Sports
By Charlie Gainor, Staff Writer
Xavier baseball opened up their campaign at Hayden Field with a perfect start as they swept Ball State University over the weekend in a three-game series.
Following a 21-game road trip to start the season, the Musketeers (11-13) entered the weekend looking to string some wins together following a brutal stretch of games against some of the best teams in the country. They entered the series having won one of their past nine games with opponents including No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Louisiana State University and No. 12 Vanderbilt.
Sophomore RHP Ryan Peich (4-2) got the starting nod on the home opener, but the Cardinals (16-9) got off to a hot start leading 5-1 after four innings. Xavier got two runs back thanks to senior outfielder Aedan Anderson notching a run in the fifth and graduate infielder Nolan Tucker’s sac fly in the sixth, but they still needed some late-game magic if they wanted to get the win.
Xavier baseball started off their first homestand strong, sweeping the series against Ball State University, including with a walk-off win in the first game.
Sophomore outfielder Jake Lambdin and senior Carter Hendrickson drew back-to-back walks to begin the ninth, the former scoring off an RBI single by junior infielder Connor Misch. With the tying run at second and the winning run at first, junior outfielder Issac Wachsmann jacked a line-drive double down the left field line to tie up the game at 5-5 and sophomore infielder and Cincinnati native Clay Burdette notched a walk-off single to close out the comeback win — the first walk-off win by the Musketeers this season. Freshman RHP Jack DeTienne got the win on the books, with senior RHP Logan Schmidt and sophomore RHP Eli Bridenthal holding the Cardinals scoreless over the final five innings.
Xavier closed out the series in a doubleheader the following day, with Muskies ace senior RHP Luke Hoskins starting off game one. The senior right-hander struck out a season-high seven batters through 5.2 innings and held Ball State to just two runs. At the plate, Wachsmann set the tone by sending the first pitch he saw over the fence to give Xavier an early lead — the first of four home runs hit by the Musketeers. Tucker, Burdette and Lambdin each notched a home run as Xavier easily took the first game 9-2.
Junior RHP Ben Weber took the mound as the Muskies looked for the sweep and the St. Paul native pitched a gem, going seven innings and holding the Cardinals to just one run on a 101-pitch outing. Wachsmann continued to mash as he hit a homer for the second straight game, leading the way with four RBIs total on the day as the Muskies easily rolled to a 7-1 win, securing the sweep and winning three straight for the second time this season.
Burdette was selected to the Big East Honor Roll after going .455 at the plate for the series and recording the game-winning hit in Friday’s home opener. This is Burdette’s first career conference accolade, and he is the fifth Xavier player this year to be recognized by the conference.
Xavier continues their season with a midweek trip to Lexington as they face the No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats before opening Big East play at Hayden Field against the UConn Huskies this weekend.
