The Rhodes Baseball team, after winning on opening day, returned to Shreveport, Louisiana for a Saturday double header. The first game was played against the McMurry University Warhawks followed by a night game against the Huntingdon College Hawks.
The Lynx struggled in game 1 against a talented McMurry team as they could not put a stop to the Warhawk offense. Despite 8 runs scored by the Lynx, the Warhawks offensive surge was able to plate 23 runs in the contest. The final score would result in a 23-8 defeat.
Highlights from the game include a 1st inning home run off the bat of Brandon Trichell, his first of the season. In the bottom of the 5th, freshman Wyatt Randolph stepped to the plate to take the first at bat of his college career. Randolph would send a fastball over the wall in right center field, making a great first impression for college baseball.
In hopes of bouncing back from the tough loss, the Lynx took the field against Huntingdon College for game 2. This matchup produced a dramatic contest that came down to the final inning. The Lynx got on the board first with a lead off double from Ben Burkhart followed directly by an RBI double from Corbin Kinder that gave the Lynx the lead in the top of the 1st. 2 more runs would come around in the inning thanks to an RBI single from Myles Kruger.
The opposing Hawks responded in the bottom of the 1st with 3 runs of their own, thus began the shootout that would last the remainder of the game. Ben Burkhart, the SAA All-Conference outfielder, blasted his first home run of his senior season in the top of the second, extending the Lynx lead. Huntingdon would go on to tie the game in the bottom of the 3rd, but the resilient Lynx offense took the lead right back on an RBI single by freshman William Sams in the top of the 5th. With the game all tied up in the top of the 9th, Ben Daniel delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle that drove home Cooper Kuriger and gave the Lynx the lead heading into the final frame.
After a rough first inning for the starting pitcher, the Lynx turned the ball over to Mick Arney in hopes of getting some length and holding the Hawks order in check. Arney was able to do just that as his 6.1 inning performance was the exact effort the Lynx needed to propel them to victory. Arney only allowed 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 6 and putting the Lynx in a favorable position throughout the game.
After Mick Arney's masterful performance concluded, Hank Shield came on to close out the game. Throwing 1.1 innings, Shield dominated the 5 batters he faced, allowing 0 hits and striking out 2. The Lynx would win game 2 of the double header by a final score of 8-7.
The Lynx will play one more in Shreveport tomorrow against the hosting Centenary College Gents. First pitch is scheduled for 3:45 pm.
