FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Neumann University baseball team opened its 2019 season at the Diamond Invitational with a split doubleheader at host Methodist University on Friday afternoon. The Knights took game one 5-4 while the Monarchs won game two, also 5-4.
In the first game,
Zach Ray had three hits and knocked in two runs.
John Lindeborn had a pair of hits and scores two runs.
Curt Yenchik also had a pair of hits.
Nick Glebocki picked up his first collegiate win on the mound, going 6.1 innings. He allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four.
Will Hart pitched 1.2 innings.
John Schoelkopf picked up the save, getting the last three outs in the ninth inning.
Neumann scored first in the fourth inning. Lindeborn led off with a double. Ray reached on a fielders' choice. As Ray stole second base, Lindeborn scored. Ray then came around to score on a single by Yenchik.
With one out in the fifth, two Knights reach via walks. Lindeborn hit his second double to score
Tre'Zhan Selby. With two outs, Schoelkopf and Lindeborn scored on a single by Ray and Neumann held a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Monarchs hit a bases-clearing double to get back within two, 5-3. Methodist led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a solo homerun. Schoelkopf then came in and shut down the Monarchs and give the Knights the 5-4 game one win.
In the second game, this time it was Methodist that went up 5-0 first as it took advantage of some Neumann errors and plated three unearned runs in the second and third innings. The Monarchs added two more runs in the fourth for the 5-0 lead.
Schoelkopf knocked in
Joe Nepi in the fifth inning to get the Knights on the board. Neumann went on to score three runs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by a two-run single by
Danny Padilla. The Knights left the game-tying run on base and could not get the runner home and fell 5-4.
Josh Cruz started the game and went 5.0 innings. He allowed five runs, two earned, on nine hits in the loss.
David Alvarez went 3.0 innings and allowed just one hit.
Neumann (1-1) will continue the Diamond Invitational tomorrow and will face Bridgewater College. First pitch is slated for 12:00 PM.