JACKSON, Miss. – The Edgewood College Eagles baseball squad opened up their 2023 campaign down south against Westminster Friday evening. The two squads both had early two-run innings in their opening game of the season, but the Blue Jays' (1-0) pitching shut down the Eagles' (0-1) bats after the first inning as Westminster kept rolling to a 14-2 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A
Connor Goodwin steal with no outs gave Edgewood College a prime scoring opportunity early.
Kyle Sagan drove in Goodwin with a single up the middle, before
Joseph Kalafut picked up from where he left off with a double to right center to send Sagan home. The Eagles would get a runner on third with a single out thanks to a wild pitch, but were unable to score their third run.
- A pair of quiet innings followed until the bottom of the third. An early walk and a single combined with an Edgewood College error gave Westminster their first tally of the day. A wild pitch would tie the game up at 2-2, but
Dominic Rizzotto would settle in and finish the inning without any further damage.
- A pair of free runners gave the Blue Jays another excellent opportunity in the bottom of the fourth. A one-run double to right center followed by a two-run triple to right field and a single would give Westminster a 6-2 lead after four.
- The Eagles bats would continue to struggle with only two hits in the next eight innings. An error would tack on another run for the Blue Jays in the fifth, followed by two more from a bases-loaded single to left field to give Westminster a commanding 9-2 advantage. The Blue Jays would tack on 5 more runs in their last three innings to put the game well out of reach.
-
Gavin Vrana stood out in starting duties, throwing three strikeouts in two shutout innings with only one hit allowed. Five pitchers featured in the loss and combined for 10 strikeouts.
- Kalafut and
Carson Richter each hit a double in the defeat.
- Pitchers Bode Gebbink and Kaleb Hinkle-Pruett combined for seven innings of scoreless ball after the Eagles' two-run first. Gebbink tossed five strikeouts and earned the victory.
- Matt Lukins was a perfect five-of-five at the plate, accounting for four Westminster runs and bringing in another score.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This was the first time the two schools have met in baseball.
- Kalafut's double in the first was number 43 of his career, five shy of Travis Kahn for the most all time at Edgewood College.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will return to the field tomorrow to face the Blue Jays once more. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Jackson, Miss.
