CARLISLE, PA.- The TCNJ baseball team forced a split on Sunday afternoon with the Red Devils of Dickinson College. They dropped the first game 6-5 on a walk-off walk and won the second 5-1 in a very strong showing from the pitching staff. The game two win also marks career win No. 350 for Head Coach Dean Glus.
 
Game 1- Dickinson 6, TCNJ 5:
 
The Red Devils came out firing in game won with a three-run bottom of the first inning on two hits and an error. However, starter Ben Amon settled in for his last 5.1 innings holding Dickinson scoreless after the first.
 
The Lions cut into the lead and got themselves on the scoreboard in the top of the second. Jack Felipe started the inning off with a single to right center field which Andrew Fernandez followed up with a single of his own. After advancing to third after an errant throw from the catcher, Michael Schumacher knocked the run in with a fielder's choice.
 
TCNJ struck again in the fourth with another run to bring the lead to just one run. Fernandez reached base again this time on a fielder's choice. A Schumacher single would get him to third for Jack O'Donnell to score him on a ground ball to the short stop.
 
In the sixth, the Lions seized the lead when O'Donnell and Jack Haynes came up clutch with back-to-back singles with Fernandez and Schumacher in scoring position.
 
Fernandez was not done yet as he had a big RBI double in the top of the seventh, scoring Justin Marcario and extending their lead to two.
 
The Red Devils found the answer in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs on two hits with an error in the field. Matt Santos came in for Amon midway through the seventh and threw the rest of the game including a one, two, three bottom of the eighth.
 
The Dickinson bullpen retired the side in the eighth and ninth, shifting just enough momentum to score the winning run in the ninth.
 
O'Donnell and Fernandez led the Lions at the plate in game one, making up for three hits and three RBIs of the Lions seven hits and five runs from the guys up the middle.
 
Game 2- TCNJ 5, Dickinson 1
 
In game two, the staff showed up in a big way starting Jackson Malouf for six innings and Ethan Earley for the last three. Malouf had Dickinson fooled in game two as he struck out 11 and gave up one run on five hits and three walks.
 
Earley came in at the start of the seventh and earned the three-inning save, giving up two hits and striking out three in his scoreless relief.
 
The Lions came out ready to go in game two as they scored a run in the first and the second innings. Zach Hochheiser found a barrel with two outs and roped a double to left, scoring Haynes who led the game off with a hit-by-pitch.
 
In the second, Zach Weiner had an RBI double of his own which scored Sebastian JnoBaptiste after he led off the second with a walk.
 
Dickinson scored their lone run in the third, cutting the lead in half on two singles.
 
Weiner kept up the great hitting at the plate in the top of the fourth with a triple to right field. A Haynes grounder to second would score him and bring the lead back to two.
 
TCNJ tacked on two more in the sixth when Chris Reeder had a big RBI single with two outs and the bases loaded and held Dickinson scoreless to secure the victory.
 
O'Donnell, Reeder, Hochheiser and Weiner led the way to victory at the plate in game two. All four had two hits while O'Donnell was the only one out of them to not have an RBI.
 
On Tuesday, TCNJ baseball is finally coming to Ewing as the Lions have their home opener against the Diplomats of Franklin & Marshall College with first pitch at 3:30 PM.