CINCINNATI, Ohio - After dropping their first conference game of the season on Friday night to Hanover, the Lions bounced back to split the double-header with the Panthers on Saturday.
Game One | MSJ 7 - Hanover 3
In game one of the double-header the Lions sent sophomore right hander
Nolan Miller to the mound. Miller answered with one of his better starts of the year. He pitched the front six innings of the game, allowing six hits and only one earned run, while striking out six Panthers. The performance earned him his fourth win of the season.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning, when
Jake Sanders hit his second home run in as many days. This one was a solo shot to left center to get the Lions on the board.
In the bottom of the fifth they scored four more to push the lead to 5-0.
Tyler Herbers singled with two outs to start the rally. Sanders then struck out but a wild pitch allowed him to reach first base in one of the biggest plays of the game.
Austin Buckle then walked to load the bases and
Anton Mere delivered a two run single into right field.
Jordan Harley then hit an RBI infield single,
Andrew Harrison was hit by pitch to once again load the bases and
Ethan Mason walked to force in the fifth run of the game.
Hanover scored one in the top of the sixth inning to score their first run of the game. The Mount answered with two more in the bottom of the inning, once again doing their work with two-outs in the inning. With two-outs Sanders singled, eventually scoring on an RBI single from Buckle, who then scored on an RBI single from Mere.
Jackson Bucks entered in the seventh and pitched the final 3.0 innings of the game earning the first save of his MSJ career. The sophomore right hander allowed only two-hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out two.
Game Two | Hanover 8 - MSJ 2
After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning the Lions loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first, but would miss a golden opportunity for a big inning. Mere and Harley both had infield singles and Harrison was hit-by-pitch to load the bases. An out later
Brennan Martin laced a sac fly into centerfield to score Mere, it was the only run they would score in the inning.
Hanover answered with two in the top of the second to take an early lead. The next run came in the bottom of the fourth, once again it was Sanders coming through with a two-out RBI single into left field.
The score remained tied until four from Hanover in the top of the 6th inning, they would add two more in the ninth to settle the score at 8-2.
UP NEXT:
The Lions are scheduled to take on the Wilmington Quakers on Wednesday night at Midland Field.
