Baseball Bounces Back with Wins Over Wilmington (Ohio) and Wabash

FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team snapped a three-game skid with a pair of victories Tuesday afternoon at the Player Development Complex in Fort Myers, Florida. The Lions defeated Wilmington (Ohio) 12-6 and outslugged Wabash 9-6.

Eastern Nazarene improves to 3-3 on the season with the wins. The Quakers drop to 2-8 overall and the Little Giants sink to 3-6.

Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) finished with a team-high five hits on the day to go with three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. Jose Arebalo (Brentwood, Calif.) paced the Lions with five RBIs while registering three hits and three runs. Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.) landed four hits, scored three runs, swiped two bases and drove in one RBI.

John Greenlee (San Marcos, Calif.) continued his torrid start to the season with three hits, three RBIs and three runs scored on the afternoon. Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.) collected three base knocks, scored twice and added a pair of RBIs. Brandon Wynne (West Haven, Conn.) chipped in with three RBIs, a pair of hits and crossed the dish twice.

In Tuesday's first tilt, the Lions rolled to a 12-6 win over Wilmington (Ohio).

Eastern Nazarene pounced on an early lead, 1-0, in the first frame. Colton Rice (Mesa, Ariz.) stroked a double to right-center to deliver the game's opening run.

The Lions chalked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to push their advantage to 3-0. With two runners aboard, Greenlee rolled a single into left to plate Wynne from second. A well-executed double-steal produced the second run of the inning as Picarelli dashed home.

The Quakers got on the board with a run in the third to cut the deficit to 3-1. Jake Hyatt doubled to left-center to score Wade Gillette.

Eastern Nazarene's offense exploded for five runs in the home half of the third, extending the lead to 8-1. Wynne hooked a double down the left field line to drive in Arebalo and Fiorentino. Picarelli followed with a double to center to plate Wynne from second. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Jeremy Wagner poked a single into right field as Picarelli and Greenlee came in to score.

The Lions added a score in the fifth to stretch the margin to 9-1. Greenlee tagged up and bolted home from third after Jeremy Wagner lifted a sacrifice fly to left.

Wilmington pushed across three runs in the top of the sixth to pull to within five, 9-4, as Jarett Trautman and Antonio Miller registered RBI base knocks in the inning.

Eastern Nazarene scored twice in the bottom of the frame to establish an 11-4 cushion. Joe Commesso (Marshfield, Mass.) scored as Fiorentino laced a single to centerfield. Wynne drove in his third RBI of the game with another double down the left field line that allowed Fiorentino to cross the dish.

The Quakers picked up a pair of runs to narrow the gap to 11-6 in the eighth. Max Ramsey scampered home as Corey Walker notched an infield hit.

The Lions capped off the scoring with a run in the eighth as Fiorentino smacked a double to the gap in left center to plate Arebalo all the way from first base.

In his first collegiate start on the bump, Will Francis (Midlothian, Va.) hurled six innings and struck out two batters while surrendering four runs. Tyler Brown (Wilmington, Del.) worked two frames of relief before Antonio Ortegon (Halton City, Texas) shut the door with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.

In game two of Tuesday's action, Eastern Nazarene rallied to defeat Wabash 9-6.

The Little Giants opened the scoring first inning with a three-run homer by Andrew Roginski in the first inning.

The Lions responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Arebalo launched a two-run home run to left to drive in Rice.

Eastern Nazarene jumped ahead 6-3 after plating four runs in the second. After Picarelli singled, Greenlee hammered his first collegiate homer to give the Lions the lead. With the bases full, Arebalo knocked in two RBIs as Jeremy Wagner and Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) both crossed the plate.

Wabash cut the margin to 6-5 with two runs in the third inning. Cole Harlacher and KJ Zelenika each scored as Tyler Downing and Taylor Canter picked up RBI singles.

The Little Giants leveled the game at 6-6 with one run in the fourth. David Oliger drove in the tying run with a one-out single through the left side of the infield to score Sean Roginski.

The Lions regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three times, 9-6. Jeremy Wagner motored home to tally the go-ahead run as Arebalo grounded out to the second baseman. Commesso landed a double in center to plate Nick Story (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Rice.

Rookie Ryan Spina (Selden, N.Y.) tossed 3.1 innings in his first start of the spring. Ragan Cole (Alamogordo, N.M.) pitched 3.2 innings of relief action while striking out one batter. Story hurled one inning in his first action of the season on the hill and recorded two strikeouts. Wynne earned his first save of the year with a scoreless frame with one strikeout.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will take on Emerson in a twinbill in Bradenton, Florida at McKechnie Field, the spring training park of the Pittsburgh Pirates March 10.