The DePauw men's baseball team dropped the opening game of its doubleheader with Transylvania University, but rallied for a 7-1 win in the nightcap game to earn the split, bringing their overall record to 2-3.
DePauw totaled 11 hits with sophomore Jason Cohen and juniors Alex Wright and Sam Swafford collecting two apiece, but Transylvania managed to total at 13 hits including a three-run home run in the fifth by Drew Zuckerman.
Weather-wise, the Tigers have not had the best of luck this season. Their Feb. 26 home game against Anderson University was postponed due to weather conditions, and this weekend's nightcap game against Transylvania was suspended due to lightning.
"We've done a good job of not letting those things become excuses," head coach Jake Martin said. "I think the team goes into the season knowing that February and March are going to be interesting. Early on, you never know with the weather."
Once play resumed in the nightcap, Junior Rob McPike hit a 3-2 pitch for a two-run home run, which scored senior Ben Gardner who had doubled prior to the delay.
"Our pitchers did a very good job of throwing strikes and limiting their walks," Martin said. "We didn't have a stolen base against us over the weekend."
This weekend gave a handful of freshmen the opportunity to play for the first time including shortstop Zach Starr, outfielder Brendon Pashia and pitcher Michael Chiaro.
"It was exciting," Chiaro said. "I was definitely nervous, but it felt good to get the first few innings out of the way."
Martin believes we'll be seeing more freshman getting a chance to play early in the season.
"There are still some spots that are open for competition," Martin said. "We'll probably see some more freshmen pitchers get in these next few weeks. Mike Chiaro has done a good job in the fall and in the off-season. He throws a lot of strikes."
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday, March 1, when they face College of Mount St. Joseph at the University of Cincinnati, and will make up their games against Anderson on March 9th in a doubleheader.
