CARLISLE, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team opened their season with a pair of close losses at Dickinson, 4-2 in the opener and 2-1 on the backend, Sunday afternoon at MacPhail Field.
Isaac Maclay (New Berlin, Pa. / Mifflinburg Area) led off the second by getting hit by a pitch, and Michael Warren (New Berlin, Pa. / Mifflinburg Area) pushed him to second with a single. The bases loaded when Sam Craig (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Kingsway Regional) reached on an error by the third baseman. Two batters later, Maclay scored on Joshua Gery's (Pottstown, Pa. / Pottstown Senior High School) fielder's choice as Craig was tagged out at second and the Eagles led 1-0 through two innings.
Larry Corle (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central High School) started things off in the third with a single and Jake Swank's (Portage, Pa. / Portage) double down the right-field line along with Adam Kipp (Mt. Wolf, Pa. / Northeastern) getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases. Two batters later, Warren's walk sent Corle home and doubled the Eagle lead. Juniata couldn't get any of the other runner's home, and that would prove costly.
Dickinson put together a big fifth inning that saw them plate four runs, all on singles, before Jack Dovidio (Glenmore, Pa. / Downingtown West) entered and got the Eagles out of the inning.
JC couldn't make up the two-run difference in the final two innings as Dickinson took game one, 4-2.
Drew Harshbarger (Mount Union, Pa. / Mount Union) put together a solid start as he went 4.0 innings, allowed two hits, two walks while striking out five.
Game two was pitcher's duel that saw Dickinson strike first when their leadoff batter reached on an error, stole second, got to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sac fly to right.
In the top of the second, Maclay was hit by a pitch; Warren singled to right and both advanced on Craig's sac bunt. Two batters later, Maclay managed to score on a passed ball to knot things at one.
The pitchers kept both teams' offenses at bay until the bottom of the fifth when Dickinson scored a runner from second on a double to right-center.
The Eagles had a chance to tie in the top of the seventh as Ben Raab (Langhorne, Pa. / Neshaminy) came to the plate with Craig on second and two outs, but he lined out to right to end the game.
Mark Cyterski (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Vincentian Academy) went 4.1 innings and allowed two hits, two runs while walking one batter, and added three strikeouts. Austin Suders (Marion, Pa. / Chambersburg Area) pitched the other 1.2
The Eagles travel to Florida for RussMatt Invitational and will open with a doubleheader against Colby-Sawyer, Sunday the 8th at 2:45.
