LAKE WALES, Fla. – The Spring Arbor University baseball team split its first two games of the 30th annual Warner Invitational on Thursday. The Cougars fell to the University of Saint Francis (Ill.) 3-1 before bouncing back with a 5-2 victory over the tournament host Warner University.
In game one, Spring Arbor out-hit Saint Francis 9-2 but was unable to find the timely hit it needed, stranding a total of seven runners.
The Fighting Saints (4-8) scratched a run across in the top of the second inning, and capitalized on an SAU error to add two more in the third.
Spring Arbor threatened in the bottom half of the third after senior Chris Wegrzyn and sophomore Nick Harris reached with only one out, but USF would escape the jam. In the fifth, the Cougars looked to cut into the deficit after junior Jonathan Newman and freshman Francisco Ondina led off the frame with back-to-back singles. However, following a sacrifice bunt by Wegrzyn, the Fighting Saints fanned the next two hitters to keep SAU off the scoreboard.
The Cougars made it a 3-1 game in the sixth after an RBI single from sophomore Christian Davis plated junior Mitchel Patterson, but that was as close as they would get.
Spencer Goebel went the distance tossing all seven innings while allowing just two earned runs and striking out five. The junior right-hander limited the Fighting Saints to just one base runner over the final four frames.
In the nightcap, Spring Arbor and Warner were tied 2-2 after three innings, but a two-run fourth put SAU on top for good. The Cougars would add an insurance run in the seventh when Davis ripped a two-out single to bring in senior JP Maracani.
The Royals (9-17) doubled to lead off the home half of the seventh, but junior Heath Sullivan struck out the next three batters to earn his third save of the season.
Maracani and Davis picked up two hits apiece with Maracani hitting two doubles. Wegrzyn also crossed the plate two times.
Patterson was solid through 5.2 innings allowing just one earned run on two hits while fanning three.
Spring Arbor (6-2) will return to action on Friday, Mar. 13 against Holy Cross College and Thomas University.
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