The Lancaster Bible College Baseball team kicked off their 2026 season on Saturday afternoon as they traveled to face Eastern in a double-header, splitting the day as they lost game one 7-6 and won game two 6-4, both seven-inning games. The Chargers begin the season 1-1 overall while the Eagles also begin their year at 1-1 overall.
 
Game 1: 6-7 Loss (7 inn.)
 
How it Happened:
Tanner Smith (Sr.) got the Chargers' first hit of the season in the 1st inning, but the Chargers had three strikeouts to leave him on. Then in the 2nd inning, LBC struck first as Everett Bell (So.) knocked a RBI-single to right for the Chargers' first 2026 run, then later in the inning Dylan Witkowski (Sr.) drove in Bell on a single for a 2-0 LBC lead. The Chargers added another run in the third as Malachi Sloane (Jr.) hit a single to drive in a run. The Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the 4th inning with two runs off Noah Robinette (Jr.) to pull within one, then used a big 6th inning with three runs including a LBC error to jump in front 5-3 heading into the final frame. The Chargers surged in the top of the 7th inning as Evan Sareyka (Sr.) blasted a two-run home run to left field, tying the game at 5-5. Then, Bell struck again with a double to score the go-ahead run and put LBC up 6-5. The Eagles, however, had the last laugh as they rallied with two outs in the bottom of the 7th to win the game on a walk-off double for a 7-6 opening day victory.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers had six runs on 15 hits with one error while the Eagles had seven runs on nine hits and no errors
- Everett Bell led the Chargers with a perfect 4-4 day and two RBI
- Malachi Sloane went 2-3 with a walk, driving in one run and scoring one run
- Evan Sareyka finished 3-4 with two runs scored and a two-run homer
- Tanner Smith and Alex Fox (Fr.) each got their first hits in a Charger uniform
- Noah Robinette pitched 5.0 innings for the Chargers with three earned runs on six hits and three strikeouts, while Evan Sareyka (L, 0-1) had 1.2 innings with three earned runs on three hits and two walks
- The Eagles were led by Trent MacDougall who had three hits on 3-4 with two runs scored, while Jaden Taylor had the walk-off double in the 7th inning to win the game

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 Game 2: 6-4 Win (7 inn.)
 
How it Happened:
The Chargers had two early hits in the 1st inning but no score and a 1-2-3 2nd inning, while starting pitcher Trey Luminella (Fr.) picked up a pair of strikeouts early on. The 3rd inning was where the Chargers took control of the game as they loaded the bases for Tanner Smith, who hit a double to center field that scored two runs to open the scoring. The next at-bat belonged to Evan Sareyka, singling to left center to score two more runs for a four-run inning and a Chargers lead. After a scoreless 4th, the Chargers added on in the 5th inning as Smith scored on a wild pitch and Everett Bell drove in Sareyka on a fielder's choice for a 6-0 LBC advantage through five. Eastern ended the shutout in the bottom of the 6th as they put three runs across to cut the deficit in half at 6-3, then added another in the 7th before a flyout closed the game out in favor of the Chargers for their first win of the season.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers scored six runs on seven hits with one error, while the Eagles had four runs of six hits and committed two errors
- Evan Sareyka led the Chargers as he batted 2-3 with a walk and two RBI
- Shane Stephan (Jr.) recorded two hits with a run scored
- Tanner Smith recorded two RBI with two runs scored
- On the mound, Trey Luminella (W, 1-0) earned his first win as a Charger with 4.0 innings pitched, not allowing a run on just one hit with four strikeouts and three walks
- Kaiden Alday (Fr.) (S, 1) earned the save with 1.0 inning and allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout
- The Eagles were led by Trevor Harris with a team-high two hits
 
Information to Know:
The Chargers move to 3-6 all-time against Eastern and have won three of their last four games against the Eagles. The Chargers picked up a win on opening day for the fourth straight season but lost their opening game of the year for the first time since 2022.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers will face Penn St. Schuylkill on Wednesday, February 25 in a home game scheduled to be played at Cooper Park at Millersville University at 6:30 p.m.