Lions Fall to Dean in Extra Inning Thriller

Myrtle Beach, SC -- Beaver goes run for run with Dean College, but falls in the tenth to drop to 0-2 on the young season.

The Lions came out swinging the afternoon, getting on the board in the top of the first.  Stefan Romaniuk led the inning off with double and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  He was followed by Matt Capo, who grouned out, but earned the RBI as Steph was able to score on the play to put the first of Beaver's runs on the board.  The hits kept coming as Ty Cole singled and advanced on a passed ball. With two outs, freshman, Zack Cosseette doubled to center field allowing Cole to score and give Beaver a 2-0 lead.  Dean answered quickly, putting up a run of their own in the bottom of the second inning.  

In the third inning, Beaver was held scoreless while the Bulldogs put four more runs on the board to take a 5-2 lead.  But in the fourth, Beaver settled in, and started to hit again as 5 of the 7 batters in the inning reached base safely with Logan Gibbons and David Simmons both earning RBI's on their singles en route to a four-run fourth for the Lions.  Beaver then extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning.  Back-to-back singles by Capo and Cole to start the inning forced a pitching change for Dean College.  But that didn't slow the Lions as Justyn Francona stepped to the plate and singled to load the bases.  A passed ball and a balk scored the first two runs in the inning, followed by a sacrifice fly from Cossette to score the third.  In his second collegiate baseball game, sophomore Shelton Hilliard stepped to the plate and homered to cap off the scoring in the inning, giving Beaver a 9-5 lead midway through the fifth.  Dean answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning to bring the game within one, 9-8. 

In the sixth, both teams were hot at the plate as each team put 5 runs on the board, including a 3-run home run from Zack Cossette, his first of the season. 

In the top of the seventh, the score 14-13, Matt Capo came in to relieve Scott Hughes, who threw six complete innings.  After a scoreless seventh, Dean tied the game in the eighth which would eventually force extra innings after a stalemate in the ninth.  The Lions bats fell cold late in the game as they only generated one base runner in the tenth and were held scoreless.  The Bulldogs made quick work of their at bat singling right away and scoring on the next at bat to end the game, 15-14. 

The loss puts Beaver at 0-2 so far this week as they prepare for a double-header tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m.  Their first game of the day slates them against CCBC Dundalk.