MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Bay College Norse Baseball Team (2-0) opened their season on their annual spring break trip with a pair of wins, beating Penn State-Beaver (0-3) 10-4 before opening up a late lead and beating New River Community College (5-10) and taking an 11-5 victory.
The Norse took the lead in the top of the first against PSU-Beaver as George Cooper (FR, Eltham, Australia) came up with a two-out RBI single to center, and would later score on a wild pitch. Beaver responded with a run in the bottom half, but Bay would extend in the second.
After the Norse executed a double steal to add a run, Blake Julian (SO, Iron Mountain, MI) belted a triple to deep centerfield, putting Bay up 4-1. Lorenzo Feliciano (FR, Deerfield Beach, FL) followed that with an RBI single. Andres Franco (FR, Orenjstad, Aruba) continued the big inning with an RBI single to center and Zach Gibson (FR, Nassau, Bahamas) was credited with a sacrifice fly on a line drive to left. Bay would send five runners to the plate in the second, building a 7-1 lead.
Meanwhile the Norse got a great outing from their starting pitcher, Hunter Ballantyne (FR, Brantford, ON). He would earn a complete game victory in his first college start, giving up four runs, three earned, on ten hits, two walks, all while striking out eight.
Bay also got RBI's from Cooper, who tripled in the fourth, Franco, who drove in Cooper with a sacrifice fly, and Gibson who lined a double to center in the sixth.
Cooper was three for four in the game, with that triple and two RBI. Lorenzo Feliciano finished three for four as well, scoring twice and driving in a run. Julian finished with two hits in four at bats, those being a double and a triple. Franco and Gibson also picked up a pair of hits each, and both drove in two runs.
Penn State – Beaver had two players with a multi-hit game. Logan Fergusen and Phillip Betz were both two for four in the contest.
Some sloppy play on the part of Bay put them in a hole in the first inning. An error and a walk helped extend the inning, and a two RBI triple put the Norse down 3-0 before they even had a turn at bat.
The Norse faced their first deficit of the year and responded well. Julian led off the bottom of the first with a triple, and with two outs Franco lined a single into right to drive him in. An error and a walk extended the inning and Austin Samanske (FR, Eagle River, WI) made it pay off by driving in two runs with a single to left, tying the game.
The Muskies reclaimed the lead in the second with a sacrifice fly, but stranded two runners on.
The Norse answered back in the third. Aedan Creten (FR, Gladstone, MI) blasted a triple to deep centerfield, driving in two, and giving Bay back the lead. Samanske lined a ball into center to bring him in, and the Norse had a two-run lead. They missed a chance to extend the lead by even more, leaving the bases loaded in the inning.
After a lead off walk and single in the fourth, Bay got another insurance run off of an RBI single from Gibson. Once again, a chance to break the game open fell by the wayside as they would leave the bases jammed full of runners for the second inning in a row.
The Norse got some breathing room in the fifth when they had their first five batters reach safely. That series was highlighted by an RBI single from Zac Gomersall (SO, Perth, Australia) and pair of RBI's off the bat of Gibson.
The Norse worked out of a jam in the sixth as the Muskies had the bases loaded with no one out. A hard hit groundball to third base resulted in Samanske fielding the ball, stepping on third and throwing out the batter at first. Relief pitcher Jake Sager (SO, Oconto Falls, WI) squashed the rest of the rally by striking out the next hitter, surrendering just one run in what could have been a big inning.
The Norse added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning and got New River to go one-two-three in the seventh to seal the 11-5 victory.
Cooper earned the win in his first start, pitching five innings and giving up four runs, only one earned, on six hits and three walks while striking out four. Sager pitched two innings in relief, giving up one run, three hits, and striking out one.
Julian scored three times out of the leadoff spot. Gibson and Samanske each drove in three runs on two hits, while Franco and Gomersall each picked up a pair of hits as well.
The Norse will continue their trip with a doubleheader on Sunday night. They will face Penn State – Hazelton at 6 PM.