Dayton, TN—After losing 2 games in a row to Rio Grande, the Lions were looking to take something positive from the weekend set and come away with a win. Looking to reverse his team’s fortunes as he took the mound was junior Joey Mohler, a transfer from Calhoun Community College in Alabama. The Lions’ were eager to see what Mohler might contribute as he has been sharp in practice and is expected to step in and make big contributions right away.

                Mohler struggled with control early on, as it appeared nerves caused him to over-throw and get outside of his normal rhythm. Rio Grande took advantage of every mistake, and posted 2 runs in the first inning behind back to back singles out of their 2^nd and 3^rd hitters. Bryan would push a run of its own across in the bottom half of the 1^st, but still trailed by 1. Rio added another run in the top of the second, and two more in the top of the 3^rd, while the Lions could only manage 1 run in the bottom of the 3^rd. Mohler settled in, shutting out the Redmen over the next three innings, before giving way to freshman Adam Polston.

                Down two runs late in the 6^th inning, senior Jeremy Potts stepped to the plate and delivered a huge two-out, two-run single to right field to tie the score at 5. Over the course of the next 5 innings, one of the longest and most suspenseful games in the history of the program took place. Polston, making his first collegiate appearance was tremendous in relief of Mohler, working 5 innings and allowing only 1 hit. Both teams had opportunities to win the ballgame as the night wore on. A regular game in a double-header lasts seven innings, but this game was not decided until the 11^th.

                With many fans still glued to their seats and cheering loudly for a Bryan victory, it was defensive miscues that led to the Lions undoing. A rare catcher’s interference call allowed a Rio Grande baserunner to start the inning. The Redmen bunted the runner to second, and a groundball hit to 1^st base was mishandled and then the subsequent throw to first was mishandled as well, resulting in Rio taking the lead 6-5 heading into the bottom of the 11^th.

                The Lions battled, eventually putting two runners on base, and giving themselves a chance to win the ballgame, but a close call on a “bang-bang” play at first base went the way of the Redmen, and Rio Grande escaped with the extra inning victory. Final Score: Rio Grande 6- Bryan 5 (11 Innings)

                Bryan had opportunities to win the game, but could not capitalize, as they left 12 runners stranded on base, and made an astounding 9 errors in the contest.  Lions Head Coach Joel Johnson was not pleased with the team’s effort defensively, but was proud of how they battled late in the game: “We certainly did not play our best baseball this weekend. Rio is a really well coached ball club, and I want to give them their due, but we made 14 errors over the course of 3 games this weekend, and that always makes it tough to win. I’m proud of the way we battled there until the end, that was a great baseball game, and one I’m sure was fun for our fans. We would have liked to have come out on top, but sometime’s that’s just how baseball is. One small miscue and the entire game can change. We’ll fix some things in practice this week and be ready to go on Wednesday when we head to Atlanta Christian. We’ll build on this and get better.”

The Lions travel to East Point, GA on Wednesday for a double-header with the Atlanta Christian Chargers. First pitch is scheduled for 1 PM.