AUBURNDALE, Fla. --- The Moravian University baseball squad rallied three times and forced extra innings for the second time this season before falling to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 8-7 in ten innings, in the opening game of the RussMatt Invitational at Lake Myrtle in Florida as the Hounds suffered their first loss of the year.

How It Happened

• The Fightin' Engineers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning
• The Greyhounds countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to 3-2. Senior designated hitter Cole Cherkas reached on a fielder's choice and came across the plate on an RBI single from senior catcher Connor Wengryn. Graduate student third baseman Jack Tone, who had singled in the innings, raced home on error on a ball hit by senior left fielder David Olsakowski
• The Hounds tied the contest at 3-3 in the bottom of the third as graduate student second baseman Chris Pow led off the inning with a solo home run to right field
• Moravian took the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Senior center fielder Matt Madigan singled with two outs and raced around the bases to score from first on a single and error on a ball hit by Olsakowski
• Rose-Hulman plated a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to retake a 5-4 edge
• The Blue & Grey countered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to move back ahead, 6-5. Junior right fielder Nick Henry drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a single by Pow before a double steal put Henry 90 feet away from the plate. Cherkas connected on a two-out RBI single to center field as Henry crossed the plate with the tying run. Tone eventually drew a bases loaded RBI walk to chase Pow home with the go-ahead run
• The Fightin' Engineers took the lead right back in the top of the eighth frame with a pair of runs for an 7-6 edge
• The Greyhounds forced extra innings for their second straight game with a run in the bottom of the ninth to knot the contest at 7-7. Graduate student first baseman Paul Hamilton led off the inning with a solo homer to left field
• Rose-Hulman retook a one-run lead at 8-7 in the top of the tenth
• Moravian loaded the bases in the bottom of the tenth frame on a single from Henry, a double by Pow and an intentional walk to Hamilton, but the Blue & Grey were unable to push the tying run across the plate

Inside the Numbers

• Moravian had 12 hits in the contest with Pow going 3-for-6 with two runs, a double, a home run and an RBI. Pow's homer was his first of the season and third of his career
• Olsakowski had a pair of hits while Henry, Hamilton, Cherkas, Tone and Madigan all had one hit and scored a run. Hamilton connected on his second homer of the season while Cherkas also had an RBI
• Wengryn contributed a hit and an RBI while senior shortstop Paul Coyle had the Hounds' other hit
• Senior David Ciaccio made the start on the mound, and he allowed three runs, two earned, to go with three walks and three strikeouts in three innings of action. Ciaccio's second strikeout of the game was the 100th of his career, making him the 21st Greyhound pitcher to reach the milestone
• Graduate student Ethan Weber tossed two innings with two runs on a hit, three walks and a strikeout while freshman Antorius Cofield pitched three innings with a pair of unearned runs, a walk and a strikeout. Freshman Nick Leonard tossed two innings with a run on three hits and a walk to go with two strikeouts

Up Next for the Greyhounds

• Thursday, February 29 vs. Wartburg (Iowa) College at RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Auburndale, Fla., 2:00 p.m.
• Friday, March 1 vs. Gordon (Mass.) College (DH) at RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Auburndale, Fla., 10:00 a.m.