Sophomore Brian Lares' first inning home run got the Little Giants off to a good start Sunday afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama. The early success did not last as Wabash lost 14-4 to nationally-ranked Adrian College before getting shut out 15-0 by Birmingham-Southern in the nightcap.
Lares (right) parked the second pitch of the ballgame over the right field fence at Striplin Field, giving Wabash a 1-0 lead against the 11th-ranked Bulldogs. Adrain responded with five runs in the bottom of the first, eventually taking an 11-2 lead after four innings. The Little Giants pounded out ten hits in the game, but stranded 10 bases runners.
John Holm went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI. Lares added a second hit in the ninth inning to finish 2-for-5. Tanner Coggins was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double.
Wabash fell behind 5-0 in the first two innings and struggled against Birmingham-Southern's pitching throughout the game. Coggins extended his hitting streak to four games by going 1-for-3. John Pennington and Montana Timmons each added singles for Wabash in the game, while Nathan Schrader had the only extra base hit for the Little Giants with a double in the third inning.
Wabash (0-4) will travel to Texas on Monday before playing a nine-inning contest at LeTourneau University in Longview on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Miller Photography, Birmingham, Alabama.
Game one - Adrian 14, Wabash 4 (box score)
Game two - Birmingham-Southern 15, Wabash 0 (box score)