URSULINE DROPS TWO TOUGH GAMES TO OPEN SEASON
STRUTHERS OH- There is nothing like having baseball back especially after a long year off. This time, all the teams had to regroup and that was especially the case for the Ursuline Irish who lost a bunch of seniors last season, the season that they couldn’t play due to the pandemic as the Irish would start out the Catholic Tournament against the Howland Tigers.
Jonah Kirchner started the game on the mound for the Irish and would give up a run in the bottom of the first for Howland as McCleery scored for the Tigers. The Irish would get two runs taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the second as Ian Barton hit a grounder to left field and had an error help the Irish score those runs. There was some controversy however as even though the run did count, coach Weymer and UCF commit Brady Shannon thought he was safe at home plate and that it should’ve been three to one.
Those would be the only runs the Irish would have in any chance of beating the Tigers as in the latter innings, it was the Tigers getting three runs in a row going up seven to two and then nine to two. The Irish scored two more runs but it wasn’t enough with Luca Ricchiuti and Kirchner coming home, but it wasn’t enough as the good pitching by Austen Price and Jared Mindek gave Howland the 9-4 victory.
In the second game in the Catholic Tournament against St. Edwards, it was a closer matchup throughout three and a half innings before the bottom of the fourth where the Eagles would get their first run on the day as Myslenski would double on a fly ball giving Matt Campbell the opportunity to score.
Ursuline this time had a big top of the sixth scoring three runs which was thanks to a CJ Frasco single which led Brandan Waters and Shannon scoring runs. In the end however, St. Ed’s came back to win the game with Jackson Powell for the Eagles hitting a grounder to third and thanks to an error, Myslenski and Campbell went home along with Powell on the next hit.
In the end, the Irish would fall after being up three to one, falling six to three and falling to 0-2 on the season and in the Catholic Tournament. Their next game is against the Chaney Cowboys at Cene at 5pm Monday.
*Contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*
