WILLOUGHBY, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Baseball team returned home for their home opener for a non-conference doubleheader against the Gannon Golden Knights. Late inning magic and timely hitting would lead to a doubleheader sweep, winning game one 5-1 and game two 6-5.
 
Team Records
 
Lake Erie: 6-5 
Gannon: 1-4 
 
Game Recaps
 
Game 1:
Lake Erie- 5
Gannon- 1
 
Game one began with a pitcher's duel. In the first inning, the Gannon threatened with runners on second and third but were left stranded. The Golden Knights would take the first lead in the game in the third inning for a 1-0 lead. Lake Erie's bats would wake up in the sixth taking a 2-1 lead with a Zimba Cadiz RBI double, as well as scoring on a Gannon throwing error. The Storm would add three more insurance runs, growing the lead to 5-1 with an RBI walk from Aidan Shoop, and a RBI single from Cadiz. The last six outs for Lake Erie pitching would all be via strikeouts to take the first game of the doubleheader.
 
W: Robert Helt (2-1) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BBs, 9 Ks
L: Jake Boyner (0-1) - 6.0 IP, H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BBs, 12 Ks
 
Key Team Stats:
 
Batting-
Runners Left on Base: Storm- 4, Golden Knights- 7
Walks: Storm- 7, Golden Knights- 4
Strikeouts: Storm- 13, Golden Knights- 17
Stolen Bases: Storm- 1, Golden Knights- 2
 
Pitching-
Walks: Storm- 4, Golden Knights- 7
Strikeouts: Storm- 17, Golden Knights- 13
Hit by Pitches: Storm- 0, Golden Knights- 0
 
Fielding-
Errors: Storm- 2, Golden Knights- 1
 
Game 1 Top Storm Performers: 
 
Sr. Zimba Cadiz: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, 2 Ks 
Sr. Graham Solak: 1-4, K
Gr. Aidan Shoop: 0-1, RBI, BB, K 
 
Game 2:
Lake Erie- 6
Gannon- 5
 
Bats come out firing for the Storm early in game two as they put up four runs in the first inning, with a three-run home run from Jaxson Christ, his first of the season, and an RBI single from Israel Espinosa. The Golden Knights would answer right back in the second inning, scoring two runs, cutting the lead to 4-2. Lake Erie would tack on another run in the bottom half of the inning with an Alex Jones solo home run, his second of the season for a 5-2 lead. Gannon added another run in the fourth inning, bringing the score to 5-3. In the sixth inning, the Golden Knights would tie the game at 5-5. The Storm would take the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on a throwing error for a 6-5 lead. Gannon would threaten with runners on first and second in the seventh inning, but a ground ball double play would seal the 6-5 victory for Lake Erie for the doubleheader sweep.
 
W: Floyd McKenna (1-0) – 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 Ks
L: Ryan Bioni (0-1) – 1.0 IP, H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BBs, K
S: Brandon Metivier (1) – 1.0 IP, 0 H, BB 
 
Key Team Stats:
 
Batting-
Runners Left on Base: Storm- 7, Golden Knights- 8
Walks: Storm- 6, Golden Knights- 5
Strikeouts: Storm- 6, Golden Knights- 9
Stolen Bases: Storm- 0, Golden Knights- 3
 
Pitching-
Walks: Storm- 5, Golden Knights- 6
Strikeouts: Storm- 9, Golden Knights- 6
Hit by Pitches: Storm- 3, Golden Knights- 0
 
Fielding-
Errors: Storm- 1, Golden Knights- 2
 
Game 2 Top Storm Performers:
 
Soph. Jaxson Christ: 2-3, HR (1), 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB, K
Sr. Alex Jones: 1-3, HR (2), RBI, 2 R, BB
Sr. Israel Espinosa: 1-3, RBI, K

Doubleheader Evaluation
 
Pitching Dominance: In game one, both teams combined for a total of 30 strikeouts. It might only be February, but pitchers are pounding the zone, giving hitters little room for damage. 
 
Extra Base Hits: In the doubleheader, Lake Erie had eight of their 11 hits go for extra base hits. Lake Erie has 69 total hits so far on the season, with 31 being extra base hits. 
 
Patience at the Plate: In the doubleheader, the Storm combined for 13 walks in each game. As the offense has begun to see more pitching, the offense is becoming more aware of the strike zone and are putting pressure on opposing pitchers to hit their spots.
 
Series History
 
With the doubleheader sweep, Lake Erie is now 7-8 all time against Gannon.  
 
Up Next
 
Lake Erie heads to West Virginia, their fifth state visited this season, as they take on Wheeling University for a three-game series beginning on Saturday, March 8th. 
 
In 2024, Wheeling finished 25-26 overall, while going 13-15 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) north division. In the 2025 MEC preseason poll, they were voted to finish third in the north division. They have begun their season with a 3-2 record, with a series victory against the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.