Cougars Fall Short Against Park in First Game of National Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Park | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) baseball team played against Park University (Mo.) in game one of the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round in Williamsburg, Ky. on Monday, May 13.
The No. 4 Cougars fell to the No.5 seeded Pirates by a final score of 6-1.
Park, the guests on the scoreboard, was the first to score, plating two runs in the top of the 1st inning. The Pirates scattered 11 total hits as they scored four more runs to take a 6-0 lead in the 9th.
A sacrifice fly from Brenden Lytle brought in Ayden Lichtensteiger with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Cougars' rally would fall short as Park won game one to stay in the winners' bracket.
As a team, the Cougars had 10 hits, including a double from Sam Pesa. Xavier Croxton, Kolton Cardenas, and Lichtensteiger all hit 2-4 at the plate against the Pirates. Lichtensteiger scored a run, while Lytle finished with an RBI. Jayden Lepper and Croxton each had a stolen base.
Deron Swanson got the start on the mound for the Cougars, recording three strikeouts and scattering eight hits. Bryce Adams and Gavin Noble threw a combined 1.2 innings of relief with a strikeout apiece.
USF baseball is now 37-18 overall. The Cougars will face No. 2 Bellevue University in an elimination game on Tuesday, May 14 at 10:00 AM. The winner will advance to play again on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.
Cougar fans stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.
