WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – CIU baseball hit the road and traveled to West Palm Beach, Fla., to open up their season against National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) ranked No. 25 Keiser University. It was a competitive game between the Rams and the Seahawks, thanks to impressive pitching on both ends, until the seventh inning when Keiser took control of the game. Unfortunately, CIU struggled offensively as they could not push any runs across home plate to drop game one of the series.
It was a pitcher's duel through the first four innings until Keiser forced in a run after two hits and an error in the bottom of the fourth. After that, it was quiet offensively from both sides until the Rams threatened to move a couple across the plate in the top of the seventh inning after Emmanuel Maldonado reached on an error, followed by a double from Price Alexander. However, CIU was unable to capitalize on this action. The Seahawks added three more runs in the seventh and six more runs in the eighth to ensure the win in a mercy rule fashion.
Box Score Notes:
- In six innings, Justin Parish recorded ten strikeouts for his first start of the season. Parish's ten K's are his most since picking up ten strikeouts in a win a over No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan in 2020.
- Maldonado and Alexander were the only Rams to pick up an extra-base hit.
- Rafael Gonzales and Carter Willis each picked up a single.
Up Next: The Rams are back in action for games two and three in the series against Keiser on Friday, Feb. 10, at 11 AM and 2 PM.
