DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman left 13 men on base Friday evening as the visiting Lehigh Mountain Hawks took the first of a three-game series against the Wildcats by a 5-3 decision in what was the season opener for both clubs at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
 
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Bethune-Cookman (0-1) put pressure on Mountain Hawks reliever Jack Hamilton when Jason Hodges kicked things off with a leadoff single, before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from Irvin Escobar. Colton Olasin then delivered a two-out, run-scoring single through the right side that plated Hodges and tied the game at 3-3.
 
Third baseman Luis Tuero produced a RBI double to left in the next at-bat to put the Wildcats on top for the first time all night.
 
With Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Preseason All-Conference selection Louis Lipthratt sitting at 90 pitches after five innings, Gabriel Perez took over on the mound for the Maroon and Gold in the sixth.
 
Lehigh (1-0) wasted little time getting to the sophomore from Pembroke Pines, Florida, when Rother homered to begin the Mountain Hawks' at-bat in the frame, followed two plays later by Joe Gorla's two-run shot to right center that gave the visitors the lead back at 5-3.
 
The Cats threated to tie (or more) in each of the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, leaving five men on base across the two frames. Bethune-Cookman had the bases loaded in the home-half of the eighth with two away, before Lehigh first baseman Rother – now working as a relief pitcher – got designated hitter Robert Moya to ground into a fielder's choice at second base.
 
Neither starter factored into the decision on the night for either team.
 
Alex Bouchard threw 2.1 innings, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits and picking up three strikeouts with two walks for the Mountain Hawks. Meanwhile, Lipthratt worked five complete frames, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out eight batters with zero (0) walks.
 
The win went to Will Grisack (1-0) of Lehigh, while Perez (0-1) suffered the loss for the Wildcats. Rother collected his first save of the year by pitching three scoreless innings, walking three and striking out five.
 
Lehigh was led at the plate by right fielder Andrew Kohl with a 2-for-4 night. Gorla had two RBIs with his home run, as well as a solo homer for Rother.
 
BCU used Tuero's 2-for-4 effort at the dish, as he also added a RBI. Garret Chun and Hylan Hall joined Hodges and Olasin as the other Maroon and Gold players with a hit in the contest.
 
The two teams will meet for game two of the three-game series Saturday at 6 p.m. Nolan Santos is scheduled to take the mound for the Wildcats, while the Mountain Hawks are slated to counter with left-hander Luke Rettig.
 
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