The baseball team returned to action this past weekend for its first games of the season, traveling to the University of Miami for a four-game series against the Hurricanes. The Leopards dropped all four contests in blowout fashion.
The Leopards were originally slated for their season opener against Coppin State University last weekend, but the series was cancelled due to weather.
“We’re always excited to start the season,” sophomore infielder Boden Fernsler said. “The preseason is long, practicing in the cold.”
In Friday’s opener, the Hurricanes struck first with a three-run second inning. Junior infielder Matt Colella put the Leopards on the board with an RBI double in the third to cut the deficit to 3-1.
After surrendering three more runs in the fourth, junior outfielder Teddy Cashman hit another RBI double in the sixth inning to add the last run of the game for the Leopards. Miami delivered eight runs in the bottom of the inning to surge ahead 14-2, and added a final tally in the seventh to seal a 15-2 victory for the Hurricanes.
Fernsler said that the theme of the weekend was “process over outcome.”
“Obviously, Miami is a really good team, a top-25 team, and we just have to focus on doing the little things really well and do as many little things well as possible,” Fernsler said.
Returning to action for a Saturday doubleheader, Miami jumped to an early lead in game one, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first and one in the second.
The Maroon and White broke through in the top of third, launching a pair of home runs to spark life into the lineup. A solo homer from Fernsler and a three-run bomb from sophomore outfielder Jack Mislan sliced the Leopards deficit from seven runs to just three.
“Be as aggressive as possible and don’t hold back,” Fernsler said of his mindset at the plate. “Don’t play timid. Just play as freely and fast as possible.”
The bottom of the third proved costly again for the Leopards, as the Hurricanes pushed across five runs to stretch the margin to eight. Miami added two more over the fourth and the fifth to seal a 14-4 win.
Hurricane momentum carried straight into the second game of the day, as they once again jumped to a commanding lead. Five runs in the second, four in the third, and two in the fourth gave them an 11-0 advantage.
Miami added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to cap off their scoring at 14. Junior utility player Luke Caucci put the Leopards on the board in the seventh with an RBI single, and Lafayette pushed across two additional runs in the frame to close the gap to 14-3.
Sunday brought more of the same, as Miami opened with a five-run first inning. Mislan’s sacrifice fly in the third produced the Maroon and White’s first run, and their only one until the ninth.
From there, Miami’s offense surged. After plating two in the bottom of the third, the Hurricanes piled on 25 more across the next several innings, building a 30-1 lead heading into the final frame. Their highest-scoring frame came in the fourth with 12 runs.
After two Leopard runs off an error and an RBI single, junior catcher Brandon Doubek hit a two-run home run that would mark the final scoring of the game, closing out a 30-5 ballgame.
“There were multiple games where we were down a decent bit, and we still had big innings late in the game,” Fernsler said. “Still trying to string things together, not just straight giving up.”
The Leopards will look to rebound in a three-game road trip against the College of William & Mary (2-4 overall) this weekend.