WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Lifting the lid on the 2009 spring campaign, The Tigers dropped their first two contests of the season to Mid-East Region foe the College of Mount St. Joseph by scores of 6-4 and 11-10.
In the first game, the Tigers were led offensively by senior captain and rightfielder Patrick Williams (Plainfield, Ind./Planfield), who accounted for half of the offense in Game 1 with two RBIs in the third inning to score sophomore Mike Yednock (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and senior J.T. Thompson (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont). Williams was joined in the offensive attack by sophomore catcher Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), whose single in the first scored sophomore Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome). Junior Trent Nutter (Newark, Ohio/Newark) added a 2-for-3 performance at the plate in the opener.
Senior Tiger pitcher Tim Antil (Brookville, Ohio/Northmont) struggled a bit against the Mount St. Joseph lineup to record his first loss of the year.
Game 2 featured junior pitcher Bobby Ciucki (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who went 3.2 innings in his first start, giving up four runs on six hits in a no-decision.
The Tigers were led offensively again by Williams, whose fourth inning triple, followed by Nutter's two-run home run put the Tigers on top of Mount St. Joseph, 5-4. Nutter went 2-for-5 in Game 2 with a single and the homer. A seven-run sixth for the Lions turned the tables, however, forcing the Tigers to play catch-up late. Yednock added a 2-for-4 performance, picking up two hits late in the game for the Tigers in hopes of spurring a rally against preseason All-American closer Steve Matre.
A quick turnaround has the Tigers in action again on Monday, March 9, when they meet St. Joseph's (ME) for a 9 a.m. doubleheader.
Written by: Stu Hartenstein '09