MYRTLE BEACH, SC – Cairn Baseball was back in action on Wednesday morning for the front end of their double-header with 18 innings scheduled on the day, taking on Lesley College. Strong pitching delivered the Highlanders their fifth-straight win.
 
Seniors Will Wikner (Gaithersburg, MD / Shenandoah University), Tyler Warr (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy), and junior catcher Zach Bauers (Cooper City, FL / Cooper City) each walked to load the bases in the first as senior right fielder Dylan Jackson (Levittown, PA / Chestnut Hill College) collected an early RBI as he was plunked by a pitch. Senior designated hitter Tyler Harris (Oxford, PA / Oxford Area) walked and junior third baseman Ben Gagnon (Bethlehem, PA / Northampton CC) was hit by a pitch scoring two more runs in a troublesome first inning for Lesley (2-2 / NAC).
 
Wikner walked again in the second, stealing second and third to allow Bauers to score him on an infield single, making the lead 4-0. Cairn (5-1 / UNITED EAST) added another in the third as freshman left fielder Josh Smeltzer, Jr. (Reading, PA / Muhlenberg) singled and sophomore shortstop Nathan Schurga (Wilmington, DE / Conrad Schools of Science) doubled to put them both in scoring position as Smeltzer, Jr. came across on a wild pitch.
 
Cairn didn't score again through the sixth inning and neither did Lesley because of senior lefty Joe Battaglia's (Franklin, TN / Brentwood Academy) superiority on the mound in six innings pitched with as many strikeouts and no runs allowed, picking up his first win on the season.
 
Smeltzer, Jr. and Schurga walked with two outs in the seventh with Wikner driving in the later with an RBI single. Lesley cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning on a pair of hits, a walk, and a hit batter but Cairn answered right back in the eighth. Bauers led off with a double and scored as Jackson tripled off the right field wall. Harris scored him on a sacrifice fly as Gagnon continued with a single, freshman second baseman Gustavo Villegas (Plantation, FL / Plantation) was hit by a pitch, and Smeltzer, Jr. walked to load the bases for Schurga who doubled and scored a pair and advanced Smeltzer, Jr. to third who scored on Wikner's sacrifice fly with the lead cemented at 11-3.
 
Sophomore reliver Jack Wright (Telford, PA / Souderton) picked up the three-inning save as he held the Lynx to a scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
 
Schurga, Wikner, Bauers, Jackson, Gagnon, and Semltzer, Jr. each had two hits apiece, Schurga with two doubles and Jackson with a triple. Wikner stole a pair of bases while he, Schurga, Jackson, and Harris each collected 2 RBI.
 
Cairn will be the host for New Jersey City University at Pelicans Ballpark for the 1:30 p.m. game.