Lake Myrtle, Fla … .The College of New Jersey baseball team fell to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 5-2 in the final game of its southern swing.
 
Playing their 10^th game in eight days, the Lions will return to New Jersey with a 5-5 overall record. The Eagles raised their season record to 6-2.
 
Wisconsin La Crosse received a crisp effort from its pitching staff and played solid defense. The trio of Joe Miller, Caleb Boushley and Jameson Sadowske produced 16 ground ball outs as Miller moved to 2-0 and Sadowse earned his second save of the season.
 
The Eagles scored single runs in the first and second inning and tallied a pair in the sixth to take a 4-0 lead. Miller allowed just three hits in the first five innings to keep the Lions' offense in check.
 
TCNJ got on the board in the seventh and the rally was ignited by an individual milestone. Senior Josh Limon (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) singled to lead off the inning and collected the 100^th hit of his career. The senior first baseman reached the mark in his 95^th career game.
 
Following the single by Limon, Mike Murray (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg) walked and sophomore CJ Gearhart (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville) advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Junior Matt Facas (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) knocked in both runners with a double and cut the deficit to 4-2.
 
That would be all the Lions could manufacture in the contest. Wisconsin-La Crosse tacked on a run in the ninth to cap the scoring.
 
TCNJ senior Connor Smith (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) pitched six innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs and struck out six. Classmate Ryan Carmon (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) surrendered an unearned run in three innings of work and struck out one. Junior Garen Turner (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) registered a pair of hits on offense.
 
The Lions will take the bus back up north and return to campus. They visit Alvernia University on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. before hosting Ursinus College on Thursday in their home opener at George Ackerman Park. TCNJ opens New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Saturday, March 28 when they take Kean University in a home double header starting at 11:30 a.m.