DAVENPORT, Florida - The Mount St. Joseph baseball team picked up their first win of the 2026 RussMatt Invitational on Wednesday, defeating Keystone College 12-2. The Giants opned the sason ranked No. 24 in the country in the D3baseball.com preseason poll. The Lions rode a 14-hit offensive outburst and a dominant start from senior Sam Huston to secure the victory.
The Lions jumped ahead in the top of the first inning, scoring two runs without recording a hit. Austin Buckle led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jordan Harley. Ethan Mason was then hit by a pitch to give the Lions runners on first and second with one out. Both runners advanced when a failed pickoff attempt at second sailed into center field. Brennan Martin drove in the first run of the game on a ball back to the pitcher that scored Buckle. After a walk to Zac Clow loaded the bases again, Jackson Gutzwiller drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the second run.
Huston got the start for the Lions, making his first start of the season, and the senior left-hander delivered a strong outing. He worked the first five innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out eight and walking none. The only blemish came in the first inning when Keystone hit a solo home run that briefly cut the Lions' lead in half.
Neither team scored in the second, third, or fourth innings before the Lions added another run in the fifth. Clow led off the inning and was robbed of extra bases by a great play from the right fielder. Gutzwiller followed with a ground-rule double into the left field corner, and one out later Jack Robinson delivered an RBI single up the middle to extend the lead.
The Mount broke the game open in the sixth inning, scoring six runs. Harley started the rally with a one-out single and quickly stole second. With two outs, Martin drilled the first pitch he saw into right field for his fourth home run of the season. Clow then reached on an error before Gutzwiller singled to move him to third and stole second. Devin Perry followed with a two-run double into left field, and Robinson added an RBI single. AJ Meyer reached on an error, and Buckle capped the inning with an RBI single to left that scored Robinson.
Daniel Brayton entered in relief in the sixth inning and closed the game for the Lions. The senior right-hander pitched the final three innings, allowing just one run to earn his first collegiate save.
The Lions added another run in the seventh when Clow drove in Harley, and two more in the eighth to bring the 10-run mercy rule into play. Meyer recorded a two-out single before Buckle drove him home with an RBI triple. Harley followed with an RBI single to score Buckle.
All nine Lions in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit as the team finished with a season-high 12 runs.
UP NEXT: The Lions will have Thursday off before returning to action Friday with a doubleheader against Saint Joseph's College of Maine. The teams will play a pair of seven-inning games beginning at 3:00 PM at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
