FLEMINGTON, N.J. – The Cairn University baseball team split their doubleheader against Houghton College at Diamond Nation on Saturday, falling 4-1 in game one before claiming their first win of the 2022 season by a score of 7-5 in game two. The game-two victory marked the first career win for Highlander first-year Head Coach
Brett Marks.
In game one, Houghton (1-1) struck first with a run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. From that point, Highlander freshman right-hander
Ronaldhino Alcin (Miami, FL / North Miami Beach SHS) settled in, tossing three-consecutive scoreless innings and the game remained at 1-0 through four innings. Houghton opened the game up in the top of the fifth with two runs to take a 3-0 lead and extended its lead to 4-0 with a run in the sixth. Cairn (1-2) made things interesting after senior
Joshua Melchior (Boyertown, PA / Valley Forge Baptist Academy) delivered an RBI-single to give Cairn its first run, but the bats fell silent and Houghton took game one of the doubleheader by a score of 4-1. Junior
Tyler Fox (Boyertown, PA / West-Mont Christian Academy) led the Highlander offense in game one with a 2-2 day at the plate, while Melchior and freshman
Tyler Warr (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) each contributed a a pair of base knocks. Alcin took the loss despite a good day on the hill, tossing 4.1 innings, scattering three hits, three runs (two earned) and five strikeouts.
In game two, Houghton again jumped out to an early 4-0 lead due to a pair of Cairn errors in the top of the first. Cairn responded with a run in the bottom half after junior
Joe Greenwood (Wall, NJ / Calvary Academy) stole third and scampered home off of an error to make in 4-1. Houghton extended its lead to 5-1 in the second inning and held a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the third. The Highlander bats woke up in that inning, as senior Brian Amantia (Columbus, NJ / King's Christian) delivered an RBI-triple down the right field line, followed up by a line-drive single by junior Sam Spadea (Yardley, PA / Pennsbury) to make it 5-4. The bottom of the sixth proved to be the deciding factor for the Highlanders, as freshman
George Hernandez (Miami, FL / McArthur HS) stepped off the bench in a pinch-hitting situation with a runner in scoring position. Hernandez made the most of the opportunity, striping an RBI-double down the left field line to knot the game up at five a-piece. Cairn was not done, as junior
Luke Weaver (Little Rock, AK / Baptist Prep) followed with a two-RBI single to give Cairn a 7-5 lead.
Those two runs were all junior right-hander
Cameron Culver (Croydon, PA / Truman HS) needed, as Culver shut the door in the top of the seventh to give Cairn its first victory of the season.
Fox paced Cairn again in game two with a game-high two hits, while five other Cairn Highlanders recorded a hit in game two. Culver was brilliant, earning the win in relief after tossing 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three.
Cairn will be back in action on Monday, March 7 when it travels to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for seven games during its spring break trip at the Ripken Experience, starting with a bout at Griffith Field against non-conference foe University of Rochester at Griffith Field at 6 p.m.
