BASEBALL

Opening day saw the Forester baseball team go 0-2 at Grizzly Baseball Complex on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett. Against Midway Friday morning, HU’s bid for a comeback win came up short to the tune of a 3-2 decision favoring the Eagles after which they suffered an 11-1 loss to the 3rd-ranked Grizzlies in the nightcap.

After spotting MU an early 2-0 lead in the opener, the Foresters battled back to get one back in the fifth and then forced a 2-2 deadlock after their at-bat in the sixth only to have their hopes dashed in the bottom of the frame.

HU committed just one error, but it came in the sixth and proved costly as a fielding blunder set up the eventual winning run. As the guests on the scoreboard, Huntington had one more shot in the seventh but with the tying run on first, Midway reliever Blake Kincaid struck out the next two batters and coaxed a flyout for the final out to deny Frame and crew a come-from-behind finish.

Beyonce Paco Paulina knocked in the HU’s first run of the season in the fifth with an RBI-poke into left field that allowed Ryne Wheeler, who drew a walk two batters earlier, to cruise home. The tying run came at the bat of Dylan Rost whose sacrifice fly in the sixth gave Bryce Deckman the chance to tag up from third.

Deckman’s triple in the sixth was one of four hits the Foresters mustered in the game with Paulina, Beldon Glasgow and Kade Flores each posting a base knock too.

Keegan Shovlain got the starting nod on the mound for HU. The junior transfer from Spoon River College (Ill.) tossed the first five frames and started the sixth before being relieved by Tate Mullens who struck out the three batters he faced. Shovlain was charged with the loss having given up all five of Midway’s hits and three runs, one of which was unearned, while striking out three.

Up against an NAIA powerhouse in the nightcap, the Foresters could not match the play of Georgia Gwinnett. The Grizzlies, coming off a 53-9 record last year which included a trip to the semifinals of the NAIA World Series, picked up where they left off.

Starting pitcher Graham Kollen held his hosts in check through the first two frames by working back-to-back three up three down innings but gave up a two-run homer in the third. A little small ball capped off by Flores’ RBI-groundout in the fourth pulled HU with one at 2-1 but it was all GGC after that.

The Grizzlies scored in three of the final four innings which included erupting for six runs in the seventh to wrap up the double-digit win.

Kollen tossed the first five frames, giving up four hits, three runs and five walks while striking out six, to take the loss. Adam Oxley and Matt Gilkey combined to give up the final five hits and eight runs over the last two innings.

HU (0-2) is back in action tomorrow to face Midway again at 11:00 a.m. followed by another matchup with the Grizzlies at 6:00 p.m.