Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
Winthrop
Xavier Comes Up Short in Season Opener
02.16.07 | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2007
ROCK HILL, S.C. - In the opening game of the 2007 season, the Xavier Musketeers were one inning away from a victory. XU outhit No. 24 Winthrop, eight to six, but it was the final hit in the game that gave the Eagles a 3-2 victory and the early lead in the three game series. The Musketeers fall to 0-1 on the season, while Winthrop improves to 5-2 on the season.
Xavier struck first and took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Sophomore Sean Farrell led off the inning with a single and was moved to second by a sacrifice bunt by Andy Zellers. Farrell was able to come home after senior Jordan Wolf crushed the second triple of his career and earned his first RBI of the season. Sophomore Adam Pasono brought in Wolf for the final run of the inning after his first single of the season to right field.
Junior right-hander Michael Lucas got the start on the hill for the Blue and White and made the best out of his debut. Lucas threw 6.0 innings of one-hit baseball and struck out three, while only walking one. He left a 2-0 lead to senior Mike Creevy but the Eagles would pound out two runs on three hits in Creevy's first inning to knot the score a 2-2. The senior would regroup and retire the side in the eight, recording his first pickoff of the season.
Creevy would retire the first batter he faced in the ninth but a walk would prove costly. A wild pitch and a single moved the runner to third before Winthrop's Kevin Nolan singled to center to plate the game winner.
Wolf led the Musketeers at the plate with a 2-for-3 day including that triple and RBI. Classmate Adam Lipski started the season strong with a 2-for-4 day, including his first double of the season. Pasono finished 1-for-5 with the only other RBI for XU. Farrell, Zellers and Matt Waskerwitz were the only other players to record a hit.
Sophomore Steve Brown had his 21-game hitting streak snapped in the loss. Brown had recorded a hit in every game dating back to April 12, 2006 versus Indiana. The streak is the second longest in Xavier history behind Ty Brenning's 24-game streak in 2001.
The two teams will face off again tomorrow afternoon at the Winthrop Stadium. First pitch is slated for 1:00 pm and will match Xavier senior Bill Konecny against Winthrop's junior right-hander Ryan Schwartz.
