AUBURNDALE, FL.- The TCNJ baseball team improved to 5-0 on Tuesday with wins over Gwynedd Mercy and No. 7 Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Lions (5-0) first beat the Griffins (4-5) by a score of 11-3 and then upset the seventh ranked Eagles (1-1) by a score of 15-7.
 
GAME 1: TCNJ 11, Gwynedd Mercy 3

• Despite Gwynedd Mercy striking first in the bottom of the first, TCNJ bounced back in a big way, scoring 11 unanswered over the next seven innings.
• Starting pitcher Jordan Gray settled in after giving up a run in the first, going the next six innings scoreless totaling 11 strikeouts.
• All nine Lion hitters recorded hits with Michael Schumacher and Chris Reeder leading the way with two apiece. Reeder and Jack Haynes led the Blue & Gold in RBI's with three and two respectively.
• Gwynedd Mercy tacked on two more runs in the eighth to match TCNJ's two but were retired in order by Alec Schwartz in the ninth.
• The 16 total strikeouts for the pitching staff are the most in a single game since at least 2012.

STANDOUT LIONS

• RHP Jordan Gray (1-0): 7.0 IP, 11K, 5H, 1ER, 1HBP
• C Chris Reeder: 2-for-5, 3RBI, 1BB
• CF Michael Schumacher: 2-for-5, 1RBI
• RHP Alec Schwartz: 1.0 IP, 2K, 0H, 0R

GAME 2: TCNJ 15, #7 Wisconsin-La Crosse 7

• TCNJ showed up ready to go for the second game of the day as they put up a four-spot in the top half of the first on three hits.
  • After back-to-back hit batters to and a ground-out to move them over, Ryan Goodall drove in Mike LaGravenis to start things up for the Lions.
  • Andrew Fernandez and Zach Hocheiser had RBI singles of their own, driving in Justin Marcario and Goodall.
  • A Michael Schumacher grounder to short, scored Fernandez and put TCNJ up 4-0 early.
• The Eagles proved this would be no easy task, answering with three runs in the home half of the first and two more in the second on five hits to take a 5-4 lead.
• TCNJ could only be held down for two innings as they added on another four runs in the fourth, regaining an 8-5 lead.
  • After a Schumacher walk, a Haynes single and a sacrifice bunt from Jack O'Donnell, LaGravenis singled to left center to score Schumacher.
  • Following a walk to load the bases, Goodall drove in Haynes, LaGravenis and Marcario with a bases-clearing double to the left field fence.
• Freshman Jack O'Shea took over pitching duties in the third inning and earned his first collegiate win, going three innings and allowing one run on one hit with four strikeouts and two walks.
• UW-La Crosse crept back to within a run by the seventh inning as they scored in the fifth and the seventh to bring the score to 8-7.
• In the eighth, Goodall continued the pace with another pair of RBI's on a single to left center field, scoring Marcario and LaGravenis.
  • A bases loaded walk brought in the third run of the inning and took the Lions lead back to four.
• Chris Reeder put the icing on the cake in the ninth with a three-run rocket over the left field fence. The home run also put Reeder over 100 career RBIs.
  • Haynes closed out the scoring for the Blue & Gold with an RBI single to right.
• The bullpen including Michael Silver and Joe Fererri held the game in check for TCNJ as they held the Eagles to just one run over the last four innings.
  • Silver went two and a third innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Ferreri closed it out, going the last inning and two-thirds without allowing a hit, striking out two and walking one. He also got the Lions out of a big jam with runners on second and third with just one out.

STANDOUT LIONS

• DH Ryan Goodall: 3-for-6, 6RBI, 1R
• C Chris Reeder: 2-for-5, 1HR, 3RBI, 1BB (Surpassed 100 Career RBI's)
• LHP Jack O'Shea (1-0): 3.0 IP, 4K, 1R, 1H, 2BB, 1HBP (Collegiate Debut)
• 1B Zach Hochheiser: 2-for-5, 2RBI, 1BB
• LHP Michael Silver: 2.1 IP, 1R, 3H, 2K, 2BB
• RHP Joe Ferreri: 1.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 2K, 1BB

UP NEXT

• TCNJ baseball will take the day off on Wednesday before getting back onto the diamond Thursday, March 14^th for a game against the University of Minnesota-Morris at 12:45 PM.