BY JAKE GEIGER, staff writer
Nick Zwack threw five hitless innings during the night portion of Xavier’s doubleheader against Texas A&M to open their season. The Musketeers won two out of three from the Aggies in College Station, Texas.
Xavier baseball started the season on a high note last weekend as they visited College Station, Texas and went 2-1 against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Xavier did it in gritty fashion with strong performances from outfielder Luke Franzoni and pitcher Nick Zwack. The hitting was there for the first game, while the pitching stepped up in the second game of the doubleheader.
On opening day, Xavier picked up a pivotal 10-6 win. Lane Flamm got the call on the mound and had a strong performance.
Flamm pitched four innings and allowed six hits with two earned runs. Xavier made four errors in the game, so Flamm gave up five runs in the end.
In total, Xavier collected 13 hits and had three home runs. Franzoni had a monster game with two home runs and three RBIs out of the clean-up spot. His two-run bomb in the sixth inning was a big momentum swing as it gave the Musketeers a 7-5 lead.
Designated hitter Jeff Holtz contributed with a solo shot to score Xavier’s first run of the season.
Relief pitcher Trey Schramm pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed zero hits with zero runs to close the game.
Xavier’s second win of the season came in thrilling fashion as first baseman Jonathan Kelly smashed a two run homer to give the Musketeers a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.
That’s all Xavier would need as the game ended in a 2-0 victory. Kelly also took the mound to end the game and pitched two clean innings.
The Xavier pitching staff only allowed three hits and six walks while striking out 11 Aggie batters.
Nick Zwack started the game and pitched a stellar five innings. He did not allow a hit while only giving up three walks and struck out eight batters in the process.
Relief pitchers Michael Dillon and Trevor Olson each pitched a scoreless inning to strengthen the Musketeer pitching performance.
However, the Musketeers did not end their road trip in the best fashion as they fell 15-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Texas A&M started the game hot as they scored four quick runs in the first two innings.
The Aggies would never look back as they poured on the runs in the seventh inning. Texas A&M catcher Mikey Hoehner had a two-run double and the Aggies would add five more runs in the inning to extend their lead to 14-0.
A&M first baseman Hunter Coleman hit a solo home run to cap off a dominant 15-0 performance for the home team. The Aggies held Xavier to five hits offensively.
Xavier continues their season in Spartanburg, South Carolina as they face the Wofford Terriers this weekend.
The four game series begins at 5 p.m. on Friday, followed by a doubleheader Saturday.
The series finale will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
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