KCAC

[Baseball] Baseball Falcons drop two at York

York, Neb. – The Friends University Falcons dropped the first two games of a three-game series today (Apr. 14) at the York University Panthers by scores of 7-2 and 3-1 in York, Neb.A home run by Dakota Harding (JR/Wichita, Kan.) in the second inning put the Falcons up early in the opener, but that lead was quickly erased by solo homers from Cesar Galvan and Ian Heck in the bottom half of the frame.An infield single by Alejandro Loera then finished a three-run fifth inning that gave the Panthers some breathing room at 5-1.Following Devon Lujan (SO/Olathe, Kan.)'s fourth homer of the season in the seventh inning for the Falcons, Mateo Sierras hit a pinch-hit, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to put it away for York.Harding went 2-of-3 for the Falcons, with Heck also going 2-of-3 for the Panthers in the first game.Nolan Crumrine (SO/Sedgwick, Kan.) started and went five innings for the Falcons, allowing five runs with three strikeouts. Vincent Vigil (FR/Tampa, Fla. ), Matt Postier (SO/Wichita, Kan.) and Cameron Chase (FR/Colorado Springs, Colo.) each turned in scoreless relief outings for Friends.Heck's offensive performance served him well on the mound, as he lasted eight innings and struck out five with two runs allowed to get the win.The nightcap saw the Panthers get all the runs they needed early on, with Galvan hitting another home run in the first inning, a two-run blast that was followed by an RBI double from Secudino Morales in the bottom of the second.Buster Hardman (JR/American Fork, Utah) singled home Zeke Henson (SO/Raymore, Mo. ) in the third inning, but that's all the scoring the Falcons (19-20, 13-12 KCAC) could muster.The pitching combination of Tyler Chavis and James Mockry limited the Falcon offense, as Chavis allowed one run in six innings with four strikeouts and five walks in a winning effort.  Mockry then came on and tossed a scoreless seventh to pick up the save for the Panthers (16-24-1, 15-10 KCAC).Keagan Alejo (SO/Waco, Texas) started and gave up three runs with a pair of strikeouts for the Falcons, while Daniel Jaime (SO/Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) threw three shutout innings and also struck out two.Jackson Powell (FR/Lufkin, Texas) then struck out two batters of his own in a scoreless sixth frame.The Falcons and Panthers are scheduled to wrap up the weekend set with a 1 pm game on Sunday (Apr. 16).