WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Mount St. Joseph baseball team hit the road on Monday to take on Wilmington in their final non-conference game of the 2024 season. The Lions banged out 20 hits and scored 14 runs in 14-9 win over the Quakers.
Offensively the Lions got the scoring started with on in the first inning.
Anton Mere led off with a basehit and advanced to second base on a balk.
Jake Lawson followed that up with a bunt single, and two outs later they executed a double steal that ended with Mere stealing home.
In the second they added another run as
Jordan Harley hit a solo homerun to rightfield. They added two more in the third, all coming with two-outs in the inning.
Kevin Schaaf got it started with a two-out basehit, advancing to second on a passed ball.
Tyler Herbers then hit an RBI triple to right field and scored on an RBI single by
Andrew Clements.
Wilmington scored seven unanswered runs over the fourth and fifth inning to take a three run lead. The teams each scored one in the sixth, so Wilmington entered the late innings with a three run advantage.
The Mount then exploded for a seven run eighth to take control of the game. Harley reached with one-out on an error,
Brennan Martin then doubled to right-center to drive him in.
Cole Carrigan followed that up with an RBI double of his own. An out later Lawson had a run scoring single, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Schaaf then drew a two-out walk, Herbers delivered an RBI single to give the Lions the lead. Clements then drilled a two-run double to left center, and
Matt Brankamp delivered an RBI single to drive in the final run of the inning.
Sam Huston got the ball for the Lions to start the game on the mound, he was outstanding through his first three innings of work. He would allow four runs in the fourth inning and after the first two reached in the fifth he was lifted for
Brendan Hosler. Hosler would go 2.0 innings allowing 2 hits and 2 earned runs. He gave way to
Nolan Miller who pitched 1.2 innings allowing only a single hit and one unearned run, getting the win in relief his first in a Lions uniform.
Ryan Caulfield entered the game with two-outs in the eighth and runners on the corners, retiring the first batter he faced to shut down the threat.
The Lions added two in the ninth to give Caulfield breathing room. He would allow a hit in the ninth but retired the side to secure his third save of the season.
UP NEXT:
This weekend the Lions will finish the regular season with a pair of HCAC double-headers. On Friday they will welcome the Anderson Ravens to Cincinnati with the double-header taking place at Xavier University. On Sunday they will hit the road to Lexington, Ky. to take on the Transylvania Pioneers. Entering the weekend the Lions magic number to secure a spot in the HCAC tournament is just one, a win by the Lions or a loss by Franklin or Manchester will secure their postseason birth.
