UNOH Baseball Drops First Two on Opening Day

DAYTON, TN - On the first day of the 2024 season, UNOH baseball lost their first two games against IU-Southeast, 9-5, and (RV) Bryan, 8-6.

Game 1: IUSE 9 UNOH 5

Tim Hanible got the Racers on the board first with a two-run homer to left field in the top of the second inning. The Grenadiers got one back in the bottom with their own solo shot and the game stayed 2-1 through three. The bottom of the fourth blew the game open with back-to-back homeruns that brought in four and gave IU-Southeast a 6-2 lead. UNOH worked some two-out magic in the top of the sixth with two singles preceding a Drake Miller blast to left that cut the lead to one. The Grenadiers got all three runs back in the bottom of the frame and kept the Racers off the board in the seventh to take the first game of 2024.

Lincoln Hackim was the only Racer with multiple hits going 3 for 3 at the plate with all five RBI coming off the Hanible and Miller homeruns.

Nick Johnson (0-1) got the start and took the loss after working three and a third innings with five runs given up, four earned, off three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Tony Manzano, Shane Johnson, Jack Olberding, and Jeremy Yurcak combined to work two and two thirds innings in relief giving up four runs off three hits with five walks and a strikeout. 

Game 2: Bryan 8 UNOH 6

The Lions struck first with two in the bottom of one but UNOH got them both back in the top of the third. Two singles and a walk with two outs loaded the bases and an errant throw scored brought the Racers even. Bryan put up another in the bottom, UNOH answered with one in the fourth but the Bears again pulled in front, 4-3, after four. The bats came alive in the fifth with Drake Miller blasting a three-run shot in the top putting UNOH up 6-5 followed by two homers for the Lions in the bottom that gave them the final lead of the game, 8-6. 

Darius Freeman was the only Racer with multiple hits going 2-4 in the game with the teams three RBI all coming from the Miller homerun.

Nick Soller went two-thirds of an inning off his start giving up two runs off one hit with four walks. Will Myklebust worked three and two-thirds in relief giving up four runs off three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Eliott Traver (0-1) gave up the go-ahead three-run homerun in the bottom of the fifth to take the loss. He ended with one and two-thirds innings on the mound with two runs given up on one hit.