SALISBURY, Md. - The TCNJ baseball team gave the nation's top-ranked team all it could handle on Saturday, putting a pair of scares into unbeaten Salisbury before the hosts managed to hang on for a doubleheader sweep.
 
Game 1: Salisbury 2, TCNJ 1
 
Ben Amon was sensational for the Lions on Saturday, doing everything he could to keep TCNJ in the game against the Seagulls, who have won all six of their games prior to Saturday by an average of 8.5 runs. He went seven innings on just 92 pitches, struck out five, allowed six hits with two earned runs.
 
Salisbury grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning after an infield single followed by a perfect bunt single. A sacrifice bunt would move the runners over to be scored by the next batter who singled through the right side. No runs would be score by either team again until the top of the ninth.
 
The Lions had their work cut out for them at the plate in game one, facing off against last year's national pitcher of the year in Jimmy Adkins. They had a chance in both the first and third inning to put some pressure on Adkins, but both times a runner was picked off by the catcher at first base.
 
After the seventh, Amon handed it over to freshman John DiCostanzo for the bottom half of the eighth. He struck out two while retiring the side to bring TCNJ back up in the ninth with a chance to tie the game.
 
In the ninth, the Lions threatened to even the game up at two with runners on second and third with one out. Andrew Fernandez picked up the lone RBI for TCNJ with a fielder's choice to the second baseman, scoring Zach Weiner. Salisbury retired the next batter to seal game 1.
 
Game 2: Salisbury 11, TCNJ 7
 
The second game was a completely different story from the first as both teams combined for 18 runs in the second half of the double header. The Lions had an offensive explosion early on but could not keep the lead against a potent Seagulls offense.
 
TCNJ came out swinging in the second inning, rattling off seven runs on six hits, a walk and a hit by pitch between two pitchers in the frame. Mike Lagravenis, Ryan Goodall, Chris Reeder, Andrew Fernandez and Jack Haynes all recorded RBI's to give the Lions a world of momentum in the early going.
 
Lagravenis, Fernandez and Justin Marcario each had a pair of hits in game two.
 
Over the next three innings, Salisbury took all the momentum right back, scoring 11 runs on 9 hits, 3 walks and 3 hit by pitches. All scoring came to a halt for the remainder of the contest as the Seagulls held on for the sweep.
 
After a shaky, three run first inning, senior Matt Crawford settled in to deal three more scoreless innings. With all the scoring that went on, Crawford did a solid job keeping the Lions within striking distance. In the bottom half of the eighth, sophomore Matt Santos came in and struck out two in his scoreless inning of relief.
 
TCNJ Baseball will take the next week preparing to head down south for spring break where they will play nine games in eight days. Their next game is next Saturday, March 11^th where they will face off against the University of Southern Maine at 1 PM.