CHESTER, Pa. - The TCNJ baseball team was on the road to take on Widener in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon, leading wire-to-wire in a 10-3 win over The Pride.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
The Lions (10-7) wasted no time jumping in front in Wednesday's contest, scoring two runs in the opening inning to take the early lead.
 
Mike LaGravenis led things off with a single to left field before a Jack O'Donnell single and walk drawn by Gianni Marano loaded the bases with no one out. Zach Hochheiser hit into a double play on the ensuing at-bat, but the senior's grounder to short was enough to score LaGravenis, with O'Donnell tallying TCNJ's second run on a wild pitch.
 
A quiet second inning saw the score stay at 2-0 before Hochheiser and Tyler Provost struck as part of a three-run third frame. Marano opened the inning with a double to right center, scoring on the next at-bat – a Hochheiser single. Ryan Goodall got himself on base with a single to left field following another double-play ball that emptied the bases, setting up Provost to hit his first of two home runs on the day to make it a 5-0 game.
 
The Lions' duo of Provost and Hochheiser converted again in the fifth and sixth innings, with Provost going yard again before the senior roped a two-RBI double down the right-field line to grow the lead to 8-3 after Widener (13-9) scored a pair of runs in the middle innings.
 
Evan Frank – who entered in relief for starter Dan Merkel in the sixth frame– retired six straight batters in the seventh and eighth innings before an RBI sac fly off the bat of Andrew Fernandez and a balk pushed TCNJ to double digits in the ninth. Joe Ferreri relieved Frank in the bottom of the inning and retired the side to secure the 10-3 win.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Merkel moves to 2-1 on the year, allowing two runs – one earned – on six hits in five innings.
• LaGravenis' four hits tie the graduate student's season-high.
• Provost is the first TCNJ player with multiple home runs in a game since Ryan Goodall in 2023.
• Hochhesier shared the team-lead in RBIs with Provost at three, going 2-5.
• O'Donnell, Marano and Goodall also registered multi-hit days with two apiece.

UP NEXT

• The Lions are back on the road Thursday, March 27 for a game against Haverford. First pitch for TCNJ's final tune-up before conference play is set for 3:30 p.m.