MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Falling behind 7-0 to the country's No. 2 ranked NAIA baseball team isn't a formula for success, as No. 2 St. Thomas University handed Florida Memorial University a 9-3 loss Tuesday afternoon in the regular season opener for both teams at Harry T. Moore Field.
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Tuesday's game became the Lions' (0-1) season-opener when their weekend trip to LSU-Shreveport was canceled due to inclement weather across Louisiana. FMU, then, had to contend with the Bobcats without having worked out at least a few of the early season kinks. In honor of its opening day, FMU had Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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Florida Memorial, which will travel to South Carolina this coming weekend for a weekend series at Benedict College, fell into a seven-run hole through the top of the fourth inning and didn't get on the board until the bottom of the fifth when
Malik Shinozaki – pinch-running for catcher
Josue Sanchez – scored on an error by the Bobcats' shortstop. The Lions tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth thanks to another St. Thomas error.
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After the Bobcats manufactured another pair of runs in the top of the seventh to push their lead to 9-2, Florida Memorial was gifted another run as
Jouseph Renovales was able to cross home plate on a wild pitch.
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Hits were at a bit of a premium for the Lions Tuesday – they only totaled five on the day and none of them came before the fifth inning. Renovales had the best day among FMU batters, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
Yunior Sanchez,
Jaquel Perry, and Sanchez were all 1-for-4 on the day.
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