Auburndale, FL - The MLC baseball team kicked off their 2023 campaign with its annual Spring Break trip to Florida. The Knights played their first contest of the baseball season at Lake Myrtle Sports Park, where they faced off against Pitt- Greensburg and lost the 10 a.m. game 27-6. The two squads played their second game of the doubleheader and fell to the Bobcats in that one as well, 13-0.
Pitt Greensburg 27, MLC 6
Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader saw a bevy of offensive production from the Bobcats in the top of the first inning when Pitt Greensburg first with 8 runs. The Bobcats scored in a variety of ways to start the game and implemented a small-ball approach, especially with a sacrifice fly from
Chandler Goodwin that was followed up by a grand slam from OF
James Domer.
The Knights countered the big top of the first with 3 runs of their own.
Mason Cox drove in the first two runs with a home run and teammate
Sam Rodriguez joined the action with a double to center field.
Following the first inning, Domer and company heated up again and had another 8-run inning. The Bobcats would go up 16-4 after four innings and utilized the rest of their bench to ultimately go on and win the game.
Jackson Lindemann (0-1) picked up the loss for MLC after throwing one inning, where he allowed 9 runs (4 earned). Cox went 3-3 with 2 runs batted in (RBI) and 1 run scored.
Spencer Lilienthal had a solid first game to his junior season, going 3-4 at the plate with 2 runs scored.
Pitt Greensburg 13, MLC 0
In the second game between the two schools, Pitt Greensburg received a commanding performance from its starting pitcher, Nathan Mankokski. The pitcher threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 15 MLC batters, while allowing only one hit.
MLC did receive a solid start from its starting pitcher,
Michael Fromm (0-1). Despite giving up 6 runs (5 earned), Fromm was in good command of his pitches and delivered 6 strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. The Knights' lone hit for the game came from
Mason Cox, who went 1-3 and seemed to find some good rhythm at the plate.
MLC (0-2) will play Elms in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 4 to continue its Florida trip.
