LAKE WALES, Fla. – The Siena Heights baseball team opened the Warner Invitational Tournament on Thursday with two losses, dropping a 4-2 decision to 17th-ranked Bellevue (Neb.) at Frostproof before falling to host Warner 2-1 at Warner Field.
Siena Heights gave up a first inning home run to the Bruins on the second pitch of the first batter to make it 1-0, but Travis Mielcarek (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) settled down was able to work out of the inning without any more runs.
Bellevue scored three more runs in the third inning, before the Saints got on the board with two runs in the fifth inning.
Drew Milligan (Hudson, Mich./Hudson) got things going for the Saints with a single to center field. B.J. Salazar (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Eastern) reached on a fielder's choice and Mike Lollo (Allen Park, Mich./Cabrini) reached on an error by the shortstop. Kyle Benschoter (Hudson, Mich./Hudson) scorched a single to left field to score Salazar and Lollo to make it 4-2 Bellevue.
At Warner, the Saints faced the Royals in the afternoon game. Jake Sperry (Livonia Mich./Westland John Glenn) carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning before the Royals were able to strike. Sperry gave up a double to the lead-off hitter before getting the next two batters out. The Royals got another double to score Brandon Kirby from second to make it 1-0.
The Saints tied it up in the sixth inning thanks to a couple of Royal errors. Benschoter singled to left field, followed by a Dan Abbott (Plymouth, Mich./Lutheran Westland) single to move Benschoter to third and scored on a passed ball.
The Royals scored in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 2-1 ballgame. The Saints had two on in the top of the seventh but Bill Laranga (Maumee, Mich./Maumee) struck out with the tying run on second and Lollo grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning and the game.
Benschoter finished the day going 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBI.
Mielcarek went three innings for the Saints in the first game allowing four runs on four hits against Bellevue. He struck out two batters and walked two. Ben Finn (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) pitched the last four innings allowing two hits and striking out two.
Sperry's final line was five and a third innings, four hits, two runs, one walk and three strikeouts against the Royals.
The Saints will face St. Francis (Ill.) at 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning and Thomas (Ga.) at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Both games will be at Frostproof Baseball Complex.
