HICKORY, N.C. - New lineup, same old Bears. After having five games canceled due to weather, Lenoir-Rhyne finally got out on the field and played on Friday, taking on Columbus State in Hickory. Despite a roster overhaul from last year's record setting season the Bears didn't miss a beat, blasting four home runs in a 17-7 win over the Cougars.
Lenoir-Rhyne picked up long balls from
Seth Christmas,
Sylas Boris, and two from
Matt Procopio.
Lleyton Lackey went 4-for-4 on the day and finished a home run shy of the cycle.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #6 Lenoir-Rhyne 17, Columbus State 7
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (1-0), Columbus State (0-3)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Durham Field
STORY OF THE GAME:
- Mackenzie Wainwright opened the season scoring with an RBI to score Lleyton Lackey.
- Seth Christmas closed out the first inning with a two run shot, making it 3-1 after one.
- Two RBIs from Lackey in the second and a sac fly from Christmas in the third put Lenoir-Rhyne up 6-3 early.
- Columbus State battled to cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
- Matt Procopio capped off a five-run sixth inning with a three-run home run to center.
- A long ball from Sylas Boris and another from Procopio gave the Bears their final total of 17 runs.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- Lleyton Lackey (4), Matt Procopio (3), and Sylas Boris (3) each finished with 3+ hits.
- Procopio led the team with six RBIs, followed by four from Seth Christmas and three from Lleyton Lackey.
- Michael Joyce (1-0) threw five innings in his Bears debut, finishing with a stat line of seven strikeouts, six hits, three earned runs, and three walks.
- The final three pitchers, Preston Drebes, Julian Castro, and Paul Toovalian, allowed just five hits over the final four innings.
- Eight Bears finished with a hit.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- 17 runs is the second most the Bears have scored in an opener, just behind the 18 runs scored last year and in 1993.
- Five Bears picked up their first career hit.
- Lenoir-Rhyne has now won their season opener in six of the last seven seasons.
- These teams met once last year, a 15-6 Lenoir-Rhyne win in Young Harris, Ga.
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne faces Columbus State tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the second game of this weekend's three-game series.