Final Score: Lipscomb: 9, Akron: 4
Location: Nashville, Tenn. (Ken Dugan Field)
Records: Lipscomb: 1-0, Akron: 0-1
THE SHORT STORY: An electric first innings vaulted Lipscomb to a 9-4 victory over Akron on Opening Day of the 2022 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Akron started things off with a single up the middle, but starting pitcher
Kaleb Kantola fanned two, keeping the Zips scoreless.
Lipscomb's bats heated up early when
Maddux Houghton hammered a leadoff home run to right center field for a 1-0 Bisons lead. The fireworks continued when
Malik Williams sent a long ball to dead center, coming out on the good end of a long at-bat.
Rudy Maxwell blasted the third homer of the inning to right center for a quick 3-0 Lipscomb lead after the first inning.
After keeping Akron off the board in the top of the second, Lipscomb tallied another run in the bottom of the inning when
Chaz Bertolani scored on a wild pitch for a 4-0 lead.
The Zips threatened in the top of the third with two doubles at the start of the inning, but Kantola notched a massive timely strikeout to strand two in scoring position and preserved the 4-0 Lipscomb lead.
In the bottom of the third, Lipscomb used a big inning to extend its lead 8-0. Maxwell stayed hot, opening the inning with a single and after a
David Coppedge hit, Maxwell scored when
Tiger Borom delivered a sacrifice fly. After several walks scored another Lipscomb run,
Mason Lundgrin drove in two with a single through the right side for an 8-0 lead after three innings.
Akron got a run back in the top of the fourth, but the Bisons responded with a run of its own when Williams led off the inning with a single and eventually scored on another Borom sacrifice fly for a 9-1 advantage after four innings.
Noah Thompson took over the mound for the Bisons in the top of the fifth and made quick work of the Zips with a three up, three down inning including two strikeouts. The next score came in the top of the sixth when a leadoff single came around to score for Akron, cutting into the Lipscomb lead 9-2.
After a scoreless seventh and eighth, Akron tacked on a pair of runs with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, but
Tyler Legere closed things out for a 9-4 victory on opening day at Ken Dugan Field.
HERD NOTES
- Friday's win marks the sixth-straight opening day win at Dugan Field for the Bisons.
- Williams, Maxwell and Bertolani each had a pair of hits while Houghton, Williams and Maxwell scored two runs each.
- Kantola worked four innings, gave up six hits, one run and fanned five.
- Thompson picked up his first win of the season giving up three hits, one run and striking out six in four innings on the mound.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb will be back in action against Akron Saturday, Feb. 19 for a 2 p.m. first pitch at Ken Dugan Field.
