Baseball Drops Season Opener to Ball State

PLEASANT, S.C. – The Merrimack College baseball team dropped its season opener down in South Carolina to Ball State University, 9-0. Five players all had one hit for the Warriors. Damon Fuller started for Merrimack on the bump, he went four innings, striking out two.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 0 Ball State 9
Records: Merrimack (0-1) | Ball State (2-3)
Location: Pleasant, S.C. 
Rapid Recap

• No runs were scored in the first by either team. The Cardinals would leave two runners stranded. Ball State would score one in the top of the second to take an early one run lead. The Warriors would go down in order in the second. The Cardinals would add another run in the third to go up two. Christian Gemelli drew a one out walk in the bottom of the third to give Merrimack its first runner of the game. Matthew Chatelle would earn the first hit of his Warrior career with a single up the middle, putting two runners on with one out. Merrimack would not score a runner. Ball State would tack on three runners to go up five. Michael Golankiewicz would single to left to open up the bottom of the fourth. He would get stranded on first.
• Brayden Dolbashian would double with no outs in the bottom of the fifth. He would get stranded in scoring position. The Cardinals would add two runs in the top of the sixth to go up by seven runs. Frankie Ferrentino would single up the middle for the first hit of his career with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. He would not be able to leave first. Ball State would add two more runs in the seventh and eighth. Alex Haba singled in the eighth with no outs, he would advance to second, but could not get any further than that.

Top Performers // Notes
WP: Johnson (1-0) | LP: Fuller (0-1)  

• Two players from Merrimack earned their first career hits.
• Luis Cespedes pitched an inning and a third and struck out three batters.

Up Next
The Warriors get back to action Saturday night against Canisius College. Game time is set for 4 p.m.