WILSON, North Carolina -- The Lake Erie baseball team took to the road this weekend to begin their 2024 season. They would face the Barton College Bulldogs and drop the four-game series, starting out their season 0-4.

GAME 1

The Storm started off game one with a hot start. Israel Espinosa barreled the first pitch he saw for a single to center field and Zimba Cadiz followed suite by singling down the third base line. Graham Solak then reached on catcher's interference which loaded the bases. The Storm then got three-straight outs and finished the top half of the inning with no runs.

The Bulldogs responded by putting up six runs in the bottom half of the inning, shifting the momentum quickly.

In the top of the third, Cadiz drew a walk and Solak singled, putting runners at first and third with one out for Jacob Mote. Mote then cranked a home run over the left-center field fence, cutting the Barton lead in half.

The Lake Erie bats went quiet the rest of the game, resulting in a 9-3 loss in the first game of the doubleheader. 

WP: A.J. Campbell (1-0)
LP: Alex Caudill (0-1)


GAME 2

Robert Helt took the mound for the Storm to start game two. He kept his team in the game, going 3.2 IP, allowing five hits and three runs, with four strikeouts.

The Lake Erie offense was not able to able to do any damage until the 6th inning though, when Cadiz scored on a wild pitch and Solak later scored on a balk.

The Bulldogs took game two by a final score of 7-2 with the Lake Erie bats only managing to get three hits.

WP: Connor Patterson (1-0)
LP: Robert Helt (0-1)


GAME 3

After two losses the day before, the Storm came out determined to finish strong and even the series. Espinosa got the ball rolling in the first with a single to right field. He advanced to second on a stolen base and Solak brought him home with a double to right center. 

Barton tacked on two runs in the bottom of the second but Lake Erie responded during the next half inning on a double by Mitchel Szymczak, which scored Zach Hoskins.

Neither team scored during the next four innings of play and Barton came up in the bottom of the seventh and final inning. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs would walk it off, handing the Storm a tough 3-2 loss.

Dominic Poltrone was great on the mound, going 5 IP, surrendering five hits and two runs while striking out six.

WP: Matt Rivers (1-0)
LP: Landen Vance (0-1)


GAME 4

For the second time in the series, the Storm were the first to strike. Szymczak walked to get the ball rolling and Solak homered to left to put his team up 2-0.

The Bulldogs evened things up in the bottom half of the first and added one more run in the third. Lake Erie scored on a groundout in the fourth and scored another on a Szymczak single through the left side, trimming Barton's lead to just 5-4.

Over the next two innings of play, the Storm gave up 9 runsand went dow 14-4. The Lake Erie offense kept battling though and they managed to score four runs over the final three innings of play but would unfortunately fall 15-8.

Solak, Hoskins, and Mannuk Cadiz all tallied two hits a piece and produced four runs between them all.

WP: Ian Asken (1-0)
LP: Jake Vasil (0-1)


The Storm will be back in action on February 17th and 18th on the road against the Notre Dame College Falcons in Avon, Ohio.