The Bard baseball team dropped the opening game of its series to Hobart, 15–1, on Friday afternoon at McDonough Park, as an early surge by the Statesmen proved too much to overcome.
Hobart set the tone immediately, capitalizing on command issues in the first inning to plate five runs without recording a hit. A series of walks, wild pitches, and a passed ball allowed the hosts to build a quick cushion, before adding three more runs in both the second and third innings to extend the lead to 11–0. Bard starter
Charles Lehr was tagged with the loss after recording just two outs, while
Jackson Sprinzen and
Elise Berger combined to cover the remainder of the game in relief.
Despite the early deficit, Bard continued to battle throughout. The Raptors broke through in the sixth inning when
Jamie Fryer reached after being hit by a pitch and later scored on a sharp RBI double to right center from
Jeremy Hall, accounting for Bard's lone run of the afternoon. Hall and
Jack Burcell recorded the team's only two hits against Hobart starter Teck Nash, who went the distance with seven strikeouts.
Hobart added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Bard, showed resilience defensively and on the mound after the opening frames, but could not generate enough offense to chip into the early margin.
Bard will look to bounce back tomorrow for Game 2 at noon. An if-necessary Game 3 will occur if the Raptors defeat Hobart in Game 2.
