The Saint Xavier baseball team kicked off their season this week with a three-game series in Athens, Tennessee against the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs. The series started on February 1st.
The Bulldogs entered the series as the number one ranked team in the country. Both teams were playing their first games of the season.
The game did not get off to a good start for the Cougars, as they struck out in every at bat in their half of the first inning.
The bottom half was not much better for SXU, as the Bulldogs hit two home runs and scored five runs to put them up 5-0. Saint Xavier finally got things going in the second inning when infielder Tyler Hedman doubled to left field.
The next batter, catcher Matt Bunetta, hit a single to left field, which scored Hedman and put the Cougars on the board, 5-1.
The Bulldogs struck back in the third and fourth innings, where they scored a combined four runs to increase their lead to eight runs. The fifth inning was better for SXU, as they got on the board again thanks to a double from first baseman Matt Monahan that scored a run. Outfielder Max Downs scored Monahan on a single up the middle to make it 9-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Tennessee Wesleyan held back the Cougars for the rest of the game and eventually won 13-5. Saint Xavier fell to 0-1 with the loss, while the Bulldogs improved to 1-0 with the win.
Games two and three of the series took place on February 2nd. Game two started off well for the Cougars, as they were the first to get on the board thanks to an RBI double from Matt Bunetta that scored a run.
The lead was short-lived however, as the Bulldogs hit three solo home runs in the bottom half of the inning to give themselves a 3-1 lead.
After a two-run second inning from Tennessee Wesleyan that increased their lead to four runs, the Cougars struck back in the third inning by scoring three runs on two straight singles to cut the Tennessee Wesleyan lead to just one run.
However, the Bulldogs struck back in the bottom half of the third, scoring two runs on a sacrifice bunt and a single to increase the lead back to three.
It was all downhill from there for the Cougars, as they gave up nine more runs and only scored two for the rest of the game.
The Cougars eventually lost 16-6. Game three was even worse for the Cougars, as they only scored twice while giving up 11 runs to the Bulldogs.
Saint Xavier will leave Athens with an 0-3 record and a whole lot to contemplate. Saint Xavier did not have the best start to a season, but with the talent they have on this team, they need to focus on using that talent to their best potential.
The Cougars will next play on February 8th and 9th, when they play a four-game series against Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.