BOCA RATON, Fla. – Looking to end their first Florida trip of the season on a high note, the Post University Baseball bats were once again silenced, this time by Lynn University on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles were held to only one run in the affair and a four-run seventh inning would be the difference maker as the Fighting Knights shook off their loss to Bentley University the other day with a 5-1 win.

THE BASICS

Post University 1, Lynn University 5

Post University (1-2)

Lynn University (6-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was the Fighting Knights who got on the board first in the second inning after a leadoff single by junior outfielder Leon Paulino led to a sacrifice fly by junior catcher Juan Carlos Camarena after Paulino got all the way to third on an error by graduate starting pitcher Joe Christiana. Christiana would give up back-to-back two-out singles before escaping the inning without further damage.
 
Graduate outfielder Michael Pavelchak had the immediate response for the Eagles in the third when a leadoff single from senior shortstop Evan Cornwell and then back-to-back singles from senior outfielder Danny Gill and Pavelchak led to the game-tying run with one out and Post still threatening. That threat would be neutralized when the very next batter in junior catcher Jimmy Brennan flew out into a double play as Gill was thrown out.
 
It would be a dual the rest of the way for both starting pitchers as Christiana ended up going six innings while throwing only 80 pitches and allowed that lone run which was unearned. The graduate student allowed eight total hits and struck out one batter while walking none. Junior starting pitcher Devin Sweeney would match him for Lynn with five innings of one-run ball in which he allowed four hits while striking out two, walking one, and hitting one.
 
With the game still tied at one heading into the seventh, Christiana would be pulled for junior right-handed pitcher Justin Portes. A leadoff walk followed by a sacrifice bunt put a runner on second in junior shortstop Julio Camarenas with one out for the Fighting Knights. Camarenas advanced to third on a wild pitch by Portes and after the junior got the second out of the inning via strikeout, junior shortstop Cole Fowler singled him home to give Lynn a 2-1 lead.
 
A Paulino RBI single and eventual score on a wild pitch finished out the scoring for the Fighting Knights as Portes and senior right-handed pitcher Marshall Thurman combined for four earned runs on two hits with a walk, hit batter, a balk, and five wild pitches. But Post had a chance to do damage and get back into the game in the top of the eighth when they loaded the bases with one out and the middle of their order up. Junior right-hander Joel Hayner navigated the trouble by getting a line out from junior infielder Hunter Keller and struck out freshman infielder Dario Sosa to escape trouble.
 
A quiet ninth would see the Eagles only be able to get one runner on with a one-out walk issued to freshman designated hitter Brian Zweigbaum before Hayner retired the next two batters to secure the 5-1 win for Lynn.

BY THE NUMBERS

• While having his 10-game hitting streak that dated back to last season snapped yesterday, Michael Pavelchak continued to extend his on-base streak to 12 straight games today after reaching base three times today via single, walk, and A hit by pitch
• Post University is now 0-2 this season when their opponent scores the game's first run and have been outscored 8-1 in the final three innings of their first three games
• This is the first time since a doubleheader on February 18^th, 2023 against Southern New Hampshire University in which Post University has been held to one run or less in two consecutive games – The last time they were held to one run or less in back-to-back non-doubleheader games was February 8^th and 9^th, 2020 against University of Tampa when they were shutout in both matchups
• To finish off their first week, Post University had a .229 batting average as a team and a 4.68 team earned run average and holds a .970 fielding percentage

WHO'S NEXT
Post University faces a tough test next weekend as they will head down to South Carolina for a three-game series against North Greenville University on Friday and Saturday. Currently, the Crusaders are ranked 2^nd nationally in the NCBWA National Poll and only have one loss this season which came against Lynn University. This will be the first time these two teams have met in program history.