Baseball vs Oakland City
2
Oakland City OCU 0-0
3
Winner St. Thomas STU 3-0
Oakland City OCU
0-0
2
Final
3
St. Thomas STU
3-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Oakland City OCU 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 6 2
St. Thomas STU 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 X 3 5 1

W: Bencosme, Sean (1-0) L: M. Gracia (0-1) S: Rangel, Gabriel (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Jake Scicluna

Baseball Wins Series Opener Against Oakland City

Miami Gardens, Fla. - On Friday night, the St. Thomas Bobcats opened their three-game series against the Oakland City Mighty Oaks. The Bobcats, coming off a three game series sweep against McPherson College last weekend, looked to keep their momentum rolling against an Oakland City team opening their season. 

Juan Fernandez got the game one start for the Bobcats, and showed swing and miss stuff all night. Fernandez struck out seven Oakland City hitters in four innings, allowing two hits and one run. It was not the most efficient night for Fernandez, as he allowed four free passes, limiting his start to just four innings. 

After Oakland City scored their first run of the game in the 4th inning, the Bobcats responded with two runs of their own on wild pitches. Oakland City's Opening Day starter, Matt Lighthall, was finished after four innings. He gave the Bobcats many opportunities to score, but Lighthall was able to strand a runner at third with less than two outs four times in his outing. The Mighty Oaks tied the game in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout. 

Bullpen work was solid for both teams. Frank Villella threw 1.2 shutout innings for the Bobcats, followed by two shutout innings by Sean Bencosme. Despite the familiarity, former 2024 Bobcat Manny De Gracia threw 2.1 shutout innings for the Mighty Oaks, striking out five batters. After De Gracia's outing, Oakland City moved Dicky Gonzalez from 2B to the mound. After the Bobcats loaded the bases on three consecutive singles, Alan Nava grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring the go-ahead run for the Bobcats. Gabriel Rangel made his Bobcats' debut in a save situation against the top of the Oakland City lineup. Rangel struck out two batters in order to earn his first Bobcat's save. Sean Bencosme earned the win for St. Thomas. 

Offensively, the Bobcats had five hits on the night. Luis Suarez and Luis Morera both had two-hit nights. Morera also had the only extra base hit for both teams. Bobcats pitching only surrendered six hits to Oakland City. 

St. Thomas will conclude the three game series against Oakland City on Saturday, January 31 with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 pm. 
 
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