CAMBRIDGE, MA – Lesley University (0-2) dropped its season-opening doubleheader to McDaniel College (3-3) on Saturday in Auburndale, FL, losing 7-0 and 5-0.
Lynx freshmen Ray Cohen and John Gosnell each went 2-for-4 in the opener, and fellow frosh Ryan McQuade went 1-for-3 in Game 2 after a 2-for-3 debut in the first half of the twin bill.
After the Lynx left runners at the corners in the top of the first, the Green Terror took an early lead in the bottom of the inning. Shortstop Marshall Betts drove home Tyler Jackow with a single down the line in left, but a third deep McDaniel fly out saw runners stranded at the corners in the first with only one run across.
Betts again scored Jackow on and RBI single to left in the third, and Lynx starter Jeff Landry appeared to be in trouble with runners at second and third and one out in the third, but after a passed ball scored a run, he coaxed a pair of Terror fly outs to get out of the inning trailing 3-0.
The Lynx loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fifth on a pair of infield hits and a chopper through the left side. That chased Terror starter Danny Snight from the game, and reliever Andrew Monger quickly worked out of the jam with a pop up on the infield on his first pitch to Aqib Shah and then a 6-4 double play from catcher David Hersey.
McDaniel loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning and took advantage. A Shah throwing error on a force play at the plate scored Betts and sent Landry from the game, and McDaniel scored two more on a hit batter and a Patrick Christopher RBI single, going up 6-0 after five.
The Green Terror tacked on another in the sixth to win 7-0, moving to 2-3 behind three right-handers that combined on the shutout.
Landry gave up seven runs but only three earned, striking out a pair. Danny Snight earned the win for McDaniel, whiffing eight in four shutout innings.
A bout with wildness cost Game 2 starter Bryen Desjardin, as Brandon Hayward, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, came around to score on a Christopher double. Christopher then scored on a wild pitch, as Jimmy Najera later did after getting on base via walk. All said, the Green Terror went up 3-0 after three.
After Lynx senior reliever Noah Shaw fanned two and walked two in a scoreless fourth, the Terror tacked on a run in two straight innings off righty Peter Plansky, with a Betts RBI groundout to first added another in the fifth.
Desjardin took the loss in his Lynx debut, walking two, allowing two hits and letting in three earned in three innings. James Chiorello struck out nine in going all seven innings of a three-hit shutout.
Lesley returns to play tomorrow with a doubleheader against regional opponent MCLA starting at 10 p.m.