs.
Bay left two on in that inning, as well as two more in the fifth. Bay put two more on base in the sixth and cut the lead in half with an RBI groundball from Shane Lievsay (FR, Prescott Valley, AZ).
After a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, the Norse put pressure on the Hawks in the seventh. A lead off walk was followed by a sharply hit line drive from Zach Gibson (SO, Nassau, Bahamas) deflected off the glove of the shortstop. Another walk loaded the bases and with one out Bon LaChance (FR, Escanaba, MI) drew a seven-pitch walk to tie the game. That set up Street who picked on the first pitch and lifted it to center to score Gibson, giving the Norse their first win of the season in walk-off fashion.
Thompson was strong for the Norse, picking up the win in a complete-game effort. He gave up six hits, five runs, just three earned, walked one, and struck out four.
Street was two for four with a double and three RBI.
Shimmel had a three for four effort with a run scored and a stolen base for Hagerstown.
The Norse are on their spring break trip and will play nine games in seven days. All games will be at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, FL. Bay will play two more on Sunday, taking on the St. Cloud Technical and Community College Cyclones at 4 pm. They will follow that up with a matchup against Penn State Mont Alto at 7 pm.