The Chestnut Hill College Baseball team opened their 2023 season Friday night with a doubleheader against regionally ranked Franklin Pierce University at the Northeast Challenge.  The event is being held at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Griffins lost the opener 7-5 and then dropped the nightcap which ended in the early morning hours on Saturday 6-1 to fall 0-2 to start the season.

Jake Schweiker started and pitched six innings in the opener, giving up five runs (four earned) while striking out six to take the loss. Six different Griffins had at least one hit with Andrew Sawarynski recording the only multiple hit game in the opener for CHC with two.

Walks plagued Schweiker in the first inning, giving up three free passes with two of the scoring as the Ravens jumped out to a 3-0 lead.  The Griffins got two right ack in the bottom of the inning as Eli Meredith led off with a single and David Antone drew a one-out walk and then stole second.  Sawarynski then deliver a single to score Meredith and Antone to cut the lead to 3-2

The Ravens got single runs in the third and sixth innings before the Griffins scored again in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run by Sawarynski, delivering his third RBI of the game to make the score 5-3.

A wild pitch brought home FPU's sixth run in the top of the eight with the Griffins answering with a wild pitch run of their own in the bottom half of the inning and added a pinch-hit RBI single to score Ahmaad Goldson from third.  Greg Ianelli attempted to score the tying run on the play as well but was out at the plate, ending the rally with the Griffins trailing 6-5.

FPU tacked on an insurance run in the top half of the ninth while the Griffins put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the ninth via a pinch hit single by Lloyd McLaughlin and a walk to Meredith. McLaughlin was retired on a fielder's choice as Meredith advanced to second.  Two batters later Meredith was thrown out trying to steal third base to end the game.

Mike Kiefer pitched four scoreless innings in the nightcap and clung to a 1-0 lead before the Ravens struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead and knock Kiefer out the game.  He left with seven strikeouts over five innings of work.  The Ravens scored three more in the bottom of the sixth to round out their scoring and hand the Griffins a 6-1 loss.

An RBI double from Ruben Piccardo highlighted the Griffins offense in game two.  His hit, with two-out scored Ianelli who entered the game as a pinch runner and then stole second.  Piccardo's hit was also the last for the Griffins on the night with Nate O'Donnell's third inning single the only other hit in the game by the Griffins.

Ravens pitcher Hunter Reynolds pitched a complete game, striking out five and allowing two hits, two walks and a hit batter to earn the win.

The baseball team returns to action on Saturday, February 25, 2023 for a game against University of New Haven  at the Northeast Challenge.