HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata baseball played its first game of the season at Langdon-Goodale Field on Saturday afternoon. Freshman Hunter Price (Huntingdon, Pa/Huntingdon Area HS) pitched a seven-inning shutout for the Eagles as they defeated Merchant Marine 9-0 in Game One of a doubleheader. It is Juniata's first win over the Mariners since 2011.
Price gave up just four hits and issued three walks. He struck out four batters.
Price got into trouble in the first inning as runners were at first and third. He got out of the jam when he was able to throw out the Mariner's Michael Barnes as he was caught stealing.
The Eagles got on the board in their portion of the first. With two men out, Anthony Lombardo (Altoona, Pa/Altoona Area HS) walked. Joe Klusman (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) followed with a single to the shortstop and Chris Sinisi (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area HS) came up and hit a double to left center to score Lombardo and Klusman to give JC a 2-0 lead.
In the Juniata second inning, David DeFreest (Duxbury, Vt./Harwood Union) led off with his second homerun of the season to increase the Eagle lead to 3-0. The Eagles offense broke out in the fifth inning with six runs coming home.
The 2-5 hitters in the Juniata lineup went a combined 7-for-14 with six runs scored and five runs batted in. Sinisi finished 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBIs. Lombardo was also 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and one run batted in.
The Mariners won the second game by the score of 5-1. Jesse Beeler (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) took the loss for Juniata on the mound. He went six innings and surrendered five hits, three runs (two earned) and five walks. He struck out one batter.
USMMA scored the game's first runs in the third inning. Steve Lucy led off with a double down the left field line. After Quinn Fleming popped out on a bunt, Richard Kernan then walked. Bryon Campbell reached on an error by Lombardo that allowed Lucy to score. Kernan scored on another error as the Mariners led 2-0.
The Mariners added a run in the fourth. Juniata would finally get on the scoreboard in the sixth. After Chris Schreder (Lititz, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) flied out to right, Devyn Carper (Altoona, Pa/Altoona Area HS) got on with a bunt single. Lombardo then flied out to right. Klusman doubled to centerfield to score Carper and make it a 3-1 game. USMMA tacked on two more runs in the seventh to complete the scoring.
Lombardo, Price, and Isaac Kline (Everett, Pa./Bedford) all were 1-for-3 at the plate. Carper was 1-for-3 with a run scored while Klusman was also 1-for-3 with a run batted in.
The two teams complete their three game series tomorrow with a nine-inning game. First pitch will be at 11:00 a.m.
