AUBURNDALE, Florida - The Mount St. Joseph University baseball team continued their outstanding start to the 2025 season with a 13-11 win over Concordia Chicago on Tuesday. The win moves the Lions to 5-1, the programs best start to a season since 2016 when the team started the season 8-0.
The Lions sent sophomore
Matt Frye to the hill to start the game, who was solid going the front 4.1 innings allowing only a pair of earned runs.
Concordia got the scoring underway with an unearned run in the top of the 1st inning. The Mount answered immediately scoring three times in the bottom of the frame.
Anton Mere,
Jordan Harley and
Andrew Harrison all walked to load the bases with no outs.
Ethan Mason then drove a two-run single into left center to give them the early lead. An out later
Jackson Gutzwiller singled into left to drive in the third run of the inning.
Each team went scoreless in the second and third innings, before the Cougars drew within one with a run in the top of the fourth. They would go on to score three more times to take a 5-3 lead after four and a half innings.
Once again trailing the Lions offense exploded in the bottom of the inning. Mason was hit by pitch to start the inning, and moved to third on a
Brennan Martin double. Gutzwiller then drilled a three-run homer into left to push them back in front.
Jake Sanders followed that with a base-hit, an out later
Austin Buckle got a bunt base-hit to put runners on the corners. Sanders would score and Buckle moved to second on a balk. Mere then laced an RBI single up the middle and immediately stole second. Harley walked and the Lions executed a double steal to get two into scoring position. Harrison lifted a sac fly into left, and Mason drilled an RBI single.
Josh Issacs would come on to get the win in relief, pitching 1.2 innings of one-hit baseball.
The Lions would add three more in the bottom of the seventh to push their lead out to 13-7. Concordia scored twice in the eighth and added two more in the ninth to get within striking distance.
Ryan Caulfield was called on to close the game with the tying run at the plate and no outs in the ninth. After walking the first batter he faced, he retired the side for his first save of the season.
UP NEXT:
The Lions will play Northland College tomorrow from Chain O' Lakes park in Winter Haven, Florida. First pitch is scheduled at 1:30 PM, tune into MSJ Sports Network on Youtube for your live game coverage.
