Minneapolis, Minn. – The Crown baseball team opened their season late Tuesday night with a double-header against Hamline University at US Bank Stadium. The Storm split with the Pipers in two well-played games, winning the opener 3-0 and falling in game two by a score of 4-2.
Fifth-year senior and ace of the Crown staff,
Eric Newman, tossed a gem in game one, going five and third innings while allowing just two hits and recording seven punchouts.
Mason Brock came on in relief and earned his first career save in his first career pitching appearance, navigating the final inning and two-thirds of the seven inning game to earn the combined shoutout.
The top of the Crown lineup produced on the offensive side, with newcomer
Devyn Wilson-Cowan doubling in a run in the fifth and scoring on a
Seth Betts single out of the leadoff spot. Betts, hitting out of the two hole also doubled as part of a two-hit night and stole a pair of bases.
Rhys Dewick, Brock, Black Boggs, and
Jack Becker each recorded singles as part of a seven-hit night for the Storm.
Game two saw four different pitchers take the hill for Crown, each allowing a single run in the 4-2 loss.
Tyler VanCise got the start and went three innings and gave up three hits and a walk along with three strikeouts.
Jacob Crowley pitched the fourth and was saddled with the loss, allowing a single earned run on one hit, and was undone by a pair of hit batters.
Tyler Bloom gave up an unearned run in the fifth and
Brett Sutterby made his college debut and allowed a run in the sixth, striking out one.
The offense couldn't muster quite enough to keep pace in the early morning hours of Wednesday after first pitch was at 11:30 p.m.
Kyle Schroedle singled home Betts in the fourth to tie the game and Boggs singled home Brock in the seventh, but that would be it for game two. Betts had another two-hit game as last year's UMAC Player of the Year got off to a strong start in the 2022 campaign, and Brock doubled and stole two bases.
Crown threatened in the seventh, but
Chad Herrera lined into an unlucky double-play to end the game.
Crown will now travel to Florida for their spring break trip that will include ten games in the sunshine state.
