Fayetteville, NC (February 17, 2018) - The DeSales University baseball team split two games on Saturday afternoon in the 2018 season opener defeating Christopher Newport University, 7-3, before falling to weekend host Methodist College, 5-1.

Game One (W/7-3 vs. Christopher Newport)
The Bulldogs (1-1) scored twice in the seventh and added four runs in the ninth to take the season opener over CNU.

Trailing 2-1 entering the seventh inning, junior Nick White (The Woodlands, TX) tied the game with a sacrifice fly and junior Charlie Barebo (Emmaus, PA) put the Bulldogs up 3-2 with a two-out RBI single.

In the ninth, DeSales scored four insurance runs as Barebo, junior Preston Amato (Center Valley, PA), and junior Aaron Fritz (Pottsville, PA) each had RBIs.

Junior Austin Kroeger (Farmingdale, NJ) earned the win pitching one inning of scoreless relief.  Senior Adam Donovan (Somers, CT) pitched well getting the start, lasting 5 2/3 innings allowing just four hits and one earned run, striking out seven.  Senior Konner Schneider (Bedminster, NJ) earned the save pitching 2 1/3 innings allowing one run.

Barebo finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, while Amato and senior Conner Lafferty (Langhorne, PA) also each had two hits.

Game Two (L/1-5 vs. Methodist)
The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning taking advantage of two-out error after Barebo doubled to lead off the game.

Methodist tied the game in the third and took a 2-1 lead in the seventh scoring an unearned run and added three more runs, two unearned, in the eighth to provide the final tally.

Freshman Ian Kacergis (Sellersville, PA) took the loss despite pitching well in his Bulldog debut lasting 6 1/3 innings allowing seven hits and just one earned run, striking out two.

Freshman Sean Hanczaryk (Frenchtown, NJ) had two hits.

The Bulldogs are back in action tomorrow morning when they take on Keystone College in the final game of the weekend.