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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
