Hackettstown, NJ – The Cairn baseball team fell in Game One of a three-game series with the Centenary Cyclones on Friday afternoon by a 6-4 final. The Cyclones broke a 4-4 tie with a pair of runs in the seventh to take the series-opening victory.
Keith LeNoue was the only Highlander to collect multiple hits on the afternoon with a 2-4 effort out of the eight-hole.
Aaron Takacs collected the only RBI in the game with a groundout in the first inning.
With Takacs' groundout the Highlanders took an early 1-0 lead just three batters into the game. The Cyclones immediately countered with three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-1 lead. A bases loaded walk brought home the first run with one out. The next batter singled through the right side to drive home two more. The Cyclones scored three runs on just two hits in the frame.
In the third, it looked like the Highlanders had something cooking with a leadoff single by
Keith LeNoue. Unfortunately he was picked off for the first out of the inning.
Andrew Philips then singled up the middle with one out, but then he was picked off. A ground out ended the inning, with the Highlanders collecting two hits without a runner making it past first base.
The Cyclones made Cairn pay with an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on a groundout to push their lead to 4-1.
Cairn got their offense going in the fifth.
Brendan Keller got the rally going with a ground-rule double down the right field line, before
Emilio Alvarez singled to put runners on first and third. Those were the only two hits the Highlanders would collect in the inning. Cairn then took advantage of a balk, a walk, and two errors to score three runs to tie the game.
Alvarez scored from third on a balk and then two runs came around when
Jacob Allen reached on a throwing error later in the frame.
After a quiet sixth, the Cyclones broke the tie with two runs in bottom of the seventh. They scored a run on a single and added a second off a throwing error by Cairn.
After being turned away in order in the eighth, the Highlanders had a runner in scoring position in the ninth, but a groundout ended the game and gave the Cyclones a 6-4 victory.
On the bump,
Daniel Morales settled down after a rocky first inning to toss 6.2 innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks. He struck out five batters.
Caleb Maige tossed 1.1 innings of shutout ball, while allowing just one walk in relief.
The Highlanders and Cyclones will play a doubleheader tomorrow at Cairn. Game One slated to begin at 12:00 p.m.
