MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Rhodes baseball team split against the University of the Ozarks to open the 2015 campaign, topping the Eagles 9-5 and falling in the second contest 6-5.
Rhodes is now 1-1 on the year while the Eagles move to 1-1.
The Eagles got on the board in the top of the first, but it was the Lynx with the hot offensive, with big second, third and fourth innings to take the 7-1 lead.
Jackson Lourie ended the silence, knocking a double to right field that scored
David Balaguer for the first Rhodes run. On the next at bat,
Marcus Moreland knocked a single to left field to bring in
Ryan Olive and post the 2-1 lead.
The hits kept coming for the Lynx, as an Olive single to left field and scored
Will Gietema for the 3-1 lead. In the same frame, Lourie knocked a double down the left field line, bringing in Olive and Balaguer to post a 5-1 lead.
Rhodes tacked on two more runs for good measure in the bottom of the eighth, with
Justin Genter powering a double down the left field line, and Balaguer picking up an RBI to score Genter and post a 9-5 win.
In the contest, the Lynx wracked up 11 hits, with the offense led by DH Balaguer who went 3-5 in the contest, with one RBI.
Blake Glauben picked up the start and the win, putting in five innings of work. The junior threw for three strikeouts while allowing only one run. Phillip Sartian picked up an inning, while
Josh Olejnik grabbed the save, throwing for three innings and one strikeout.
In the second contest, the Lynx offense was more scattered. The Lynx tied the contest at 1-1 when
Bill Munson found his way home on a passed ball. In the third, Munson used his smart base running to score on a second passed ball. Balaguer singled down the left line to bring in Gietema and snag the 3-2 lead.
With Rhodes trailing 6-4, the Lynx kick started a rally in the bottom of the ninth when Gietema hit a sac fly to center, bringing in pinch runner
Blake Harrell to make the count 6-5. The Lynx rally would fall short, and the 6-5 score would stand.
Rhodes fought for six hits in the outing, with Munson leading the way with two hits, including a triple.
Daniel Morris got the start, throwing five innings and picking up five strikeouts. Closer
Chip Capper came in for two innings of work, where he threw five strikeouts, while picking up the loss.
The Lynx will close out the series with Ozarks tomorrow, Feb. 8 at 12 p.m.
