EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ baseball team opened the 2022 season with a strong pitching performance from Ben Amon and a well-balanced offensive attack as the Lions defeated Ursinus, 13-3, on Wednesday afternoon at George Ackerman Park.
 
Amon was strong through his 5.2 innings. After allowing an infield single in the first, he didn't allow another hit until the sixth inning. In the meantime, he fanned eight Ursinus hitters while walking four. He did allow two runs, one earned, in that sixth inning, but the Lions were so far ahead it did little to dampen the mood of the afternoon.
 
TCNJ's offense got off to a fast start, scoring three times in each of the first two innings. Ryan Goodall golfed a low pitch into left field for a run-scoring double. He plated freshman Mike Lagravenis to make it 1-0. Goodall later scored on Chris Reeder's double, and Reeder scored on Joe Oczkowski's RBI single.
 
In the second, freshman Zach Hochheiser earned his first career hit to lead off the frame. He later scored on Lagravenis' first career hit to make it 4-0. Joey Cruciata singled in the inning and scored to make it 5-0 on Chris Cote's sacrifice fly. Lagravenis made it 6-0 when he scored on a wild pitch.
 
All nine TCNJ starters had at least one hit, and seven of them scored at least one run. Oczkowski went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk. Reeder, Cruciata and Jack Haynes all had two hits. Haynes singled home Cruciata in the third to make it 7-0.
 
TCNJ made it 11-0 with four more runs in the fifth inning. Haynes doubled home Lagravenis for the first run of the inning, and Oczkowski hit a two-run double to cap the scoring in the frame.
 
Haynes picked up his third RBI on a sac fly in the sixth to score Lagravenis for the fourth time, and the Lions rounded out the scoring in the seventh when Cote doubled and later scored.
 
Matthew Crawford allowed just a run on two hits in 2.1 innings in relief of Amon, and Alec Schwartz pitched a spotless ninth.
 
The Lions return to action on Tuesday against Albright at George Ackerman Park.