The Lancaster Bible College baseball team opened its 2017 campaign on Friday as the Chargers split a doubleheader with John Jay at Charger Field. The Bloodhounds took game one, 9-5, but the Chargers fought back to win game two, 9-2 in five innings. The doubleheader split marks the second straight year the Chargers have opened their season with a win and a loss.

Game 1
John Jay 9, Lancaster Bible 5

How it Happened: John Jay's Brian Garcia got the Bloodhounds on the board in the top of the second inning as he hit a solo home run directly overtop of the scoreboard at Charger Field to make it 1-0. The Bloodhounds made it 3-0 in the third inning and in the fourth, made it 4-0 on a double from Charlee Rodriguez. 

It went from bad to worse for the Chargers in the top half of the fifth inning as John Jay scored five more runs on six hits and grabbed a 9-0 lead. The Chargers managed just one hit through the first four innings, but came alive in the bottom half of the fifth inning as the first three batters reached base. Junior Josh Mayer, who had the lone hit for Lancaster Bible in the first four innings, came to the plate and was hit by a pitch on the back of the helmet. With the score now 9-1, senior Justin Taylor stepped to the plate and blasted a grand slam home run deep over the centerfield wall and got the Chargers back into the game.

Lancaster Bible put runners on first and second later in the inning, but couldn't plate anymore runs. The Chargers put runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings as well, but wouldn't score again and lost to John Jay, 9-5.

By the Numbers: Mayer finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored...Taylor was 1-for-4 with four RBI...Sophomore Adam Cohick was 2-for-3 with a walk...Senior Brian Niedergall was 1-for-3 with a run scored...Starter Zack Leonard went three innings, allowed four hits and two earned runs...Senior Gabe Yoder pitched two innings and allowed just one hit and struck out two...Junior Nate Staffieri pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Chargers as well.

Game 2
Lancaster Bible 9, John Jay 2 (5 innings)

How it Happened: The Chargers got on the board first in game two as leadoff batter Jensen King drew a walk in the bottom of the first and immediately stole second and third base. With Mayer at the plate, King scored on a wild pitch to give the Chargers an early 1-0 advantage. Mayer then drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He wouldn't be there long as Justin Taylor singled through the right side to make it a 2-0 game.

John Jay got a run back in the top of the second inning, but the Chargers extended their lead to 4-1 just three batters into the bottom of the second as Niedergall blasted a two-run home run to make it 4-1 in favor of the Chargers. King walked again and after the second out of the inning, Taylor delivered his second home run of the day and gave Lancaster Bible a 6-1 lead. 

The Bloodhounds scored once in the top of the third and threatened to have a big inning, but sophomore Zach Bonick worked out of a jam and limited to visitors to just one run. Lancaster Bible plated three more runs in the bottom of the inning as freshman Michael Hill doubled and then scored on a wild pitch, while Leonard and King also scored in the inning.

By the Numbers: Taylor finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored...Niedergall finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored...King was 1-for-1 with three walks and three runs scored, while Will Welsh, Jarod Leopold, Doug Gundlach and Mayer also picked up hits...Senior Nate Burns started and went 2 1/3 innings, while Bonick picked up the win. 

Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 2-2 all-time against John Jay as the teams split a doubleheader in Lancaster last season as well...Game two was called due to darkness with two outs in the bottom of fifth.

Up Next: Lancaster Bible returns to the diamond on Wednesday as the Chargers take on Hood in Frederick, Md...First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.