BASEBALL

Opening day for the Huntington baseball team did not disappoint as they outlasted #23 Benedictine University at Mesa, 14-10, in a ten-inning thriller at  Gene Autry Park.

After scoring eight runs through the first three frames, HU’s bats went quiet for the next three before coming back to life to preserve the win. The Redhawks, on the other hand, saved most of their offensive firepower for the latter innings to eventually pull even with their guests 10-10 by the ninth sending the game to the Huntington-dominated extra frame.

Ian McCutcheon was the catalyst for his team’s early 8-3 lead after three. His first three at-bats saw him drive in Daniel Lichty, who opened the game with a triple, for the season’s first run. He doubled in another run in the second and then brought in two more with a three-bagger in the third.

The senior centerfielder finished 3-for-5 at the plate, collected four RBI, scored twice and swiped two bases.

While McCutcheon monopolized the spotlight early on, he wasn’t the only Forester to smack the ball around. Jarret Gray tripled in McCutcheon in the first and added to his RBI total with a run-scoring single in the ninth. Langston Ginder also got in on the triple-fest. The junior second baseman tripled in a run in the seventh and then blasted another to left-center in the top of the tenth to drive in two insurance runs.

Ginder’s final base-knock came on the heels of what came to be the game-winning RBI-single by Lichty.

HU finished with 17 hits, nine for extra bases which included five triples and a Matt Wolff homer. In his HU debut, Wolff posted three hits with his big blast coming in his first at-bat. Gray also logged three hits to go along with a pair of RBI. Lichty added four hits, four runs and two RBI.

Camden Dice got the initial nod on the mound for Frame’s crew. He tossed the first five frames and gave up six hits, three runs and a pair of walks while striking out two after which four Foresters spent time on the mound including Isaac Horton who picked up the win. The sophomore hurler pitched the final 1.2 frames where he gave up just two hits.

The Foresters (1-0) are back in action this afternoon to take on Arizona Christian followed by another matchup with the Redhawks.