MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Bay College Norse Baseball Team (1-3) started off their season with a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend on their spring break trip to The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach.  They started off with a 14-5 loss to Manhatanville College's JV team and came back and won a 9-6 decision against Penn State Hazelton.  On Sunday they dropped two close ones, losing to Rochester Community and Technical College by a score of 7-6 and Penn State New Kensington 12-9.

The Norse got their first runs of the season in the top of the third of the opener.  Drake Forrest (SO, Gladstone, MI) and Ian Schwalbach (SO, Gladstone, MI) hit back-to-back triples to tie the game.  After a walk Xavier Whittle (FR, Oakville, ON) hit a homerun to right center field, giving Bay a 4-1 lead. 

It fell apart for the Norse after that.  A few mistakes piled up and Manhatanville put up a 12 run third to take an unsurmountable lead.

Whittle was two for three with a double, the homerun, and four RBI in the game.  Hector Araguayan (SO, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) was two for three as well.

Carlos Velarde (FR, Panama City, Panama) took the loss in his first start.

In Saturday's nightcap PSU Hazleton took an early lead.  The Norse responded in the bottom half of the first.  Grant Craft (SO, Canberra, Australia) tripled in a run and scored on Araguayan' s single.

Bay added to their lead in the third with an RBI from Araguayan, and RBI singles from Dalton Graham (SO, Sault Ste. Marie, MI) and Dylan Kregelka (FR, Seffner, FL).  In the fourth they found some runs with two outs.  Araguayan lined a single into center, Jared Crow (SO, Gladstone, MI) got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and a balk made it 8-3 in favor of the Norse.

After Hazelton scored a run in the fifth, Drake Forrest helped the Norse respond.  He led off the bottom half with a solo homerun to left.

PSU Hazelton threatened in the seventh.  After plating two runs, they loaded the bases, putting the tying run on.  Craft would come on and induce a game ending double play ball, sealing the victory for the Norse.

Whittle, Araguayan, and Graham each ended the game with a pair of hits.  Araguayan was credited with three RBI. 

Austin Burnside (FR, Crivitz, WI) earned his first career win on the mound.  He went five innings and gave up four runs, three earned, on two hits and six walks.  He struck out seven.  Dante Sartorelli (SO, Menominee, MI) pitched an inning and a third in relief, striking out three, walking two, and giving up two runs off of one out.  Craft walked two and got the save in two thirds of an inning.

On Sunday the Norse met up with the RCTC Yellowjackets.  The Norse jumped out to an early lead, but fell behind 3-1 in the bottom of the second.  Bay answered back in the third.  Araguayan doubled, driving in a run, and scored on a Graham single.  The Norse loaded the bases with a series of singles and got a run when Burnside was hit by a pitch.  Sartorelli made it 5-3 in favor of the Norse by scoring on a wild pitch.

Bay held a one run lead into the bottom of the fifth.  RCTC tied the game with a one single, and took the lead with a sacrifice fly to left.  The Norse left two runners on in the sixth, and a runner on second in the seventh, falling by a final score of 7-6.

Sam Williams (FR, Oxford, MI), Whittle, Araguayan, and Sartorelli each ended up with two hits in the game for the Norse. 

Parker Maki (FR, Eben Junction, MI) was saddled with the loss in relief.

A five-run fifth inning gave Penn State New Kensington a big 9-3 lead in the final game of the weekend.  The big blow came off the bat of Reise Matson (SR, Kittaning, PA) who hit a three run homer to left.

The Norse fought back in the sixth.  Kregelka doubled home a run to start the attack.  He would score on a ground out.  With two outs Graham drew a walk and Johnnie Robinette (FR, Bark River, MI) doubled to put two runners into scoring position.  Jared Crow (SO, Gladstone, MI) lined a single to right to plate those two runs.  The Norse would then load the bases and get two runs in on an error to tie the game.

New Kensington did not waste time taking back the lead.  A one out double in the top of the seventh sent two runs to the plate and they would score a third for insurance.  Bay could not get much going in the bottom half and drop the game, despite the comeback effort.

Graham led the offense with two doubles in five at bats. 

The Norse continue their spring break trip with a rematch with New Kensington on Monday morning.  That game begins at 9 am.