The Lions baseball team came back from a loss against LSU earlier this week, ending their series versus George Washington in a sweep.
All three games took place at the Pat Kenelly Diamond at the Alumni Field on Feb. 21, 22 and 23. The Lions took each victory, scoring 6-1, 14-9 and 9-3, respectively.
“[The sweep] was big for our kids; it gets the momentum going into our conference,” said Head Coach Matt Riser at the end of the series. “We’ve got two weeks left, and we’re still trying to figure out some places and some holes to fill in. We’ve got to get our opportunities now. Some guys are taking advantage of it and doing a good job, so we’ll keep plugging and chugging, but definitely to get that sweep, we’ll build some confidence for next week.”
In the game versus LSU on Wednesday, Feb. 19 the Lions started off positively, leading the score 1-0 in the first inning. However, in the sixth inning the opposing team stepped up their game, scoring an intimidating four points. The game closed at 3-7. The Lions built upon their loss against LSU, utilizing it as a learning experience, which ultimately helped them achieve victory in the following series.
“The loss against LSU, it definitely motivated us,” said sophomore catcher/infielder Jameson Fisher. “We got to see that we can play with those guys, and we know we can play with those guys, and then we kind of had a rocky start with George Washington. It just kept motivating us to get the win.”
In the final game Sunday night, the Lions started off shaky, ending the second inning with a score of 1-2. The team gradually built up momentum throughout the game. The seventh inning was the Lions’ shining moment, in which they scored four runs, leaving the game 9-3. Fisher attributes the victory to team cohesiveness.
“They’re just great guys,” said Fisher. “I’d do anything for them. It’s like some guys have said so far this year, this is the closest team that I’ve ever been a part of, and this is the closest team that other guys have ever been a part of, so it’s a great team.”
The Lions will return to the field to face Grambling State on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Pat Kenelly Diamond at the Alumni Field.