Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 New Market, VA- The Cairn Highlanders traveled to Virginia this weekend, escaping the snow and winning one of two in their first contests of the season against the University of Pitt-Bradford.  

Box Score (Game 1)  Box Score (Game 2)  

In the first game, the Highlanders experienced some growing pains after being forced to practice inside for the first month of the season.  In the top of the first, Cairn's sophomore center fielder Caleb Lang laced a sharp single through the hole by shortstop for the Highlanders first hit of the season; but the Highlanders were unable to bring Lang around and he ended the inning stranded on first base.  Cairn starter Michael DeLuca retired the side in order in the bottom, and right fielder Trent Fiori was able to notch another hit for Cairn in the second, but once again the Highlanders could not find a run-scoring hit.  Neither team was able to put a run on the board until the bottom of the third when Pitt-Bradford hung up three runs on the Highlanders.  The Panthers tacked on two more runs in the fourth to place Cairn in a 5-0 hole.  With the game winding down the Highlanders were finally able to put runs on the board when junior Eric Hodges knocked a two-run double to right center.  The rest of the game passed fairly uneventfully though and the Highlanders dropped the first game of the season 8-2.  The Highlanders notched five hits and DeLuca took the loss for Cairn.


The second game of the doubleheader was an absolute thriller that the Highlanders were able to pull out in eleven innings, achieving their first win of the season, 5-4.  The Panthers threw the first punch, taking the lead 1-0 in the top of the first after a Highlander error.  Cairn though would respond in a big way when Lang tripled in a run and later scored giving the Highlanders a 2-1 lead.  Pitt-Bradford would tie things up in the next frame after an RBI double, keeping things even.  Not to be outdone the Highlanders loaded the bases in the third, hoping to bust the game wide open.  A double play and strikeout squandered the Highlanders opportunity, but they were still able to plate one run and take the lead.  Cairn would once again give up the lead when the Panthers were able to score two more runs, taking a one run lead 4-3 in the fifth inning.  A trio of sophomores combined to tie the game up for Cairn one inning later.  Trent Fiori doubled, Mitch Peiffer singled, and catcher Caleb Moore hit a sacrifice fly that would tie the game up and set the stage for the drama that was to come.  The Highlanders offense went dry for the next couple innings, and sterling pitching performances from Tyson Rohrs and Josh Freed blanked the Panthers for the next five innings.  The Highlanders started off the bottom of the eleventh with a walk from leadoff man Emanuel Rivera.  A groundout advanced Rivera to second, and yet another Lang single placed men on first and third for the Highlanders with only one out.  After Lang took second base, Cairn second basemen Kenneth Searle came to bat simply needing to put the ball in play for the Highlanders to walk off with a victory.  Searle did his job, grounding the ball to second base and driving home his partner in the middle of the infield Rivera.  Lang went 4-6 with 2 runs and 1 RBI, Fiori was 2-5 with 1 run scored, and Rohrs and Freed combined for six scoreless innings and 7 strikeouts, with Freed netting the win.  

The Highlanders will travel to Florida for the RussMatt tournament next week and play seven games over the spring break period.  The tournament begins for the Highlanders on Saturday at 2:30 PM against Medaille College.